Aerial dance is a newer dance form with a differentiating past than its current representation. The term aerial describes something happening in the air. In terms of dance, it is just that. A form of modern dance that happens suspended off of the ground. There are many more specific types of aerial dance such a tightrope, hoop, and trappeze. For the purposes of this essay, I will be focusing on silks. I chose this topic because it’s not a common form that is talked about or that I’ve heard about in the dance world up until college. I was interested in knowing the origins of this daring art. At the time and place in which aerial dance itself was created, it reinforced social normals ,and aerial silk dance did the same in its time of origin.
Tightrope and other developments of gymnastics in the beginning creations of aerial dance had been started by Jules Leotard in the 1800’s. In 1859, Leotard performed his trapeze aerial work in Paris. Despite this, however, Terry Sendgraff is credited with being the pioneer of aerial dance within the United States. Jules Leotard, however, is not to be discredit with his contributions to the dance society as it will be seen later in the costuming section of this essay. Starting in 1975, Sendgraff introduced this new form (aerial) to the United States and established Motivity the dance company. It was created in order to show off the masculinity of male gymnast at the time in a new shocking way. Aerial silk dance took root from gymnastics, getting its first start in circus. André Simard was a canadian gymnast who also taught clown performance in Montreal Canada during the 1970’s. Simard was posed with the task of creating something new to draw in audiences for Cirque du Soleil, started in Baie-Saint-Paul, Canada. He joined the very new company in 1987, only 3 years after it had began. In 1995, aerial silk dance was born.
Given that aerial silk is a form done off of the ground, often spent between 20 feet and 30 feet and sometimes more in the air, it is a very dangerous style. The aesthetic of aerial silk is more focused on the transitional movements rather than the actual tricks themselves. Most of the visual pleasure comes from seeing the relationship between the ground and the dancer. For example, a roll-down is the dancer moving their body down the silks in a rolling position, seeming to get closer to the ground. It’s this image of being so close yet so far from the “norm” idea of how dance should be performed in contrast to what is happening. Aerial silks start with a base position, which can differ depending on the studio, teacher, and routine. In short, it is the grounded position of the dance that is used to build more skills on top of. The base is the starting move that is frequently revisited throughout the piece.
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A common base position is a footlock which one foot has the silk wrapped around the arch of the foot and the ankle for stability. The movement also consist of shapes. Shapes are the poses/positions the dancers bodies are in. One of the most recognized shapes is the arabesque in which one leg hanging straight down while the other one (locked in a foothold) is straight behind the dancer. This creates a 90 degree angle or more to the audience. Arms are usually straight out to the sides in a “T” position. The next part of the movement consist of actions. Actions are the transitions between each shape. For example, you have the knee hook which is taking the “free” leg and twisting it around the silk once, so that it creates a hook around the knee. Moves and transitions are meant to look fluid and effortless. However, from a dancer’s perspective they are actually quite sharp which accents on each shape.
Costuming, too, got its roots from gymnastics. Body suits of spandex are usually worn for women while men have tight fitting tanks and pants. Now, women often wear leotards created by Jules Leotard. The color of these costumes depend on what the performer is trying to portray as well as the setting of the performance. The music depends on the setting and performer as well, however in its time of origin it would either be something very fast and upbeat to get the audience excited and/or a song that was dramatic in order to build suspense.
At the time that aerial silk dance was created, it was made for audience shook factor. It was seen as very dangerous and daring to dance suspended above the ground, even in a circus setting. This style, however, was glamorized for those very reasons. It wasn’t a style that everyone could do. Though many people admired it for what it was, there were few who were actually daring enough to try it or had enough previous acro/gymnastics training. Aerialist were seen as a liability because how dangerous it was and the results of injury. There was even a point in which there were attempts to ban aerial acts on terms that it was considered cruel to child acro acts. However, no bans were successful. At the times of its origins, men were the dominant dancers. Aerial as a general dance style was made to show masculinity and athleticism. For this reason, men dancers often thrived while women faced many stigmas. They were seen as being stripped of any femininity though their goal was to be perceived a graceful, light, and elegant. It wasn’t a female dominated dance style with these ideals of femininity and sensuality until the 2000’s.
As stated earlier, aerial silks reinforced social norms. It was a norm in the dance world that men were suppose to be seen as athletic and overly masculine while women were to be seen as light and dainty. This was an idea pulled from the roots of ballet and gymnastics. It was for those reasons that male dancers thrived in aerial silks and that female dancers couldn’t keep up. It’s known that aerial silks take great strength and muscle. Women were not seen as capable of doing that like men, and if they could then they were seen as manly. Even though it was created to drawn in more audiences, it used previous installed ideas of dance to get there. For example, the perceived idea that dance was only for trained professionals and not social settings (much like the ideas in ballet). Aerial silks continued to drive that idea and label into audiences minds. It created the boundary and line of difference in a status way.
Aerial silks in its time continued to support already installed ideas of gender roles in the dance world. This topic was fascinating to look at because in the world of aerial dance, there are so many specific forms and styles to choose from. Each of those having their own set of stigmas due to the time period in which they were created along with their own different movements. Though all of them are off the ground, they are vastly different from one another. Understanding the origins of aerial silk in particular makes looking at the dance form now in perspective have a whole new light.
The style took a complete flip when it comes to gender norms and societal norms. In the modern world, aerial silk is a female dominated dance. It is mostly perceived as feminine and sensual. Men who dance this style have gay stigma and are often stripped of their masculinity by the public. This dance form is now commonly offered in gym settings to the general public ,not just trained professionals and the circus world. Though it is still seen as a performance and theatrical style, it is becoming more and more accessible like many dance forms.
