2021
Heavenly bodies
This series is an ode to my long lost love of pole and aerial dancing, a hobby I picked up in the Covid era. Having absolutely no background in dance or gymnastics beforehand, it really opened me up to an entirely new understanding of what my body is capable of doing, the ways that I could train it to move and occupy space Each apparatus , whether it is the lyra, the hammock, or pole, poses its own set of design challenges to the human body.
The Hammock
The hammock requires an abundance of flexibility and grace, both of which I sorely lack. Having gotten by most of my Lyra classes with brute force and strength, the hammock is where I am forced to be as soft and stretchy as the fabric. In addition to that, remembering all the wraps and figuring your way out of them takes some serious brain work. I struggle a lot in hammock classes, yet I am endlessly amazed by the ways that the fabric is so effortlessly combined with bodily movements to create moving works of art.
The Lyra
A rigid circular shape, the Lyra allows the body to bend and roll, and swing in endlessly fascinating ways. Transitioning between the shapes is a dynamic art in itself. There are loads of creative ways to get yourself on the hoop, and many more ways to transition from one precarious position to another. Not to mention the control of the spin, how do you use momentum to your advantage? It is one of those few sports that double up as a painful workout, as well as a creative endeavour.
The Pole
The hardest and most brutal of all the shapes is the unswerving pole. It’s slippery, it’s rigid, it spins either too quickly or too slowly 99% of the time. The fact that it’s a straight pole means that at any point that you’re up in the air, at least one part of your body must be hooked and engaged. There is absolutely no resting point. Those who can master the pole are truly magicians.