Elizabeth Stich
I’ve been promising a blog post for a while about my experiments with different formats for beginner aerial classes. As we prepare for another summer of Born to Fly Teacher Trainings, it seems like a good time to take stock and assess my investigations. As some of you know, I relocated to southern Utah a little over a year ago and am now living in a geographic desert as well as an aerial one. Thankfully, I have found multiple teaching opportunities here and naturally all of my students are beginners. My new situation has given me the opportunity to workshop my approach to teaching beginner students across a variety of contexts. Like the old saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat! Class: Aerial Dance Technique in a university setting - Fall 2018 Format: Semester-long, 50 minutes 3 times per week (Not ideal, but it was the only class time available.) Content: 7 weeks sling, 7 weeks silks Reason: Even though this course is beginner level, I knew that several of my students already had some aerial silks experience from theater productions in the past. While their training was not consistent, they did know how to do several “tricks” and I didn’t want class to feel like a punishment starting over on silks. At the same time, I needed to find common ground with the other students in the class that had no prior aerial experience. Since I was at AerialWorks over the summer during the release of The Aerial Sling Manual Volume I, I decided that sling would be a good place for everyone to start by building body awareness, vocabulary, and a sense of community. Luckily, the students loved sling! It gave everyone the chance to explore expressive possibilities in the air with more support than silks. Like the adage, “Wherever you go, there you are,” our class joke was that even if you don’t end up where you thought you were going, you’re still somewhere (and on sling, its most likely horse)! The second half of the semester I focused on silks and although the class began to divide somewhat between those with the strength and connectivity to climb, tie footlocks in the air, and invert, and those for whom those skills will take more time, the early experience of success in the sling helped to keep the entire class motivated and supportive of each other. Making connections between vocabulary and technique from sling to silks gave students a strong foundation for lateral skill development and an appreciation for the theory behind the skills. Class: Aerial Dance Technique in a university setting - Spring 2019 Format: Semester-long, 75 minutes 2 times per week (This is my ideal format, yay!) Content: 7 weeks trapeze and sling, 7 weeks silks Reason: The students from fall must have had a good time because half of them are repeating this semester! Next year I will offer a Level 2 class in the spring, but currently repeating Level 1 is the only option for students to continue aerial training. Again, my challenge was to find a way to keep the class material appropriate for brand new beginners while also giving returning students a sense of progressing in their aerial skill set. I had hoped to have four trapezes to start the semester, but I only ended up with two. So I decided to experiment this semester using two slings and two trapezes. I’m making a concerted effort to select vocabulary that translates easily from apparatus to apparatus as well as to select different Level 1 vocabulary from last semester from each base of support (seated, standing, hip hang, inversion) to keep returning students invested. While I’m only several weeks into the semester, it seems like this strategy is working well. New students are getting a variety of Level I skills on both trapeze and sling, while returning students are layering additional information onto prior knowledge and taking ownership of material in a deeper way. Many of my students are dance and theater majors who want to learn aerial arts for increased marketability in their careers post-graduation. Gaining a broad aerial foundation across sling, trapeze, and silks means that they are training their bodies to be confident and safe in the air, regardless of the apparatus. Class: Community Education/Lifelong Learning in a university setting - Spring 2019 Format: 4-week series, 75 minutes 1 time per week Content: Silks (beginning in a knot) Reason: This is a true beginner class in that it is all of the students’ first exposure to aerial arts. My goal for this series is to let students experience the joy of being in the air. Since the course is only four weeks, I decided to start in the knot instead of the sling so that we can easily move back and forth between the knot and silks. In the first two weeks we explored skills from seated and standing in the knot as well as laid the groundwork for climbing. In the last two weeks we transitioned from the knot to explore vocabulary in single and double footlocks. I alternated each week between including climbing at the end and at the beginning of class. Putting it at the end helps prevent the feeling that climbing is the main goal of the class and having it at the beginning means that students have more muscular energy available for the challenge. I also included inverting in the knot and vocabulary from this base of support with the option to “pull-up” into and out of the knot for those with more strength and connectivity. This introductory series is my favorite format for working with a group of true beginners! Class: Beginning Aerial Silks at a private dance studio - Fall 2018, Spring 2019 Format: 8-week series (ongoing with option for drop-in), 60 minutes 1 time per week Content: Silks Reason: This class is the most challenging to plan for because it has the potential to be long term mixed-level. Although students are encouraged to register for the entire session, I accommodate drop-ins at the studio’s request since we are building a student base for a new class. I taught this class October/November with one month sling and one month silks with the idea that students would take both months consistently. Alas, that didn’t happen. For the January/February session, I decided to begin with silks and tie a knot as needed. It turns out that of the four students who registered for the full series, one had taken the sling month in October, one had taken the silks month in November, one had about a month of experience from a studio in another state, and the last one was a true beginner (although a beginner with a high baseline of functional strength as a self-professed “gym rat”). Walking into a class of mixed-level students is a challenge to quickly assess experience and formulate a lesson plan on the fly. It just so happens that all of these students had enough exposure to silks to know that their big goals were climbing and tieing footlocks in the air. This isn’t usually what I start with on day 1 of a beginner class, but its important to teach to the students in the room, so that’s what we did! When the new 8-week session begins for March/April, I imagine that I will have some returning students along with some brand new students and that the mixed-level class will continue indefinitely at this studio. While not my favorite scenario, that is the reality of starting an aerial community in a new area and it certainly keeps me on my toes! As the above “beginner” class scenarios illustrate, aerial instruction is not one size fits all. When I review RTAP videos, I appreciate seeing approaches that work for other instructors in a variety of situations. In the Born to Fly Teacher Trainings, we offer trainees a wide array of teaching tools and perspectives, but ultimately, putting these ideas into practice is a part of the craft of teaching, honed over time with experience and support. Julianna Hane Disclaimer: The exercises/movements in this post may or may not be appropriate for your body at this time. Please consult your health care provider before beginning any exercise program. With so much talk about inversion technique, it's worth mentioning one powerful force in the body - the back line. The back line is a line of fascia (connective tissue) running from the heels all the way up the back body and over the skull to the eyebrows. Fascial lines of connective tissue allows muscles to fire in a chain of succession, or “link system.” When muscles fire in succession from one end to the other, the body is more supported and can move more efficiently. In many bodies, the back line of fascia is stretched out and underutilized because our society is forward flexion-focused. Repetitive sitting, driving, or using technology (computers and cell phones) reinforces a hunched posture that prevents us from moving in a balanced way. But what is balanced movement anyway? Entire books have been written about this topic, but this post will focus on how the front and back lines of fascia should be working together to support inversions. Here is our balance focus today: When one line shortens, the other lengthens, so the tissues adjust on BOTH sides of the body to create support. For example, when you do abdominal work from a supine (lying) position, it’s not all about the front line shortening - the back line lengthens also to support your movement. This lengthening is a process of toning eccentrically (while elongating). Try this: 1. AB CURL A. Lie supine (on your back, feet on the floor, knees to the ceiling). Do a small abdominal curl. Take a moment to notice how this movement feels. (I know...I have a little rib flare in this version). B. Now, try the ab curl again, but this time imagining you have a hammock holding your back. Press your head back into your hands for the entire movement. Lengthen through the spine BEFORE curling. What do you notice? (In the video I am using a deep exhale to fire the transverse abdominals to further support the movement. I am also working in neutral pelvis/spine, not posterior pelvic tilt). Of course, there are a lot of other cues one could offer to create a more supported abdominal curl. But this post is targeting the back line, so we will stay on topic. 2. TEASER TO JACK KNIFE. A. Begin in teaser (V shape). Begin to roll onto your back, then lift the legs and hips into a Jack Knife position. Then roll down back to your start position. What did you feel? B. Now, try the exercise again. This time, press your arms firmly into the ground, and lift the thigh bones away from your center. What does this feel like? (Note - The backs of my shoulders don't touch the ground yet - I'm still working on it! But your shoulders should touch the ground.) The Back Line in Movement You can access your back line as a source of support in both of these exercises. The cues in Part B of each exercise hopefully made your back line more accessible, or more apt to engage. When we use both the front and back lines of our bodies, we can access more challenging aerial movement (like inversions) with full support and power. What did you experience in these exercises? I’d love to know your thoughts! Want to know more? Try a mentor hour, or get the scoop in one of our live teacher trainings. Resources: Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers The Classical Pilates Method - The Pilates Center, Boulder, CO Julianna Hane
The holiday season and ritual viewing of the Muppet’s Christmas Carol got me thinking about how our past experiences impact the teaching methods we use today. Have you ever caught yourself repeating things your parents or teachers used to say? I’ve noticed myself speaking in the same rhythms and cadences of my past teachers. One of my teachers said she felt like her own teacher’s ghost was on her shoulder! The sayings and mannerisms we inherit from our teachers could be supportive and appropriately challenging; critical and unsupportive, or even neutral. It’s amazing the powerful influence of a teacher, and how learnings get passed down through generations. To clarify a bias, Born to Fly values a supportive yet challenging approach to teaching aerial arts. We believe that learning can only happen when a student is comfortable and generally not stressed. While a low level of stress is to be expected when learning something new, our goal is to give students some choices about participation so they don't enter crisis mode. At the same time, we don't promote coddling students, or letting them do whatever they want because learning aerial arts does require discipline and specific progressions for safety and growth. Overall, we encourage a balance of support and challenge in the aerial class (see yoga instructor Francesca Cervero's work for more on this concept). When the teaching methods we use from our former teachers are supportive, this is a great thing! But sometimes, unsupportive methods or comments can creep in. Here are some questions you might ask about how you may have been influenced by former teachers and parents, and even how your own self-talk comes into play. Once you've looked at your values and habits inherited from teachers and parents, you can consciously evaluate whether or not these “ghosts” serve you. The questions can be answered in any order, and you are free to skip questions. What are some sayings or mannerisms you've inherited from your teachers? List these patterns out on paper. Think about how these sayings influenced you as a student and now as a teacher. List everything, but please don’t judge yourself! This is not the time to self-criticize. Looking at what is there is the first step to finding your power and connecting with who you really want to be. Would you say these mannerisms are supportive, unsupportive, or neutral? Are these mannerisms serving you as a teacher? Label each one individually. Most people will have a combination of supportive and unsupportive mannerisms. Please note that challenging a student does not mean being unsupportive - sometimes that student needs to recognize that they can stand on their own two feet, and challenging them can be the most supportive thing to do in that situation. Knowing when to support a student or challenge a student can be a tricky thing, and it can change moment to moment. (This is why reflection after each class is vital to your growth as an instructor, but I digress!) What were the philosophies/values of your teachers and parents? Did your teacher use a strict/authoritarian approach? Did you have a coddling teacher who let you do whatever you wanted? Did your teacher offer a balance of appropriate support and challenge? Perhaps you have had teachers with different approaches, and you wish to examine each one individually. Do keep in mind that no teacher or parent is perfect, and that everyone is only human. How do you talk to yourself when you are struggling? We often internalize our parents, teachers, and other authority figures when correcting or modifying our behavior. When talking yourself through a struggle, do you say encouraging things like, “I’ll get it next time,” or, “I’m learning a lot because this is challenging"? Or do you say things like “I’m not good enough,” I always mess things up,” or “I’m a bad person”? How we talk to ourselves is not just a reflection of our personality and how we were corrected growing up, but often it impacts how we teach. Are there any connections between your own self-talk and how teachers corrected you? You might make a visual representation, drawing lines from philosophies/values on one side of the page to your own self-talk on the other side. What kind of teacher do you want to be? Why do you teach? What kind of “ghost” do you want to be for your students and their students, and their students' students? What does a supportive teacher do/say? You could create a vision board (cutting out magazine photos and words) that represent the kind of teacher you want to be, and the messages you want to be passed down through generations. What action could you take now? Based on your reflections, what action do you want to take? Could you spend more time with teachers you admire? Do you want to change your internal self-talk so that you are supporting yourself more thoroughly? If this blog post triggered strong emotions, please talk to someone such as a trusted friend or professional counselor. And remember…examining our teaching practice is a lifelong process. You are not alone, and the Born to Fly Network is here to support you and your teaching in any way that we can. Note: Further discussion of this topic can also be found in the Aerial Teacher’s Handbook in Chapter 1: Why Teach? Q: What is your current role in the field (i.e. teacher, studio owner, etc.), and in what city are you based?
I both teach and perform at the moment. Sometimes one more than the other but I definitely like to keep a balance between the two. I’m not based anywhere right now, I’ve been touring for a year now teaching rope workshops and taking the odd performance contract when it comes up. Q: When did you start training in the aerial arts? I started training Aerial Arts in 2006 when I was at university in Australia. In 2009 I started in the Professional Aerial Program at the San Francisco Circus Center which is when I started training Rope. Q: What inspired or motivated you to start aerial training? When I was getting a tour of the theatre building I was to spend the next 3 years in at university I saw someone up on the silks, that was really exciting to me and immediately wanted to do that. Also around the same time my friend took me to see ‘Quidam’ for my 18th birthday and my first Cirque du Soleil’s show. I think that sealed the deal. When I was at uni I dabbled in a little bit of everything – poi, tumbling, acro, juggling and silks. I started a little circus club and I guess that’s actually when I started teaching. But to get back to the question I think I was motivated and inspired by Aerials because I felt really strong and competent when I was doing it. It seemed so unique and exotic! Q: What keeps you going today? Hmmmmmm. Creating new work. Challenging myself by the work that I make. With my background in theatre and my love for dance I’m really interested in where these 3 disciplines meet. I want to keep creating the work that pushes and blurs those boundaries. I’m really interested in collaboration at the moment. Aerials can be a lonely business if you’re a solo artist. I’ve been cherishing collaborations with live musicians, dance choreographers and other artists. At the moment I’m less satisfied with telling my story onstage and am seeking ways to tell stories shared by many. Q: What are your primary interests as an instructor/teacher trainer? I’m a huge geek for technique. As a structural integration practitioner I’m really interested in body mechanics, working efficiently and easily in our bodies to achieve the same result that we sometimes have to strive for. To me we can find that ease when we relax, release and find the path of least resistance. That’s what I love exploring in my own training and sharing with my students or teacher trainees. Q: How has your teaching evolved from when you first began? I feel like my teaching is an extension of my practice. I love to teach whatever it is I’m exploring in my own work. I find that my practice is able to go deeper as I go through the process of articulating that and sharing it with others. So I guess my teaching has evolved as my own practice as a performer and an artist has evolved. In a more literal way I’ve become more interested in teaching sequences and choreography and movement and less interested in just teaching isolated skills, although I do love that too. Also I’ve become more interested in theory and curriculum building as the years have gone on which is why I’m so excited to share my teacher training for the first time this year! Q: If you could choose just one thing, what would you like for people to know about teaching in the aerial arts? It’s hard work. I think it’s hard work if you want to be a good teacher because you have to continually push your boundaries and keep creating in order to stay fresh and inspired. But that’s like anything I guess. Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts by Emily Scherb, DPT.
Review by: Julianna Hane The much anticipated book, Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts, hit the shelves (and mailboxes) last month. I was thrilled to receive my copy in the mail! To fully disclose my bias, allow me to share a personal story: I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Emily Scherb, when I was teaching in Seattle last year. Emily holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) and is a long-time trapeze coach, so you can imagine how excited I was to speak with her. We met over tea and discussed movement, the profession of physical therapy, and the unique needs of aerialists. She invited me to observe in her clinic so I could get a better sense of the work. I was thoroughly impressed by her ability to not only problem-solve with a patient, but to also to communicate clearly and succinctly. After spending time with Emily and learning about her philosophies of movement. I have been waiting anxiously to dive into this book. And now for the book review: Emily has created a fluid, informed read on anatomy for aerialists without fuss or pretense. She gets straight to the point of what aerialists need to know in order to move better. Avoiding excessive jargon, (unlike many anatomy texts), the author makes the content accessible to the non-anatomist. When defining concepts, she applies them immediately to aerial arts so the information is relevant. The text is chock-full of useful photos and illustrations - you might even recognize some faces, particularly if know the Seattle aerial scene. Emily begins by introducing the body, including bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues. She then teaches movement terminology, or how to describe movement relative to the three planes of motion. These foundations help aerialists understand and communicate about movement more clearly. The next chapter focuses on the interplay of mobility and stability. The aerialist needs a stable center to support mobility through space, and Emily explains exactly what that means in terms of aerial movement. Chapter 3 is where the real fun begins. Emily examines anatomical structures (bones and muscles) in order to justify function (how we move), particularly with range of motion and movement possibilities at different joints. While it may seem tedious at first, learning how far your body can move in any given direction based on bony structures is helpful for practitioners and teachers alike. Chapter 4, 5, and 6 discuss basic aerial positions, hangs, and skills, respectively. Emily describes what an “engaged” arms-overhead position actually involves, and she clearly justifies her claims by referencing biomechanics. The side-by-side comparison photographs showing correct and incorrect engagement is eye-opening. Since aerialists come from different schools of thought around shoulder positioning, Emily brings clarity to the issue in her fluid, engaging tone. In chapter 7, the author presents classic aerial movements like climbs, beats, pullovers, and inversions. For each skill, Emily outlines the technique, muscles involved, common errors, and variations of the movement. The movement terminology presented earlier in the text comes in handy in this section. The visuals help locate each muscle action within the context of the whole body, creating a holistic view of aerial movement. Emily consciously points out moments where collapse or disengagement may occur, and how that puts additional stress on joints that may already be working at their maximum. The common errors revealed in the previous chapter carries into the next two chapters on injury prevention. Chapter 8 addresses balanced training, while Chapter 9 offers strength and mobilization exercises for the aerialist. Emily reminds us to consult with a health care provider for guidance with these exercises and other injury prevention methods, since everyone has a unique body and situation. Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts fills in a major gap in our industry. Emily’s ability to distill the complexities of anatomy down to what is most essential makes this a must on every aerialist’s bookshelf. We are pleased to announce that Born to Fly Teacher Trainings and Support has adopted Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts as an official textbook for our level 1 and 2 courses! The book is available for purchase through Amazon, the publisher, or your local bookseller. You can also contact Emily through her website, www.thecircusdoc.com. Amy Chirico is a Born to Fly mentor specializing in business and marketing. She is the owner of AerialCLT, an incredible studio that continues to flourish with high attendance and retention rates. She now operates out of a 10,000 square foot facility as a result of this growth. In this interview, notice that Amy doesn't reference her business accomplishments - she is incredibly humble.
Amy's ability to implement efficient systems, invest in a team of instructors over the long haul, and grow a business from the bottom up makes her a true stand-out in our profession. If you have questions about studio ownership and the business side of the aerial arts, please pick Amy's brain through our mentorship program! Q: What is your current role in the field (i.e. teacher, studio owner, etc.), and in what city are you based? I am a studio owner and instructor in Charlotte, NC. Q: When did you start training in the aerial arts? I began my aerial training in 2010. My love for movement began in 2006 with my first yoga class. Q: What motivated you to start aerial training? Embarrassingly enough, my first exposure to aerial was in Las Vegas when my friend convinced me to go a topless show with them. There was an aerial act on silks and it captivated me, I had never seen or heard of aerial before. When I got back home to Charlotte, I googled and quickly found that aerial classes were already offered in my city - how did I not know this before?! I took my first class and as the story goes, the rest is history. Q: What keeps you going today? Today, it is my students that keep me going. I don’t have a tremendous amount of interest in performing anymore (got my fill of it, I don’t believe I’m a performer at heart!), so these days my training is about my love of movement and keeping my teaching content relevant for them so that they are able to take their aerial training wherever they want to go. Q: How has your teaching evolved from when you first began? The biggest thing that has changed from when I first began teaching is that now I have a much more complete and well rounded understanding of progressions, how to determine level appropriate skills, what tends to work and what doesn’t work depending on the student I’m working with. My degree is in music education and I had been teaching music for 7 years when I first started teaching aerial, so I would say my “teaching chops” were already pretty strong. My biggest hurdle was learning how to best teach this new content that is the magical world of aerial arts. Of course I have become more settled in my teaching style since beginning to teach aerial, but that naturally happens no matter the teacher or subject. Q: What are your primary interests as an instructor/teacher trainer? Wrap theory really gets me going. The importance of understanding your wrap can’t be overstated! Teaching a student how to understand the skill they are in allows them to become a more independent and self assured aerialist. This empowers students to take charge of their safety in the air no matter if they are in my classroom or a classroom on the other side of the planet. My eventual goal is to get every one of my students to no longer need me. I can’t keep teaching new trick after trick forever! At some point, it is time for students to leave the nest and find their own voice in the aerial world if they are inclined to do so. All of the wrap theory, progressions and body knowledge I teach in class go to support this goal so that my students are strong, beautiful and safe aerialists who can explore their apparatus with confidence and ultimately give back to the aerial world. Q: If you could choose just one thing, what would you like for people to know about teaching in the aerial arts? The greatest investment you can make in yourself as a teacher is in your own education. Make it a priority to learn about healthy body mechanics and anatomy, not about learning all the new and fancy tricks (this can come later). You will be able to take your students so much farther if you understand why and how the body works. Plus you will be able to prevent injury and grow stronger, more flexible students much faster. Think of “the tricks” as secondary. Give your students knowledge of their body first, knowledge of their apparatus second. To begin your mentorship with Amy, visit her profile on our mentor page. This summer, we're excited to have Anne Miller join Julianna Hane in teaching Aerial Sling 1 and Lyra 1 Teacher Trainings in Castle Rock, CO, and Lyra 2 Teacher Training at Suspend in Louisville, KY.
Q: What is your current role in the field (i.e. teacher, studio owner, etc.), and in what city are you based? I am the owner of Suspend, an aerial arts and cirque fitness studio located in Louisville, KY, where I am also the artistic director of our local production and performing company, and an instructor of aerials and dance. Q: When did you start training in the aerial arts? I started on the ground, in contact and acrobatic modern dance as a youth. I moved into the air in 2010 with some dance based harness work, and then into the more traditional cirque style aerials in 2011/12. Q: What motivated you to start aerial training? I became very interested in the intersection between vertical and lateral movement. At that point in my life I was seeking to expand my horizons, quite literally. I had just come through a cancer diagnosis, and at that point my priorities shifted towards taking the time to focus on the things in life that inspired me. Q: What keeps you going today? My students. The way they approach each challenge with an open mind, and are not afraid to put themselves out there in ways that are sometimes uncomfortable (both physically, and emotionally). I love watching people persevere in the face of difficulty, growing strong through grit and determination. I love watching people find a time and a space to play, in a world that does not value play. Q: How has your teaching evolved from when you first began? My teaching has always had a strong focus on safe progressions and technique. As the years have passed I have focused more on improvisational and dance based theory in all of my classes, while maintaining commitment to building strength, stamina, and technique. My aim is to meet people where they are, and help guide them towards their personal goals. Q: What are your primary interests as an instructor/teacher trainer? My primary interest is helping nurture and foster the love for this art form in others, so that students feel empowered and the community grows. I am also a neuropsychologist, so helping students and instructors understand the brain/mind/body connection as it relates to movement is always a goal of mine. Apparatus wise, I work primarily on sling, aerial hoop, and tippy hoop. Q: If you could choose just one thing, what would you like for people to know about teaching in the aerial arts? Teaching in the aerial world is often a labor of love. It can be hard to find the balance between the needs of the students, and personal needs (for self care, for training, for outside responsibilities). To find this balance takes a lot of dedication, because it can be easy to put one's own needs aside when doing something one loves. So you’re studio is growing and you need an assistant in your classes. This is a great problem to have! But how does the mentoring process work? What are the parameters for successfully mentoring an apprentice instructor, giving them just the right amount of responsibilities? It is a delicate balance. Here are some points to remember.
Remember that the goal of having procedures for assistant/apprentice instructors is to support growth for all parties involved including students, the assistant, and the studio. It will take some time to establish, but once procedures are in place the process should develop a nice flow. Don’t have time to mentor your own apprentices? The Born to Fly Aerial Teacher Certificate can be completed at a number of different studios across the country. Trainees can receive live mentorship at each of these studios. Please contact us for more. How have you mentored assistant instructors at your studio? Please leave a comment below and let us know! AuthorJulianna Hane traded life on a cotton farm to become a dancer and aerialist. She holds an MFA in Modern Dance, and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst and Pilates Instructor. Julianna is also the Director of Training at Born to Fly Teacher Programs and Support, and wrote the Aerial Teacher's Handbook. An instructor’s ability to adapt skills for different needs is at the heart of teaching. This is particularly important in strength training and conditioning. Through my own teaching experience, I have outlined several ways to modify or intensify a movement. Since some instructors use different terminology, I'll first define some terms. Modify: To modify a movement is to make it more accessible. This is important for helping students find success with new skills and exercises. The concept of scaffolding fits in this category. Intensify: To intensify a movement is to make it more challenging. This is key to overcoming plateaus in training and hitting new strength goals. Each item in this list can used to either modify (make easier) or intensify (make harder) a movement.
I'm sure there are other ways to modify movement, so I'd love to hear from you. What ways have you tried to modify or challenge movements for yourself or your students? Leave a comment below and let us know! AuthorJulianna Hane traded life on a cotton farm to become a dancer and aerialist. She holds an MFA in Modern Dance, and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst and Pilates Instructor. Julianna is also the Director of Training at Born to Fly Teacher Programs and Support, and wrote the Aerial Teacher's Handbook. |
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