ABSTRACT
Many artists are adding aerial work to their theater and dance pieces without actually creating an "aerial dance". When working with dancers who have come from a strong physical, partnering base in dance, aerial work seems a natural progression/challenge/inspiration. Improvisation teaches the aerialist to pay attention to how they relate to others and to the space. In dance world, genres are being blended to create the piece that the artist needs to create. Aerial is another addition into "Contemporary Performance" and in this way has added breadth to the modern dance canon. Dancers were using aerial tools to move the body into different areas of the space or environment, studies in inversion, studies in time. It was very difficult to get funding early on because it wasn't considered "dance". It was considered acrobatics or circus, even though the circus community certainly didn't see it as such. Circus incorporates theater and dance and aerial dancers train in high level aerial techniques.
