This year’s First Friday street fairs have become more entertaining with the addition of a nimble group of young ladies who are taking modern dance moves to new heights.
It’s called aerial dance, an ancient form of the aerial arts that first made its appearance in the U.S. during the 1970s. The public is more familiar with this form of circus arts through the popular Cirque du Soleil touring shows.
Focusing on aerial silks in which the performer uses fabric and movement to express poses while being suspended from a specially designed rig, a team of five girls aged 12 to 17 have taken this high-flying dance form to the First Friday Street Fair.
“We have a huge crowd at the street fair,” said group director, Tessa Vallin, 17, of Evergreen.
Vallin, along with her teammates, make up a new company started by Golden resident, Jennifer Shelton, called Altitude Aerial Performers, Inc.
Since its start in May, the youth aerial dance group has performed at the Golden Community Center as well as at Golden High School for a showcase hosted by Virtuosity Dance, a local dance studio located on N. Rubey Dr. in Golden. The group also performs at birthday parties and weddings.
All of the performers have a background in gymnastics and dance. They continue their aerial training which can average 40 hours a week during the summer. This training includes strength conditioning and working on flexibility.
Part of the learning experience in the aerial arts is the understanding of the pulley system on a rig.
“Most aerial accidents are due to rigging,” Shelton said. “Safety is an important thing; they learn it the proper way.”
Experience and friendship makes for a well-choreographed show with every teammate possessing a special talent.
“We’re sort of equal at everything but we all have our strengths,” said Arija Williams, 12, of Evergreen.
In addition to their acrobatics with fabric, Tessa is skilled at stilt walking while Jessica has the strength for hand balancing acts, with Cassie being the team’s best contortionist, Kristina as the power tumbler and Arija, who admits she hates flying, prefers to be a solid base during group and partner acts.
“Circus has taken on a whole new meaning with the aerial work that they do,” said Kris Vallin, mother of Tessa and Cassidy. “These kids are not only getting strong, they have such self-confidence.”
The public can catch their next performance during the First Friday Street Fair on Friday, July 11 and every First Friday after through November.
More information about Altitude Aerial Performers, Inc. can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/altitudeaerialperformers.
