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Aeriosa Dance was founded by artistic director/choreographer Julia Taffe in 2001. The aerial dance company’s artistic objectives include creating dance in non-traditional environments, exploring aerial choreography and revealing dance in the vertical realm to new and diverse audiences. Vancouver-based Aeriosa Dance combines contemporary dance technique with expert knowledge of safe rope rigging systems. Company artists train in the mountains, where they dance on sheer rock walls, while in urban environments; site-specific performances take place in theatres as well as on walls, ledges and city rooftops. The choreography is re-created to highlight each venue, a creative process that promotes connections with communities visited by the company.
In 2002 Aeriosa Dance collaborated with Montreal’s Cité des Arts du Cirque (TOHU), The Banff Centre, and the Centre for Mountain Culture in Banff, Alberta, to present the world premiere of On Earth at the Banff Mountain Summit. On Earth was also performed at the 5th International Taipei Arts Festival in Taiwan. In 2003, the company presented its U.S. premiere of On Earth in Aspen, Colorado, and staged Traverse On Earth at Nanaimo’s InFringing Dance Festival. Performances in Vancouver in 2004 included On the Fly at Library Square and the Vancouver Arts Awards Gala. |
Photo CreditsJulia Taffe, Roman Chimneys, Aeriosa Dance; photo: Carolyn McBain Michael Flynn, Julia Taffe, Scott Buffett, Upsidedown Birds, Aeriosa Dance; photo: Tim Matheson Scott Buffett & Chandra Krown, On the Fly, Aeriosa Dance; photo: Colin Zacharias Michael Flynn, Scott Buffett, Julia Taffe, Abby Watkins, Burst Out, Aeriosa Dance; photo: Graeme Taylor Photo of Julia Taffe: Geoffrey Charles |
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Photo of Julia Taffe: Geoffrey Charles |
Artistic Director
Artistic director Julia Taffe is a choreographer, dancer, and rock-climbing guide. She combines these talents to create vertical, or aerial, dance on mountains, buildings and in theatres. Before founding Aeriosa Dance, Taffe performed with Ruth Cansfield Dance and Project Bandaloop (USA). Taffe’s dance films Stone Soup and Granite Ocean premiered at the Banff Mountain Film Festivals. In 2002, the Centre for Mountain Culture commissioned Taffe to create a performance to celebrate the United Nations International Year of the Mountains. In 2003, Taffe was honoured as a mountain culture hero by the international non-profit organization The Mountain Institute.
On Tour
ON EARTH
October/2002/Banff/Canada
30 minutes
2 performers
Julia Taffe, Choreographer
Tim Matheson, Projection Designer
On Earth (2002) - On Earth is a vertical dance performance commissioned to celebrate the U.N. International Year of the Mountains. Combining multimedia image projection with live aerial dance, On Earth looks at extreme landscapes and their impact on the people who explore them. During the creation of this work the company traveled B.C. mountain ranges, performing dances and documenting their journey on videotape. Onstage, the performers dance in tandem with their projected images - navigating cascading waterfalls, negotiating ancient glaciers, climbing into a high alpine cirque to dance a spectacular aerial duet 1500 feet above the ground.
ON THE FLY
March/2004/Vancouver/Canada
10 – 30 minutes (adaptable)
2 – 4 performers
Julia Taffe, Choreographer
On the Fly (2004) - On the Fly is a site-specific presentation that celebrates places of public gathering. An aerial performance that can be adapted for buildings from 50 to 300 feet in height, the choreography for On the Fly is modular, allowing fluid assembly of a presentation unique to each location. Rehearsals take place on-site, invariably provoking public curiosity. In performance, the work unfolds as a series of descending solos, duets, and ensemble vignettes. Dancers appear on top of the building, sliding down safety ropes that allow them to leap off walls and into the air with breathtaking freedom, creating beautiful images of flight.
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