Hey Reader,
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OK, I'm doing a thing: a FREE pop-up online workshop - 'Pop-up' being a euphemism for 'made a last minute decision that I really needed to talk about this!'
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This one will go out live* on Sunday 13 September at 6pm UK time (10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern, 7pm Central Europe) and is somewhat enigmatically titled:

Pathways to Practice:
building a rewarding + resilient aerial practice

So what this all about then? Well, you can read this email for the very personal backstory OR just go straight here:

*yes there is a recording, but only for folks who pre-register
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🧭

The hardest skill I've never been taught

Having now been either training or working in movement (dance, harness, circus) for exactly two decades, I can confidently say that the ONE skill I personally:
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(i) was recommended to work on
(ii) but neglected for the longest time​
(ii) then found the hardest to develop
(iii) and yet have never been directly taught

is building a resilient PRACTICE. ​
Urgh that word! It sounded so pretentious to my younger, dancer-in-training self 🙄
Because what does it even meannnnn?

Well I don't mean devising or following a training plan, going to the gym, attending regular classes, nerding out over technique videos, working on mobility, doing a creative intensive - though these are ALL possible and valid components of an aerialist's practice.

I do mean THE BIGGER PICTURE of how it all fits together into our whole lives, our whole selves and shifts according to our changing needs (bodies, interests, health, desires, seasons...)
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For me it's finding ways - simple steps or concrete strategies - to embed aerial or movement into the rest of our lives, maybe for the rest of our lives. So that it’s something we want to keep showing up for, and that shows up for us.

Sounds easy enough, right? RIGHT?!!! 🥴 - personal story time

Well I think it's harder than it sounds...
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And I've even had a solid reason to work on it. I've got an autoimmune inflammatory joint disease, psoriatic arthritis diagnosed in my 20s, so dealing with fluctuations in pain and mobility have long been part of my life.
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I'd LOVE to say that, like some wise old sage, i immediately developed strategies for dealing with frustrations and setbacks. But I did not, because my internalised ableism told me that my 'real' practice was the one where I was optimally functioning at full strength where I was totally 'unlimited', the place I was always aiming to get 'back' to 😬🤯🫠
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It has taken me TWO DECADES to go some of the way to undoing this. AND to build a movement practice that can meet me WHEREVER I am at, and still make me feel satisfied and VALID. And not in a 'reluctant compromise' way, in a 'i really love my practice/i am a valid artist' way.

And yes OFC I still have occasional meltdowns and crises of confidence and identity. Making space for those is ALSO part of a resilient practice.

So ofc i haven't got it ALL figured out, but i DO have strategies...​
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And just in case they're helpful to anyone else... I'm sharing them.
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​Pathways to Practice is FREE 1 hour workshop designed to offer signposts to simple, actionable steps towards building (or re-building) your own rewarding and resilient aerial practice.
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If this sounds good, you can register in 1 click by hitting this button:

Warmest wishes from West Wales,
Jess

TL;DR I'm doing a FREE pop up workshop on building a rewarding and resilient aerial movement practice on Sunday 13 September. You can read more about it and sign up here! It's FREE but spots are limited and registrations close at midnight Saturday 12 September or when it's full (whichever is sooner). YES there IS a recording but ONLY for folks who pre-register 😊

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