Acro Masterclass

Description and aims of the session:

First you lay down on the floor. Now you find your personal impulse and use it to get into motion. Then use this impulse to move in the air. Don’t think about what you want to do, let the impulse move you. It is not new, you just use a different way to get into positions you already know.
>>Fundamental is that to find your personal impulse, you start with 1 emotion, coming from yourself, influenced by music and external factors. This takes time.

The most interesting, funny, important discovery in this session:
First it is very difficult, but the rhythm makes it much more playful. For 10-year olds you can adapt the exercise by telling them to go to an end position but the way to get there is from an impulse.

The most important insights regarding your knowledge on handling fear and safety when teaching in this particular topic:Make sure you don’t hurt yourself – so first do a warming up.

To find your impulse, Valentina advises a three week research – don’t expect a 1 hour session to be enough.

Other topics:
The project gave Valentina the opportunity to discover much more. The technique stays the same but allows you to find a different way to get there.

NOTE: it is annoying to do this work with silks, because you need much more preparation and it is more difficult to be surprised into a trick.

Make a circle with 6 to 8 persons around the knotted silk. Move it around.
You cannot move your feet.
If the silk hits you, you have to go to another group

You choose someone in the circle as a friend and you choose another one as an enemy.
Nobody can know.
When you start walking, your friend has to be between you and your enemy ALL THE TIME.
Reverse roles when the person leading the game gives a signal.

Friend & Enemy can also be played underneath a crash mat (or if you are with a bigger group use 2 mats).
IMPORTANT:
Don’t do this with untrained people.
With all mat games you need to practice a few times to be able to feel comfortable.
When working with small kids, do not use competition.
You need to know your group and yourself very well.
> All particpants are holding a mat above their heads.
> One lets the mat go, crawls over, crawls under and rejoins : everyone does this.
> Lying underneath a mat:
Push up with your arms:
Same with someone on top of it,
One lets go, crawls over, under and rejoins.
> Lying underneath: balancing the mat on your feet:
Turning
Throwing
Flipping
> Running with mats in circles:
Run one circle, then throw mat on the floor and the whole group sits on the mat.
Same with one person on top of the mat.
One runner breaks out, runs around the mat and joins the group again.
> Running with mats straight lines
Straight
Flip
Turn
Flip with someone on it
Flip in other side with someone on it.
> Sliding the mats (depends on the floor)
Straight
Flip
With 2, 3, 4, 5 persons

Also known as:
Ein zwei drei Ochs am Berg(und ein Zwerg) or: Punainen valo valahti yksi kaksi kolme,
We call it One two three Trapeze using aerial exercises in it.
On the way to the person who calls out, you need also to do some given exercices like roll on the ground, shout out your name, climb on the silks, hang on the trapeze….before you are allowed to run to the shouter

In pairs, every duo is playing at the same time
The great fun is working together, and it is nice to do with a whole group, it speeds up the energy. ..
Take care of safety and of warming-up positions

Play some music.

Whenever you want , you make a statue. This can be an aerial position on the floor,

To free somebody, go and copy the position of another person and then this person can continue.

Use high and low positions.

9. Wolf and Tail

Start with warming-up, first just small general warming-up of the joints.
All participants hold on to a rope in a circle.
One has a scarf – his or her tail- and there is a wolf, outside of the rope running around, trying to get the tail while changing directions etc.

AIMS of this game:

• To enable a free exploration of movements that are fundamental to developmental movement/wellbeing.
• To offer a structure in which there is no right or wrong – we experiment with each movement and all explorations and choices are valued.

Start with music and walking around the room. If the music stops, find a position to see the world upside down. Variations:

• crawling any way you like across the floor
• spinning around in any kind of form
• jump
• shake

NOTE: focus on experimenting

• Moving through the room, watching and touching the aerial material and use all the positions you did on the floor now using the material, with the same variations of shaking, spinning, etc… take lots of time and have lots of materials to choose from.

The taggers hold a piece of juggling material in their hands. For example, if a tagger holds a club and tags you, you need to do 2 push-ups, etcetera. Just choose whatever you want them to do to warm up.
You can not be tagged if you are jumping, but if the tagger turns around in front of you he can!
Exercise: Warming up in a circle: turn your arms but don’t take a lot of space. Come closer and take notice of the others, until you are shoulder to shoulder. Then put your arms around your neighbours and stretch together.

Everybody is walking around the room. Somebody says:
– I am falling – the others run to catch, or
– I want to fly – the others lift this person|
You can add:
– I need some space – the others back away.
Everybody can call whenever they want.

Dancing with all kinds of aerial equipment in the space. When the music stops and you are the last one to het up in the air you need to do for example 3 push ups, sing a song, etc.

> Everyone is moving on an aerial prop. When the music stops, freeze on the prop.

> Moving on different music styles – slow, fast, crazy, smooth, etcetera.

> Without music: when one person stops, everyone needs to feel it, and stop as well.

NOTE: in general, you can try and use every theater/ dance exercise in the air as well (adapt it).

> Come together in groups of 3, find one aerial prop for your group, and each one does his/her favorite trick (but everybody needs to be able to do it).
> Find ways from one trick to the other trick – (finding in the transition at least two new tricks/transitions)
> Find a start for presenting your little routine, only one person can do it, but all the others need to be involved on stage.
> Find an closing of the routine.
> Show it to the others, asking the audience to watch with an special eye:
– one person just describes what he/she has seen
– second person tells what was very nice/interesting/boring/ exciting and explains – what emotions came up while watching.
– third person tells what can be improved.

EITHER WARMING UP OR JUST LETTING YOUR FANTASY RUN FREE

NOTE:
– USE AN EXISTING BOARD OR MAKE YOUR OWN, AS THE ONE IN THE PICTURE
– DIVIDE IN PAIRS
– MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH DICES AND PAWNS

PLACE No 2,32&40 : Boomboomboom – out go the lights, close your eyes.
PLACE No 3 : Start up the game and already tired? Do your exercise very relaxed!
PLACE No 5&30 : Too late! Try to decide and do your position as quick as possible.
PLACE No 8&12,41 : The joy of circus is for everybody. Stop the game if you are ready, call all other participants, and show your exercise to the group.
PLACE No 9 : You arrived in the act Living Cannon Ball, and you will be shot to No. 19.
PLACE No 14&22 : You are selected to perform in the famous Cirque d’Hiver in Paris. Do your act as gracefully as possible.
PLACE No 15 : What a wonderful double drop you did! Back to No. 10, but you can throw extra,
two times. Last throw counts for the exercise.
PLACE No 16&27 : Bad luck, you both broke one arm. Do your exercise with one arm each only.

PLACE No 20&37 : Do your exercise slapstick-wise – remember Charley Chaplin?
PLACE No 21 : You can climb the ladder to No. 24 – take care!
PLACE No 29 : Bad luck … again: one of you broke a leg and has to keep it straight all through the exercise.
PLACE No 31&43 : You just had a fight. Find your position, backs turned to each other.
PLACE No 35 : Disaster: fall down to No. 11.
PLACE No 45 : You won! You are now the prince/princess of the air, rich, beautiful and loved for ever….