For the millions who have delighted at Cirque du Soleil’s gravity-mocking feats, the core of the spectacle has always been the performers.
Those slick, seemingly effortless acrobats reinforce a very old-school circus ethic — that practice and skill can transform the body into a death-defying instrument of entertainment.
Of course, not all of us can move to Montreal and train for years on the trapeze.
That’s where Lynn Coleman comes in.
The Denver native and lifelong aerial performer has seen the number of semiprofessional acrobats rise in recent years, thanks in part to the popularity of Cirque’s blockbuster productions and intimate shows like “Traces.”
“They would see something on YouTube and say, ‘I can do this,’ ” said Coleman, owner of Denver-based company Aerial Fabric Acrobatics.
“Sometimes they knew who to turn to and sometimes they didn’t. So I thought there was a need to have an event to pull people together where they could learn, perform and network to create a stronger community.”
That event is Coleman’s first Aerial Acrobatic Arts Festival, which runs tomorrow through Sunday at the Oriental Theater. Intended as an annual event, it’s a unique mix of competitive public performances and professional workshops that unite aerial disciplines from the trapeze, silks, hoops and the corde lisse (a multifaceted hanging-rope act).
“I grew up performing, so when I had somebody come up to me and say they’d like aerial work in their event, I had people I could turn to with the knowledge of how to do it safely,” said Coleman, whose 82-year-old father still performs on the flying trapeze.
“What I was finding is that there were a lot of people in the aerial community who didn’t have that benefit, so I came up with the concept of having it as a competitive show — because that’s the festival tradition around the world with circus arts.”
Coleman has traveled internationally as an acrobatic judge and performed frequently across a wide spectrum of venues, from nightclubs like the Church to halftime sporting events for the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse team, concerts from the String Cheese Incident and even the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.
But her festival, which features workshops for injury prevention, rigging and coordination, is designed as a gathering spot and showcase for folks who need high-level guidance, but who don’t spend all their waking hours on the pursuit.
And judging by the turnout, there are lots of them.
“When I put the call out to artists in January, I wasn’t quite sure who would respond,” Coleman said. “But we had over 65 artists apply, and out of those we’ll have 15 performing for the public.”
A panel of judges, whose pedigree includes performing at the Olympic games and years working for Cirque du Soleil, will rate the performers.
“Like any industry or art form, there’s a whole bunch of people out there either curious or driven to test their skills,” said Marshall Garfield, a former Cirque du Soleil coach who now runs the Montreal consulting company Lab InMotion.
“This (festival) was a logical step for people who are into it but have never really been surrounded by a professional production team or the running of a show. It demands a lot of time and skill, but Lynn brings a passion to this that I think will make this concept work.”
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
