About: This intensive day is crafted for professional dancers and aerialists with a solid foundation in aerial dance, designed to deepen your technical skills and creative expression on the wall and using low-fly harnesses.
Working in solos, pairs, and groups, you’ll explore the unique characteristics of various rigging systems and spatial relationships, with guided improvisations that introduce new territories of movement.
What to Expect: We’ll begin with floor work before moving into aerial exploration with static lines, counterbalance, and other aerial props.
The class allows you to go at your own pace—ideal for building advanced techniques without relying solely on arm strength.
After a brief equipment check and skill assessment, we’ll dive into the intricacies of vertical dance technique, deconstructing and rebuilding sequences through challenging body puzzles and orientations to expand your movement vocabulary.
This day is strictly for experienced practitioners with vertical dance practice.
This project is produced and delivered by Autin Dance Theatre in partnership with Imagineer Productions as part of Powerhouse Pro, and supported by a grant from West Midlands Combined Authority Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund.
Header photo credit: Autin Dance Theatre and Gravity & Levity
This day is strictly for experienced practitioners with vertical dance practice.
Participants should be confident in the following:
Note: Please join only if you meet these criteria.
  | With over 40 years in the industry, Lindsey is a leader in aerial dance, celebrated as a performer, choreographer, teacher, and mentor. After training at the London School of Contemporary Dance in the 1980s, Lindsey built a remarkable career spanning both dance and circus arts. In 2003, she founded Gravity & Levity, an award-winning, disabled-led aerial dance company focused on redefining dance spaces and igniting audience imaginations. Gravity & Levity specializes in vertical dance and provides world-class artist development, offering fresh perspectives on where dance can happen and how audiences experience it. Lindsey’s work over the past 25+ years has centred on vertical dance, especially through building-based commissions, and she teaches masterclasses internationally, including in France, Italy, Portugal, Canada, and Brazil. She also leads the European Aerial Dance Festival (EADF), now in its 12th year, supporting aerial practitioners at all levels. Her performance credits include roles with Extemporary Dance Theatre, Random Dance Company, Vincent Dance Theatre, Ra-Ra Zoo Circus Theatre, Gandini Juggling Project, and Upswing. A hearing-impaired artist, Lindsey continues to bring her unique vision to the aerial dance community worldwide. For more about the European Aerial Dance Festival, visit eadf.co.uk. |
  | Autin Dance Theatre, founded in 2013 by acclaimed choreographer Johnny Autin and based in Birmingham, is a pioneering touring company dedicated to inspiring and educating through socially relevant, multi-disciplinary arts. We perform in theatres, outdoor spaces, and non-traditional venues to engage a wide range of audiences and communities. Known for highly acclaimed productions like Dystopia, Out of the Deep Blue, and Parade – The Giant Wheel, our work addresses contemporary issues such as the environment, relationships and cultural identities. Supported by regional and national networks of partners and collaborators, our shows have toured globally, reaching over 760,000 people and even being televised to 150 million viewers in China (Macau, March 2024). www.autindt.co.uk Johnny Autin is a multidisciplinary performance artist, choreographer, and director based in Birmingham, UK. He is the founder and artistic director of Autin Dance Theatre CIO, an award-winning company known for creating ambitious, socially engaged, and interdisciplinary performances. Johnny’s work spans contemporary dance, physical theatre, puppetry, and aerial performance, often exploring themes of resilience, belonging, and the human experience in the face of adversity. His notable creations include ‘Parade – The Giant Wheel’, a large-scale performance featuring a striking giant wheel structure, and ‘Out of the Deep Blue’, an acclaimed work that features a 13-foot giant puppet addressing the climate emergency. Johnny’s latest creation, ‘Up in the Sky’, is an outdoor aerial dance and physical theatre performance that delves into themes of displacement and change, blending storytelling with movement. Committed to community engagement, Johnny also leads intergenerational dance sessions, street arts workshops, and family movement classes, fostering creativity and connection through movement. Johnny has collaborated with international presenters and toured globally, sharing his innovative approach with audiences across Europe, China, Australia, and Canada. |
Wear snug layers around your hips and waist (stretch jeans or multiple layers recommended) and a long-sleeved shirt for added comfort. If you have a preferred harness or any specific gear, bring it along!
The Daimler Powerhouse is along the Coventry Canal and there are limited options for buying food, so it is advisable to bring your lunch and snacks with you; there is a kitchen with a microwave for preparing lunch and filling water bottles.
There are large toilet cubicles for changing, but no showers.
Tickets are no longer available.