The Lotus Fitness Studio Halloween Showcase is coming up in just a couple of weeks, and we are hyped! Our students, staff, and instructors are all working on their routines, and trust me when I say our student showcases are always amazing. (Check out our post from last year! https://lotusfitnessstudio.com/halloween-showcase-2017/) For many students, a showcase is their first foray into public performance. It’s a great, low-stress way to show off all your hard work as a budding aerial artist in a fun, supportive environment of family and friends. But even with all the support in the world, we still have to overcome one major hurdle: how do you create an aerial dance routine?

There is no easy answer for where to start. Every performer has their own method, and sometimes the method will vary from one routine to the next. However, there are some failsafe ways to jump start the work.

1. Start with the music. This one seems pretty obvious. There is always that one song that gets you moving no matter where you hear it. (Careful listening to headphones while you’re getting your teeth cleaned!) That one song that you love to freestyle to, that makes you feel powerful, sexy, or just amped. This is a great way to start writing a routine. It is always a good idea to choose music you know very well. That way, you will already have some sense of what the routine might look like, and while you’re performing you won’t have to think as much about the music because it is practically etched on your brain.
2. Start with the concept. This works especially well for the Halloween showcase, since each performer needs a character type costume or theme rather than just pretty dance clothes. Your concept could be a character (like Dracula, for example) or a mood (I want to do something aggressive and dangerous) or even an animal or style of movement (think snakes, tigers, or maybe a dance style you don’t usually associate with aerial like samba).
3. Start with the moves. This one can be tricky, but if there are some boss moves or combos you’ve been perfecting, you could build off of them and see what develops. If your favorite combo is a ton of super flexy, slinky moves with smooth transitions, maybe that morphs into a cat-inspired routine, and maybe that idea reminds you of a song by the Pussycat Dolls… (ooh, I just dated myself, didn’t I?)

Once you’ve got your jumping-off point, it is all about freestyle. Freestyle to your music, freestyle within your concept to a variety of songs, or freestyle ways into and out of that favorite combo and see what variations you can think of to create new combos with the same feel. This is the fun part. Explore, go crazy, and remember to RECORD EVERYTHING! You never know when some little piece of genius will happen completely by accident, and you will want to be able to review and recreate it.

After you have a rough outline, it is a great idea to book a private lesson with an instructor. It may be helpful to choose an instructor you are most comfortable with, or whose movements you feel may be somewhat similar to yours. Our team of instructors at Lotus are all amazing at helping your vision come to life. Then, once you have a routine nailed down, it’s time to practice practice practice until show time. (And don’t fall victim to the Show Prep Slump! https://lotusfitnessstudio.com/overcoming-show-prep-slump/)

We hope to see you at the Halloween Showcase on October 19^th! You really do not want to miss the amazing routines our students put together; they will be scary good. See you in the air!