Aerial Silks - Paper Doll Militia

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Aerial Silks

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*Swipe to see some old duo experiments from 2015*⠀⠀
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Experimentation is the name of the game⠀⠀
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When we first started working with Duo Silks back in 2006, we didn't have much to go off of. We had each taken some classes in duo trapeze, but we had no teachers at the time that did duo silks. This was the first year of youtube, so there wan't much up online yet in the way of inspiration. In fact, we could not find a single video which had partnering on a silk. ⠀⠀
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So we had to make it up!⠀⠀
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Our first duo silks act was really the true beginning of our creative partnership, which has now lasted 14 years. We had to fumble around with different basing and flying positions, get used to the unique pain and pressure that comes with the cinch of the tensioned silks, and we wore our forearms out over and over again trying to stay up there and figure things out. ⠀⠀
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But eventually we found our flow, and have kept developing it ever since. ⠀⠀
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The video in the post is some experimentation we tried in 2015, almost a decade after our initial collaboration! We never put this material into any of our acts. It just exists in our memories, on our hard drives, and now in IG land. *
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Photo by @marilyn_chen_photography of @liquidskyevents

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Why do you think that Aerial Arts has become so much more popular in the last few years?⠀
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People come to this work for MANY reasons, but my opinion is that it's going strong because it gives adults a designated space to play. Aerial Arts is different from gymnastics or sports because there is a deeply creative and expressive element to it, being that the roots are in a performing art, rather than purely technical. This opens the doors for imagination, exploration, and discoveries. ⠀
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Even if you don't consider yourself a "creative person" in aerial arts, we all have experiences of the thrill of learning a new skill, discovered a new movement, or danced to a new piece of music. This process continually sparks our imagination, inner child, and in effect....our creativity. ⠀
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“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct arising from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves.” – Carl Jung

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Sarah Bebe Holmes and Rain Anya performing "Unchained." Full video can be found on the productions page of our website (link in bio)⠀
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Sarah and Rain are the co-artistic directors of Paper Doll Militia and have been creating duo work together since 2005. This apparatus is 2 loops of chains, rigged in uneven lengths, suspended on a spinning spreader bar. ⠀
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The first skill in this video we call "meat grinder." You might understand why
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Video by @t.g.cofield

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Announcing the #Fit4TheHolidays giveaways!
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Wow, what an awesome year of #fit4theholidays! You guys are committed, and also so freaking cute and funny!! We had so much fun going back over the videos from this year’s challenge. We have so much respect and love for all of you! Yet again, it was SOOOO hard to choose winners. *
We loved how you cheered each other on! Hopefully you made some new connections in our beautiful aerial world community. Each and every one of you are part of the Paper Doll Family, and the more we build this community, the more connections and friendships we grow all over the world. Thank you for sharing this with us. *
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We based our choices on how many days of the challenge you posted, how supportive you were of other participants, and how creative you got! Here is a list of our #Fit4TheHolidays winners!
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$200 coupon towards any @PaperDollMilitia Retreat or Teacher training- @circusfritz
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$200 coupon towards any @Circasana Retreat or Teacher training - @layton_marie
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Aerial Shoulder Boot Camp Course by @TheCircusDoc - @cvillebev & @anarchyrope
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Lyra from @CircusGear - @aerialbridget
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A hand-drawn on a t-shirt, art by @laszlo.roth - @dancerfriedaa
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Custom Designed Training Plan from @flighttrainingfitness - @silkencircles
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$50 gift card to the @AerialEssentials - @elsaerial
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Circus Photography Print by @annaciconephotography - @silkydrop
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Visionary aerial photo edit by @zoharalexanderk - @the_inverted_introvert
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@circasana BeYOUnicorn Tank Top - @whoispoppe
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@PaperDollMilitia T-Shirts
@Balticballroombabe
@Aerialwithlyndsey
@Theoldgymnast
@Karenaerial
@Hanjmwright
@Aerialwithanja
@Flight_of_valkyria
@genuinekayakgirl
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If you are listed above please send us an EMAIL (not IG message...we will never keep track!!) to info@paperdollmilitia.com to claim your prize. If your prize is a physical object please include your snail mail address, if it’s a shirt, please include your size. If you don't send us an email you will not receive your prize.

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✨New Decade ✨New Beginnings✨
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🌙As we take the next few days to tally up all the participation in the #Fit4theholidays challenge, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for sharing your creativity and hard work with us and the IG world. Watching your videos put smiles on our faces throughout the whole holiday season! We will be announcing the winners of the prizes soon, but in our hearts, you are ALL winners.😊
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⭐️Let's take all this energy and bring it with us into the New Year. We have so many exciting new projects lined up for the 2020, we hope you'll stay in touch. We really really hope to see you IRL (or favorite way to connect with our aerial family). For a complete list of our Workshops, Teacher Trainings, and Retreats, check out our website. For bi-monthly updates on our projects and training opportunities sign up for our mailing list. Links are in our bio.
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✨Here's wishing you a renewed sense of creativity, inspiration, and motivation in the new year.
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"The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up."- Paul Valery

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Day 12: Core⠀
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Ring in the New Year with ringing some bells!⠀
If you don't have bells, what noisemaker do you have?⠀
These all use a partner, but if you don't have one it's ok! ⠀
Tie your noisemaker to a doorknob or be creative!⠀
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Butterfly Leg Sit Ups⠀
With legs in butterfly position squeeze your feet onto your partner's ankles. Use the squeeze!⠀
If you don't have a partner, use a chair, squeeze your feet on the legs and sit up to tap the chair, or a noisemaker on it.⠀
Beginner 20, Intermediate 35 Advanced 50 sit ups⠀
Keep your belly drawing in!⠀
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Candlestick Lifts⠀
The closer you are to your partner or your bulls-eye the easier it is.⠀
Variety in the difficulty: Beginner Hands touching partner's feet, Intermediate Just fingertips touching their toes, Advanced a little gap between your hands and their feet.⠀
Beginner 10, Intermediate 15 Advanced 20 candlestick lifts⠀
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Opposite Heel Taps⠀
Try and stay low as you come around rather than first sitting up then reaching over to your heel. If you find you are cheating and you can hold your hands together.⠀
Beginner 10, Intermediate 15 Advanced 20 each side⠀
Happy New Year Everyone!⠀
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Our challenges take more than a min, so feel free to post a fast forward video, a short clip, or even a pic of your workout! Remember to use the hashtag #Fit4TheHolidays and tag⠀
Your Co-Hosts @PaperDollMilitia @CircAsana @TheCircusDoc & Sponsors: @CircusGear @Laszlo.Roth @FlightTrainingFitness @AerialEssentials @AnnaCiconePhotography and ⠀
@ZoharAlexanderk ⠀
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Today is the LAST day of our challenge. We will be choosing our winners this week. We will be choosing based on people who were most consistent, creative, and supportive to the other participants. Take a moment to write down (in your description on this video) the top three prizes from your wishlist.

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info@PaperDollMilitia.com Retreats@PaperDollMilitia.com TeacherTraining@PaperDollMilitia.com