[Shahla Farzan | kbbi 890am]
“It’s a beautiful art form where you’re climbing and you’re wrapping.
Summer may be over, but fall classes at the Homer Council on the Arts are just beginning. Three “circus art” classes are set to begin this week.
To be clear, there are no clowns or high wire acts in circus art class. Aerial silk work is a type of performance art that uses long strips of fabric suspended from the ceiling. Performers wrap themselves in the fabric, creating a makeshift harness.
Homer resident Kammi Matson is one of the class instructors. She’s been practicing aerial silk arts since 2011.
“It’s a beautiful art form where you’re climbing and you’re wrapping. You’re wrapping your foot or your hand or your body in the silk. And then it’s surprising because from different positions you can go from the beautiful acrobatic suspended position that you’re in and you can roll and drop suddenly, one to three to five feet. There’s this element of control and grace and beauty, and then surprise and adrenaline and speed,” says Matson.