Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, May 11, 2017 9 AERIAL From page 8 Sweden-born Nilsson took a break from doing aerial for a time because of a back injury, but after her son was born two years ago, she slowly got back into it and will perform two very different acts in the “Take Flight” show: one on the rope and one with a tennis racket. Then, there’s Cangemi, a native of Milan, Italy, who has lived on the Big Island for 20 years. She’s a licensed massage therapist, aquatic body worker and coordinator of the Seaview Performing Arts Center for Education in Pahoa. Cangemi has been dancing all her life, taking up aerial dance at the age of 16. “Avatar Spirit,” her silks solo inspired by James Cameron’s movie, is a tribute to the endangered native and shamanic cultures. “On the Big Island, “TAKE FLIGHT: AN EVENING OF AERIAL” What: All-aerial dance show produced by Mirabilia Aerial Co. and Puna Aerialists and sponsored by Hawaii’s Volcano Circus. When: 7 p.m. Friday; doors open at 6 p.m. Where: Palace Theater Admission: Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at https:// takeflightaerial.eventbrite.com, at the Palace Theater box office from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday or by calling 934-7010. we are very lucky to have several studios where we can practice and teach aerial arts,” Cangemi says. “It is a great way to exercise, due to the fact that it helps develop both upper and lower body, strength and flexibility. It is also very technical, therefore it stimulates coordination and courage to defeat various fears. And as an art form, it allows expression of highly emotional and aesthetic values.” Aerial is extremely time-consuming and dancers train several days a week, Eisenberg says. “But with nothing to train for, it can be hard to stay disciplined, motivated and creative. A show on the horizon gives us something to work toward.” Eisenberg started training in 2013 with a group of aerialists in Kalapana. Aerial dance is a high-risk hobby, she says, beautiful but dangerous. And painful, adds O’Toole. “Most of aerial is kind of painful. You have to be committed to it.” Agrees Eisenberg, “You have to be focused and aware of what you’re doing at all times. That’s part of why I love it. To keep myself safe, I can’t think about anything else. I have to stay present. My to-do list, my daily stressors … they all disappear when I’m training.” And she always daydreamed of having a show at the Palace Theater. “Something about that old building perfectly complements aerial, which, although modernized, is an old circus tradition originally rooted in acrobatics,” Eisenberg says. This is not the first show put on by Eisenberg and O’Toole. The pair, who will appear in a duo lyra act, produced a 2015 show at Kalani Retreat Center in Kalapana. O’Toole says audiences at the Palace Theater show can expect to have their mind blown. “It’s mesmerizing,” she says. “It’s breathtaking to watch in person. The performers make it look so easy but it’s not. Everyone is working so hard.” Bella O’Toole and Zoe Eisenberg. PHOTO: PHILLIPS PAYSON
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