We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erica Cope. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erica below.

Erica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was the decision to take over the lease of the Alt Theatre back in 2013. I was just out of grad school, did not have a job, or any income, or any business plan, but that didn’t stop me from opening an aerial studio anyway. A few aerialists had been practicing in the theatre through an arrangement with the owner, but as the owner decided to step away, we were in danger of losing our practice space unless someone stepped up. I did, and that was first moment that I assumed the risk of running a studio, and I’ve felt the weight and the joy of that choice every day, ever since. Running a small business is so hard, running it alone and with very limited resources is even harder, and when your small business is based in the performing arts, it’s near impossible. But there was so much energy and momentum every step of the way that my team and I pushed through. We shaped the landscape of aerial arts in Buffalo and it is absolutely amazing to see where we all are 10 years later. The studio was built one aerialist at a time, one carabiner at a time, and one pull up at a time. Now there is a vibrant community of aerial artists.

I once gave a talk on Risk to an organization for creative professionals in Buffalo. They chose me for that specific topic because aerial arts in inherently risky. Yes, there is risk of falling, of getting injured, and risk of disappointment in oneself when a training session, or a performance doesn’t go as planned. Part of our magic is artistically playing up the way we approach and manage risk, bringing the audience up 20 feet in the air with us, letting them wonder what is going to happen next, “what if?”.

Every choice is a risk, every choice is an exclusion of other possibilities that might have been better, and carries with it the possibility of choosing wrong. As a performing artist, a wrong artistic choice may mean that your performance does have the impact you want it to have, that you don’t connect to your audience in the way you know you could. When you are stage, every little choice is a risk, a moment, an opportunity to bring people closer into what you create or leave them at a distance.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started learning aerial arts in Seattle at a wonderful place called Versatile Arts. It immediately was something that I knew I wanted and needed to do for a very long time. First of all, it’s exhilarating, and so beautiful. I remember the first time I walked into the studio and saw people hanging 20 feet in the air and it was so inspiring. Seeing what could be definitely helped to motivate me to work hard, both in Seattle learning in the studio, and later in Buffalo when I started a studio of my own. When I enrolled in my first classes, I was surprised by how hard it was but I loved the challenge. I also appreciated that it combined physical activity with creativity. Being an aerialist for me is really being an artist and an athlete and it’s fascinating how both of those angles play into every little detail of what aerialists do.

Besides the practice of aerial arts itself, there’s the community. Studios are made of floors and wall and ceilings and equipment, but they are also made of the humans that occupy them and those humans truly are the most magical part. After 17 years in the aerial industry, the majority of my friends are circus artists and many of my other friendships have developed through opportunities and experiences that have been brought to me by aerial. The aerial community in Buffalo has grown exponentially since I returned to the area 12 years ago. Dozens more people doing aerial arts means that we have so much shared knowledge and so much potential for ideas and creativity. All of that comes from humans and it’s beautiful to see, not to mention the number of absolutely jacked women we’ve got around Buffalo these days thanks to aerial classes.

As far as my clients and students, what I strive to offer them is pathways to make things possible. Let’s say “clients” here refers to people who hire us to perform. For them, I want to create a pathways to bring their vision to life. I love talking to a new client and hearing about some big event that they have planned and what that event means for them. They are inviting me to participate in that vision, to help them create an experience in reality that they only had in their mind at first. It’s so fulfilling to be able to help people do that! As for my students, I try to teach them how to do moves that they never thought they could do. I inspire them to believe that it is possible. I help them to build vocabularies of complex movements and to create and say something with that vocabulary.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes! As a performer, we can be seen as entertainers or as artists, and there is often overlap between those, but not always. Both require a lot of energy, skill, and commitment, but being an artist, to me, is a bit higher bar. To me, what separates art from entertainment is the fact that art influences the mind in a way that entertainment doesn’t. Art makes people feel and think. I want to create aerial pieces that leave an impression on people after they are over, and I want to teach and empower others to do that as well.

I was determined to become the best aerial artist that I could be, and to give that opportunity to everyone around me. I was determined not to let my studio fail even when the deck was stacked against us in so many ways. I was determined to create a community and a space where people really cared about the artistry of aerial arts, and dug deep into this craft, instead of only brushing the surface. And I kept digging deep to replenish that determination until these goals became a reality.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There are so many different types of artists that people can support if they want to! In my mind, a lot of supporting artists comes down to shopping local because a lot of artists are essentially small businesses where they sell their creations. In the performing arts specifically, we sell our creations by performing. In Buffalo, NY, where we are based, it can be tough to get people to come out to events, it’s snowy and dark in the winter, and there’s a million things to do in the summer, so either way, people have excuses not to come. However, those who show up, who see what we do live and in person, cheer us on, and inspire us to keep doing what we do, those people are so important to us! The pandemic gave us virtual performances, which is cool, but not the same thing as a live audience at all. Not only does a live audience support the artists by providing revenue, energy, and interest to their art, it brings people together, creates conversation, and sparks more ideas in a way that nothing else can.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aerialdancebuffalo.com
• Instagram: @buffaloaerialdance
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/buffaloaerialdance

Image Credits
1. Living in the Buff studios 2. Amanda Reed 3. Glenn Murray 4. Fivetenslens 5. ….no idea… sorry 6. Fivetenslens 7. Fivetenslens 8. Glenn Murray