"There are students who sign up for aerial dance to overcome their vertigo"

“There is no age limit to practice aerial dance because it is adaptable according to each person's strength. We have had students from 6 to 63 years old. A diverse audience comes to the school because there is a general need to escape screens and to socialize face-to-face again,” explains Daniel Bernés (Barcelona, 1993), choreographer, dancer, and teacher at the Onair aerial dance school in Poblenou. “In the end, it’s about moving the body, dancing to the music, and letting yourself go a little... To have new sensations. Anyone can do it. You just need to want to and learn the technique. People think you have to be super strong, but in the end, the most important thing is the technique. There are even students who have signed up because they had vertigo and wanted to overcome it. I have never been afraid of heights, but I admit I would never go skydiving or bungee jumping,” he adds.

The aerial hoop or silks are some of the specialties he has taught at the center. “Fabric aerial dance is very popular with the public. It consists of the dancer or acrobat climbing, wrapping themselves, and falling through the fabric, making figures in the air. At the school, we use fabrics about 10 meters high on average, but students progress gradually according to their level, and always protected. Generally, we work with them at about 6 meters as a maximum,” says Bernés. “We teachers are the only ones who don’t have mattress protection underneath when we perform at an event. I particularly remember a show at the Sala Oval of the MNAC, because that was really high. It’s clear that it’s a profession with risks,” acknowledges the dancer.

Fortunately, he has never had a major scare: “I worked for about four years in a dinner show that was cabaret-style, and I did fall one night. I only hurt myself a little because it was from a fairly low height. So far, I’ve only had that one fall”.

Bernés came to aerial dance because he wasn't motivated to continue working in the family business. “In those years, I didn't like sports at all either, but I wanted to do some physical activity. Since I've always had artistic inclinations, I ended up discovering pole dancing, which allowed me to combine both things,” recalls the choreographer.

The jump from the pole

From the first steps at the barre, her love for dance was total and she soon wanted to experiment with other disciplines: “When I started, pole dancing was still a bit stigmatized because it was associated with the world of strippers. Over the years this vision has been changing, but I didn't want to focus only on the barre. Looking for alternatives, I came across Onair, where I entered as a student in 2015. For many months I trained with the center's director, Jorge Alcover. Since then, my professional evolution has been constant. Thus, since this year, in addition to being a teacher, I am also a partner in the direction of the school”.

Her bet on aerial dance was a success because in recent years it has become fashionable and several schools have opened in Barcelona. “Disciplines like aerial dance are trending because there are many people who want to do some physical activity, but who hate going to the gym. Ours is a space where you feel like you're with family, where students end up becoming very good friends, you know? It's a safe space for people. In addition, there are students who end up professionalizing and performing”, concludes Bernés.