{"id":235,"date":"2012-09-29T10:48:24","date_gmt":"2012-09-29T14:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/old.66thousandmilesperhour.com\/lisasbrightideas\/?p=235"},"modified":"2012-10-02T10:40:47","modified_gmt":"2012-10-02T14:40:47","slug":"an-in-depth-interview-with-aerialist-lisa-natoli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/?p=235","title":{"rendered":"An in-depth interview with aerialist Lisa Natoli"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Lisa Natoli<\/em><\/strong> is a Brooklyn-based aerialist and artistic director of Lisa\u2019s Bright Ideas, which has presented work at Galapagos Art Space, Gowanus Ballroom, Monkeytown, Cantina Royal, Irondale Theater, and CBGB\u2019s Gallery. She has also performed aerials with Constellation Moving Company, Above and Beyond Dance, Emily Power Dance, and General Mischief Dance Theater. Lisa teaches aerial silks and rope at The Skybox and Embody Studios, and has led workshops at Bumpershoot Aerial in St. Louis, Miraas Aerial in Denver, and The Muse, Brooklyn.
\n<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I got together with Lisa for drinks and conversation at her Park Slope apartment, where we discussed her travels, her work, and her future plans.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Interview conducted and transcribed by
\n<\/em>Elvis VanBuren, 2012, NYC<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>So, you\u2019ve had a busy year. Let\u2019s go back a few months to March or April\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

I performed at Lannie\u2019s Clocktower Cabaret in Denver, Colorado. I was out there to dance with a company based in Denver that was combining aerial with dance, Emily Power Dance.<\/a> I collaborated with Emily on her ideas. The piece she came up with had interactive video, dancers and then the aerial.<\/p>\n

And then it was back to Brooklyn?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, I went to St. Louis and performed at the opening for a club called The Coliseum, it was part of the Show Me Burlesque Festival, and I also performed at \u2026 on Cherokee Street? I can\u2019t think of the name of the place (laughs)\u2026 It was an art collective.<\/p>\n

And you did some teaching in St. Louis?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I taught at Bumbershoot Aerial Arts<\/a>, and I also taught in Denver at Miraas Aerial<\/a>. These were variations of the same workshop in two different places, covering mostly rope, some silks, various levels.<\/p>\n

So this was all in April?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mostly April. I came back [to Brooklyn] in June. I left for Denver the day after I hosted a huge Easter brunch.<\/p>\n

That was your send-off.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mm-hm. I historically send myself off.
\n[Laughter]<\/p>\n

That sounds like fun. Um, you like Easter? Is that your favorite holiday?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Mm-hm. I love Easter.<\/p>\n

You always cook up a big bash for Easter? What was in the making this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Oh, Easter pie \u2026 I made lamb chops, homemade pasta, an olive oil cake, baked eggs with ham, there was a lot of stuff. It\u2019s hard to remember because the last workshop I taught, I opened it up with a pot-luck dinner.<\/p>\n

Is there a big connection between aerial and food in your world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems that way. It\u2019s possibly why I\u2019m heavier than most of the other aerialists. [laughs]<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true, but you love food and you love aerial.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>You love good<\/em> food, I should say.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Yeah, and good beer, not bad beer.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re drinking a beer right now\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, Stillwater American Farmhouse Ale.<\/p>\n

Ok, so, a couple months working out of town, and you came back and taught a joint workshop at The Muse<\/a> in Brooklyn with Juanita Cardenas and Jan Manke. What was that all about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We had about thirty students. It was about creating a non-linear narrative through the \u201cSeven Deadly Sins\u201d, or our individual interpretations of them. It ended in a student performance show we called \u201cApple-kalypse.\u201d It wasn\u2019t act-driven. Like most variety shows you see solo, solo, solo. This was ensemble work, which you don\u2019t see often in aerial.
\nThe other instructors and I divided the sins \u2013<\/p>\n

Which ones did you get?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I got Wrath, Pride and the opening scene, which was Eve in the Garden of Eden.\u00a0No one wanted Lust, so Juanita got stuck with it. I didn\u2019t really want the opening, I think I just went for it.<\/p>\n

You thought it was a challenge? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Cause we wanted to show as many students as possible in the opening and closing scenes. Jan actually accomplished that during the closing number by putting thirty people onstage at the same time in a small space.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>So how did it go?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the end, it went well. It was my first time teaching in a sort of ensemble situation. I thought parts were overwhelming and we\u2019d know how to do it better the next time.<\/p>\n

So, you taught, but you learned something too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Mm-hm.<\/p>\n

Ok, so what came next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Skybox<\/a>, where I\u2019ve been teaching for about a year, decided to do their [student workshop.] I found a lot of support and encouragement from that studio.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re talking now about The Skybox in general?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, just in general. The Skybox was a space created by some renegade aerialists that decided to build a space and an aerial rig inside of an old icehouse in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

What do you teach there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a class called \u201cMostly Ropes\u201d on Mondays from 6 to 7pm. I have a mix of students including beginners and then a lot of the Skybox instructors also take my class, which is fun, because they\u2019re at a high skill level, so I can teach them longer sequences.<\/p>\n

You feel that when you\u2019re teaching a class of peers, is there an exchange? You have people that are all at an advanced skill level, do you actually have something to teach each other?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Usually, yeah. I think you always have something to learn, I think it\u2019s stupid when people say they don\u2019t want to go to class or swap skills because there\u2019s nothing new for them to learn. Sometimes it\u2019s just learning how to deal with other personalities.<\/p>\n

Ok, so, the workshop at The Skybox is in progress. What\u2019s the low-down on that workshop?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anya Sapozhnikova organized it with Elena Delgado, and they are the directors, and they also help teach and rig. There\u2019s five teachers this time: Juanita, Jan, Anya, Elena and I. It has a narrative and students get to keep their costumes at the end. It\u2019s a Dr. Seuss-themed aerial adventure. It\u2019s \u201cHorton Hears A Who\u201d with added characters like The Cat In The Hat, and the Sneetches \u2026 the Star-bellied Sneetches?<\/p>\n

Just the Star-bellied Sneetches?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hmm, I don\u2019t know\u2026<\/p>\n

You gotta have both kinds of Sneetches, otherwise \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have Thing 1 and Thing 2?<\/p>\n

Ok, so it\u2019s kind of romp through the world of Dr. Seuss. Obviously this culminates in another student show, at The Skybox?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Yes, the second week in October. Three dates.<\/p>\n

This week you performed twice at the legendary Dixon Place<\/a> on the Lower East Side in Manhattan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yep. Monday was a variety show curated by Cody Schreger. Performers she likes, and some of her students. Aerial, music and floorwork, dance. I showed a rope trio with Susie Williams and Maia Ramnath. It\u2019s a work-in-progress that I feel like, as part of my process, I need to see it in front of an audience to know exactly what it is. Because the first piece I ever did I thought was very funny, but when it met the audience it was very dark.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re talking about your first piece, now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, not this new one.<\/p>\n

I see, you found it funny, but you felt it came off as dark or that people didn\u2019t get your sense of humor, maybe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>They had no sense of humor, I discovered [laughs.]<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like how people don\u2019t see the sense of humor in The Smiths.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, or Beckett.<\/p>\n

So this is part of a longer piece?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s supposed to be an evening about how we compartmentalize each other and our lives, and hold people into their compartment even as our lives change.<\/p>\n

When you say you need to look at it, you\u2019re waiting to watch the tape?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hear feedback. I don\u2019t learn from watching video. It\u2019s not dimensional enough.<\/p>\n

Well, I was going to ask if something about the process of \u2026 like, you\u2019re in the piece, so you don\u2019t get to sit back and watch, so I was wondering if something about going through the motions of performing it in front of an audience, rather than in a rehearsal space, gave you a different perspective, or if that\u2019s not possible because you\u2019re performing it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s hard to see, I feel like I get lost a lot in some of the evenings I\u2019ve done, like I\u2019ve had to take choreography away from myself so that I could step out and see it, and I never really got to learn my own choreography. So in this process I\u2019m trying to show it in sections so that I can piece it together, and even if I step out as the performer, I still will have gained skill and been a part of the performance process.<\/p>\n

And you\u2019re saying you have various peers in the audience you can get feedback from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peers or non-peers. I think sometimes non-peers are better.<\/p>\n

And then this past Thursday, you showcased another piece of yours at Dixon Place, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. It was a variation of the trio done in a duet form with Susie Williams. It\u2019s always my goal to create enough choreography that if you can\u2019t pay people, you can show it as a solo, a duet, a trio, or, if you have money, a quartet.<\/p>\n

And this Saturday you\u2019re at the Galapagos Floating Kabarette in Brooklyn. Kind of a standard gig for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Galapagos<\/a> allows you a nice amount of freedom to do what you want, and by doing that you find the pieces that you\u2019re attracted to, and when you do them, they develop even more character.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Uh \u2026 I\u2019m not sure. I was thinking of doing another aerial salon at Cantina Royal<\/a> in Williamsburg. They make really good margaritas there. It\u2019s a really interesting space because it\u2019s really hard to light. It\u2019s like being in somebody\u2019s basement.<\/p>\n

Is the intimacy one of the things that continues to attract you to that space?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. I\u2019ve always thought of myself as a small space performer. Although I love Irondale \u2026 which is still pretty small.<\/p>\n

What do you prefer about smaller space?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That the audience becomes part of the performance. I like to have a relationship with my audience.<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s one of the cool things about your work. It\u2019s artful, but it\u2019s accessible in that it\u2019s inviting, vulnerable and human. It invites the audience in, it leaves the door open for the audience.\u00a0<\/strong>Where would you most like to perform in New York that you haven\u2019t already?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>BAM.<\/a><\/p>\n

Why do you like BAM?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have no idea [laughs]. They bring some bad stuff circus-wise.<\/p>\n

Is it about prestige? I mean would it feel like some sort of vindication or is there something about the space?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Well, I like the BAM Harvey. It\u2019s more of a raw space. I like that. There\u2019s also an old synagogue or church on the Lower East Side that I\u2019d love to perform in. It\u2019s out of my price range. I can never remember the name of it. It\u2019s been a theater for a long time.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m trying to think of a good ending question. Anything I forgot, that you want to talk about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>There\u2019s always so much to talk about. The criticism I always get is why don\u2019t I use live music. I don\u2019t think you would ask the director of a movie that. I believe performers should be paid regardless of my finances, so sometimes that leaves out live music. I\u2019m not going to ask someone to work for free.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about the music you do choose to use.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I get a lot of comments about the music. In modern dance you\u2019re not allowed to use [music with] lyrics, as an aerialist you\u2019re allowed.<\/p>\n

What do you mean, \u201callowed\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You just don\u2019t want to spoon-feed the audience I guess\u2014<\/p>\n

Oh, because the lyrics are going to have a narrative, it\u2019s going to color the piece \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mm-hm.<\/p>\n

In aerial, why don\u2019t you feel there\u2019s the same danger?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019m not sure. I\u2019m also known for changing the music the day of the performance, which drives my collaborators crazy.<\/p>\n

That would sort of reinforce the idea that the two things aren\u2019t connected.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s a nod to Cunningham. He felt like each component should be able to stand on its own.<\/p>\n

How do you know when a piece of music is right for a piece of performance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think they find each other. I go through huge Tigerlillies phases. I think they inspire character that, as a modern dancer, I never learned how to develop.<\/p>\n

Are there musicians you keep coming back to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I go to Nick Cave. I go to the Tigerlillies and \u2026 I\u2019ve used the Creatures quite a lot but I only really have one Creatures piece. Still looking for pedal steel music, which is BJ Cole, but I think it\u2019s time for me to not use that anymore.<\/p>\n

Your first performance was with Bob Hofnar on live pedal steel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d like to perform with live musicians\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

If I could.<\/p>\n

Is there music you would never use?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Uh, I always say Tom Waits, but I have a Tom Waits piece.<\/p>\n

Do you hate Tom Waits?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love Tom Waits.\u00a0I would never use \u2026 oh, what is that song? It\u2019s a Leonard Cohen song that Jeff Buckley covers?<\/p>\n

Halleluiah.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Never use that. It\u2019s just a rule.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one thing you\u2019re going to accomplish in the next six months?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To hopefully reach out to other places like maybe Philadelphia or Chicago. I wish there was a space I knew about in New Orleans to go teach at.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about what inspires you. What makes you want to create?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kevin O\u2019Connor makes me want to create, one of my rope teachers. James Thierry.<\/p>\n

What have you seen recently that made you want to climb a rope?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was in St. Louis, the students were so open-minded there, and have this like non-manufactured idea of how to create projects, that I found it really inspiring and liberating. The students there make me want to continue in my own direction.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve also seen a few things at The Sugarbox?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Laughs] Yes. It\u2019s an underground performance venue that is a criticism of current performances. So it\u2019s like a live review of things you may have just seen.<\/p>\n

Fascinating.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is very fascinating. I was there last night, \u2018cause I wanted an extra beer after my performance. And uh \u2026 I was doubled-over in laughter and couldn\u2019t breathe. But it is a live review of the highlights and low points of the performances that are currently going on.<\/p>\n

I guess you don\u2019t want to see your work onstage at The Sugarbox?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, you don\u2019t want \u2026 well, they do show highlights sometimes.<\/p>\n

So there\u2019s good with the bad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/p>\n

How does one find out about\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, it\u2019s all word of mouth but I can\u2019t even tell you where it is.<\/p>\n

Is that against the rules?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of against the rules. You have to be invited. You can\u2019t just show up.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one thing you love about New York?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Laughs] Coney Island.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one thing you hate about New York?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>People\u2019s spacial awareness.\u00a0[Laughter]<\/p>\n

Alright, thanks Lisa.<\/strong><\/p>\n\"facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"google_plus\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"tumblr\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>\"facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"google_plus\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"tumblr\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Lisa Natoli is a Brooklyn-based aerialist and artistic director of Lisa\u2019s Bright Ideas, which has presented work at Galapagos Art Space, Gowanus Ballroom, Monkeytown, Cantina Royal, Irondale Theater, and CBGB\u2019s Gallery. She has also performed … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=235"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisasbrightideas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}