Category Archives: Performing

2019 Aerial Demo Reel

I am very excited to release my official 2019 Aerial Demo Reel! Watch it below:

I am grateful for the many opportunities I had to perform in the last year, and want to acknowledge the events and videographers these clips came from.

Wyndham New Year’s Celebration in Las Vegas, January 10, 2018. Solo on Aerial Silks. Videoed by TJ Stutts. Watch the full video here.  

Aerialympics Competition in Salt Lake City, July 15, 2018. Award Winning Solos on Hammock (Gold) and Silks (Silver). Videoed by Aerialympics. You can watch my full Hammock solo here, and Silk solo here.

Skyfall Sleeze Night in Salt Lake City, July 27, 2018. Ambiance on Silks and Chains. Videoed by TJ Stutts. 

Skyfall Re-enlist Night in Salt Lake City, August 31, 2018. Ambiance on Silks. Videoed by Dav.d Photography. Watch a compilation here. 

Heritage Gala in Orem, October 25, 2018. Solo on Aerial Silks. Videoed by Niklous Day. 

Thriller with Odyssey Dance Theater in Salt Lake City, October 2018. Duo and Solo Straps. Videoed by Derryl Yeager. 

Clara Takes Flight (An Aerial Nutcracker) in Sheboygan, December 2018. Solos on Silks and Straps, as well as Duo on Lyra. Video courtesy of the John Michael Kohler Performing Arts Center. View my full Silks solo here. 

To book Brandon Scott as an aerialist for your next event or show, please email him here.

My Thoughts on Competition

Happy New Year friends and fans! This time of year is my very favorite! I love the opportunity to sit down and reflect on how things have gone in my training and my life, and make new projects and goals to work on. However, this hasn’t always been the case…

From ages 10-15, the beginning of the year was the most stressful time for me: competition season. As a gymnast, your year is divided up into Training (May-December) and Competing (January-April), and as each day passed after the New Year, my nerves would rise.

By the time competition day arrived, I wouldn’t be able to relax enough to eat or sleep, and as a result I’m sure I never performed at my best. When I finally decided to quit gymnastics, competition was a major reason for doing so. To this day I still have bad dreams about them.

In the last few years though, I’ve had the opportunity to compete as an aerialist, and I had the most enjoyable experiences! So, what’s been the difference? Am I just older and wiser? That may be half true, but I do think I’ve figured out why competing has been so much better at this stage in my life. And just in case you’ve got a competition in your 2019 Resolutions, I want to share it with you.

To be perfectly honest, it really boils down to just one thing:

I don’t think about it as a competition, I think about it as a performance.

This may seem like a small change, and it is! But let me break it down a bit further and show you why this paradigm shift really changed my outlook.

Competition is about You, Performance is about Others

When I was competing, I was hyper-focused on myself. Was I going to do ok? Would the judges think I was good?Would I stick my landing? How was I going to place?  How many metals would I get at the end? Would I make Coach Chris and my family proud? The more I thought about myself, the more anxious I became.

When performing, on the other hand, your priority becomes the experience of your audience. How do I communicate my story to them? What movement expresses the emotion I want them to feel? Which tricks will make them the most excited? What music will help me to connect with them the most?

My Silks Coach Darla use to always tell me that my performance was a Gift, and this has always stuck with me. When you were exchanging presents during your holidays, didn’t the reactions of, and memories with your friends and family, mean more to you than the things you got?

If you go into a competition remembering that your performance is a gift, and making your audience’s experience of that gift your priority, I promise your anxiety will lift and float into the air, just as you will.

(Speaking of the audience, the one you’ll have at a competition is unique in that it will very likely include other aerialists. I love performing for other aerialists because they have a much better eye for how hard you are working, what your truly impressive tricks and techniques are, and won’t just clap for splits like when performing for muggles!)

Competition is Conflict, Performance is Collaboration

In my first experience with US Aerial in 2015, it was a competition. I retreated into my own world for the duration. I didn’t know my competitors, Trevor Kafka and Nico Maffey, and didn’t make a effort to get to know either of them, or the aerialists in other divisions either. I was was there to compete, and just like when I was a gymnast, when I messed up in the execution of my solo, I was genuinely upset (with myself and the circumstances) that I didn’t win.

This is the mindset of someone in fear, scarcity, and conflict. And it isn’t the way I’d naturally behave in a performance setting. At a gig, being better than the other artists is not the goal. Neither is impressing those specifically there to judge you. In a performance, there is camaraderie between performers (and technicians), and by connecting, working together, and encouraging each other, you cumulatively provide the best entertainment possible for those watching.

This is why the 2016 US Aerial Championship was so much better for me, performance wise and emotionally: I was friends with all the other boys in my division (shout out to Iram, Garret, Troy, Jason, and Joe!) and I genuinely wanted them to succeed and perform their best. I also wanted perform my best, but having grown as an acrobat and as a human in the year prior, that desire came from a place of passion for performing, instead of wanting to win.

Competition is an Achievement, Performance is an Opportunity

As a gymnast, competitions occured at the beginning of the year, but they represented the end of my year. A year of focus, discipline, and hard work sure, but still a culmination of that work. Gold-, Silver-, and Copper-colored metals may have come after the finishing my last event, but I was still finished. And whether that achievement was publicly recognized or not, the pressure of the finale, and starting the cycle over again, was there.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A competition is a great way to set and complete goals, and with deadline for yourself: “I’ve got to have my music chosen and sent in by Friday, Choreography needs to be finished a week after that, and for the next two weeks I’ll be doing run-throughs every other day to build up my stamina, and start practising in costume ASAP to troubleshoot issues.” The pressure can increase focus and productivity, and a time-crunch can spark creativity when nothing else will. But for me personally, I enjoy every facet of competition more when I recognize that it is a part of my journey, not the destination.

While a competition may show you’ve grown, a performance is just another way to grow. And like an audition, what the performance leads to in the future can often be just as exciting as being on stage now. Sure getting payment for a gig feels good, but far more rewarding is the spectator who gives the tale of how touched they were by your performance, along with their business-card and an offer to work their next event. If you go into a competition with this mindset, ironically you’ll probably end up placing higher than you otherwise would have.

If I could go back in time and give my younger-self advice, I’d say “Be a dancer instead”. Just kidding! I’m truly grateful for my history, and I wouldn’t change a thing. However, I would tell teen Brandon to view his meets as a performance, and not a competition. Because in reality, the metals and the plaques and the trophies wouldn’t be nearly as valuable as the opportunity to share his talents and passion with other people.

Acts VS Ambiance

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With awe-inspiring feats of strength and flexibility, Aerial Performance inevitably leaves those who witness it live with lasting memories of the experience. For this impact, an increasing number of organizers are incorporating Aerial into their shows and parties. However, not all performances are the same, and Aerial tends to fall into 2 categories: Acts and Ambiance. Whether you are an aerialist yourself, or looking to hire an aerialist for you next event, it’s important to know the differences between the two.

 

THE ACT:

This is probably what you think of first when you hear “aerial performance”.

An Act is a single routine rehearsed with pre-selected music, choreography, and character. Generally it will fall between 4-6 minutes long, and include high-level acrobatics.

As part of an event, an Act is the center of attention to its audience. You can most easily visualize this as what is performed on stage in front of a seated audience.

However, Acts can also be interjected in corporate functions, parties, and other events! An Act in this setting shouldn’t be overshadowed with, or compete with other activities, but instead keep the attendees’ undivided focus (perhaps while other transitions happen elsewhere).

Because of these factors, an Act will almost certainly need preparatory rehearsals, both for the Aerialist to get choreography set to music, as well as for production cues to be set for bringing out the apparatus, beginning music, lighting, and other technical elements.

 

AMBIANCE:

The other wing an aerial performer uses to fly is Ambiance, or Atmosphere work.

Often, an aerialist will do multiple sets of Ambiance at a single event, with these performances being longer (between 10-30 minutes “on” with breaks between sets), and focusing on beautiful shapes, poses, and interactions with guests. The endurance needed to sustain such long sets means high-level acrobatic tricks are less likely to be utilized.

As the name suggests, Ambiance is used to create more of a feeling at an event, rather than a single exciting moment. While the aerialist is up, they will move in a more improvised fashion to whatever music is playing. Guests are free to watch them as much or as little as they choose, while being free to engage in other activities like eating dinner, networking, or dancing.

Before the event itself, is possible that no rehearsals are needed at all in the space. Preparation will still be needed on the production side in terms of rigging and transitions, but much less so than for an Act. However, the aerialist must be in top shape in order to perform sets of such length, and will be working hard to prepare their body for such exertion.

Whether it’s an Aerial Act or a few sets of Ambiance that will make your next event perfect, let me help!
Email me from anywhere in the world HERE.

5 Signs it’s Time to Buy Your Own Aerial Apparatus

So you’ve been taking aerial classes for a while, you’re completely in love (as we all are!), and you’re thinking about getting yourself an apparatus to call your own. Well, here are 5 Signs that it’s the right time for you to get your own silks, straps, or lyra!

You have a safe place to rig

Of course, your absolute first priority when it comes to Aerial must be safety. And coming up soon after is the question of where your apparatus will hang. You don’t want to order a full set of silks and hardware just to have it sit in a jumbled heap in your closet!

Some examples of safe places to rig:

  • The studio you train at
  • A free-standing rig
  • A point okayed by a structural engineer/rigger familiar with aerial

Because free-standing rigs can be a bit pricey, and other points can be hard to gage for safety (if you have a question about a possible point, or how to find a rigger in your area, I’d recommend this Facebook group), the most accessible, and generally best option to begin with is the studio you train at! While they most likely have apparatus for you to use in-house, having your own apparatus to train on can be a great source of pride and motivation.

To avoid disrupting class, bring your apparatus in to train on during open gym. As long as there is a semi-efficient way of rigging in the space, this shouldn’t be a problem (though many studios like to inspect outside equipment before it’s put up). Some studios require you to have a certain level of proficiency in aerial before self-training in open gym, which brings us to the next point…

You’re an intermediate level student, or above

Aerial is so easy to become infatuated with. Especially at the beginning! Trust me I know, it only took one class for me to drop out of college in pursuit of aerial professionally. However, a deep love for the art doesn’t a safe situation make. Wait until you reach at least an intermediate level before celebrating with your own equipment.

Now, each studio is going to have their own definition of what constitutes makes an aerialist intermediate, but the main idea is that you should have a good foundation of skill and technique to draw from while you are self-training. And if you are comfortable enough to self-train safely, you can consider getting some equipment to call your own.

You want access to an apparatus that is currently unavailable

You’ve just gone on traincation, and had the opportunity to take private lesson on straps for the first time! But while you’d love to take those skills you learned and keep working on them at home, your studio unfortunately doesn’t have any straps available to work on.

This would be another situation where you should consider getting an apparatus. And in this case, sooner than later! Waiting to get those straps shipped will cost you a lot, in terms of remembering the techniques you learned while with an instructor, and being able to train and progress safely on them once they are delivered. Speaking of cost…

You are ready to make a bigger investment in your aerial journey

Training aerial isn’t the cheapest hobby, as you’re well aware. $20 a pop on drop-ins at most studios can quickly add up. But the cost is well worth it for the gigantic benefits of aerial training, especially with a good coach. This is no different when you’re looking to purchase some equipment of your own.

Here’s what you can expect to lay down for some basic aerial setups:

  • Hammock: $100-$150
  • Silks: $200-300
  • Rope: $250-400
  • Lyra: $300-400
  • Straps: $400-500

Prices will vary by supplier, but my recommendation is to purchase your equipment from Aerial Essentials. AE has great prices, fast shipping (2-3 days within the US, plus international!), and superb customer service. But even better, their employees are all aerialists themselves!

Working at Aerial Essentials was a big part of how I made ends meet living in Las Vegas. And though I don’t live there anymore, I am still a part of the team! You can message me with any questions you have about equipment, and also take advantage of my personal discount by using the code BRANDON at checkout!

Something else to keep in mind is that the prices above all include full sets of hardware (carabiners, swivels, shackles, spansets, aerial 8s, etc), but once your have these on hand, buying just the apparatus a la carte will be a lot cheaper. Consider your first purchase a true investment into your aerial career, which brings me to my last point:

You are starting to work freelance

If the 4 other points are reasons to buy your ticket, this last one is getting on the plane and heading to your destination.

By the time that you are ready to begin performing for payment, especially if your goal is to become professional, you SHOULD have your own apparatus, full stop! During the beginning of your career while you’re part of a troupe or entertainment company which provides the things you need to perform, consider saving at least part of your performing income to invest in your own costuming, insurance, and equipment.

If you’re getting your first apparatus at this point, you may want to think about which setups will adapt to the most kinds of gigs you’ll have.

If you do silks, but don’t have a specific act, White and Red probably the most versatile colors, especially in corporate settings. Additionally you’ll want to get your fabric at a good length to fit in a variety of theaters and performance spaces.

For lyra, you may want to get a tabless lyra to start out, which can be rigged in many configurations depending on what skills you’d like to include in your performance.

And don’t forget, you’ll want to start gathering a collection of spansets, and other rigging equipment, so you can make as many situations as safe and workable as possible.

BONUS SIGN: You are training on fabric that’s rigged directly to your support beam

This is a pretty common phenomenon, especially in Central and South America, where fabric has boomed in popularity over the last few days, but hardware can be hard to find. 

If this is you, and you are train and especially if you are teaching on fabric like this, get hardware!! Even if it is only one set of carabiners-swivel-aerial 8-spanset, this will give you and your students the ability to practice true spinning, one of the greatest parts of aerial. 

Aerial Essentials ships worldwide in record time, put in your order now (and don’t forget your discount with the code BRANDON)!

Thanks for reading my latest blog post! And again, if you have any questions about equipment or ordering from Aerial Essentials, feel free to send me a message!

Why I Wear #socksonsilks (and 5 reasons you should too!)

If you’ve ever taken a class with me, seen me perform, or if you’ve been following me on Instagram for awhile, you might have noticed something a little strange; almost without fail, I practice aerial in socks! Now, at first glance, you might think me a bit crazy for covering my feet in something slippery and climbing my fabric. But today I want to give you 5 reasons why YOU should try training with #socksonsilks.

#1 – Get Stronger!

Wearing socks is a great way to squeeze some extra conditioning out of your climbs on fabric. Because the friction between your feet is reduced, the muscles in your arms, chest, back, core, glutes, and inner thighs will have to engage more to lift you up against gravity. This results in a more full-body workout as you climb. Now, I know it will be harder at first (I’ve logged in hundreds of hours climbing in socks, I know!!) but you don’t have to keep them on for long. Start with just one #socksonsilks climb at the beginning and end of your class, or personal training session. Once you can reach the top, add a second climb to start and finish, and then continue your progress by wearing socks during your sequencing, and conditioning. I promise you will see dramatic increases in your strength after even just a few weeks (and then you will be hooked!). And as an added bonus, when you take your socks off and continue to train in bare-feet, you will feel superhuman!

#2 – Stop the Sticking!

After training with socks for a while, you will find that it doesn’t make everything harder. On the contrary, it actually helps to make some techniques and skills easier! The clearest example of this is for footlocks: the reduced friction allows your feet to glide more effortlessly up and down against the tissue as you wrap your feet, making your figure-8 and dancers more polished, and easier to make level. Additionally, there are some tricks that require that your feet are able to slide on your tissue, including one of my favorites, wrist-lock splits! This all becomes exponentially more critical as the humidity in your studio rises, and the silks get sticky. Having the capacity to train in socks as needed is an amazing tool in your belt for overcoming the effects of weather on your fabric, and is a near necessity if you live somewhere tropical or wet!

#3 – Stop the Stinking!

One more practical reason to wear socks while you train is to keep your silks cleaner. Bare feet are by far the fastest culprit of stinky fabric. So, if you can consistently cover them, you can significantly increase the trainable time between washes. While this is more difficult in a studio setting where dozens of people use the same sets of silk to train, cultivating a culture of sock-wearing (as well as other hygiene habits) can help reduce the grime and odor buildup between laundry days. But if you’re using your own personal silks, you can keep them fresh for even months at a time by training in socks!

#4 – Finish your Lovely Lines!

When wearing regular leggings, bare feet don’t often create the nicest picture. Especially if you the type to pull yours over the heel, your naked toes break the shape of your legs right before the finish-line, and this contrast can draw attention away from your flexibility to even the smallest of sickles of flexes. Wearing socks helps to enhance your toe-point, and puts the focus back to the full line, rather than the ends. Further, having the capacity to perform in socks gives you the option of wearing full ballet-style tights, should you desire that aesthetic. Not relying on your feet to climb can broaden your options further to heels, ballet slippers, or other footwear should your act/character call for them.

#5 – Be Part of my Story!

Any one of these reasons is a great one for starting, or continuing your journey of training with socks. But on a more personal level, you can take some satisfaction in knowing you are training like Brandon Scott does! Further, if you wear socks during your next private with me, it will tip me off to know that you have the strength and commitment for more advanced techniques. But I’m going to take it one step further with this cherry on top: if you video yourself, post it on Instagram, and use the hashtag #socksonsilks, you may find yourself featured in my IG story!!

 

Thank you so much for reading my first blog post and visiting my website! Please check back again for more updates, message me if you have requests on other topics you’d like to see me write about, and I’ll see you in the air!