1. Flying High

Flying High Misha Lin '25 is taking her dance education to the next level this summer with intensive aerial dance training, finishing with a two-week international festival in August.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
July 16, 2024

"I never would have started aerial dance if it wasn't for the support and encouragement of (professor of dance) Jenny Davies during my freshman year."

~ Misha Lin '25

Washington and Lee University rising senior Misha Lin '25 is taking her dance training to the next level and will participate in the intensive European Aerial Dance Festival in the United Kingdom this August. A chemical engineering major and dance minor from New York City, Lin began studying aerial dance during her first year at W&L and is looking forward to learning more advanced techniques in her daily training this summer.

How long have you been dancing?
I have danced on and off since I was 4 years old and began training in aerial dance three years ago.

Where are you spending your summer?
I'll be spending most of the summer at a local studio in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, for daily aerial dance training. This is my third summer training at this studio, so I will be moving on to more advanced techniques that require a higher threshold for flexibility and strength this year.

In August, I will attend the European Aerial Dance Festival (EADF) in Brighton, United Kingdom. EADF is a two-week aerial dance intensive involving daily classes from the leading aerial dance professionals in Europe, and I will take classes in the aerial apparatuses of hammock, lyra, cyr wheel, silks and rope for the duration of the festival. I attended the International Aerial Dance Festival (which inspired the establishment of EADF in 2010) in Boulder, Colorado, last year as an independent study for my dance minor, so I feel prepared for the long days and intensive work the EADF will require.

What does your day-to-day look like this summer?
During the day, I am interning at the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Then, every evening I conduct aerial dance training for two to four hours, depending on the condition of my body. I take daily classes in pole and lyra and weekly classes on the hammock and sling and attend weekly workshops in miscellaneous dance-related topics like flexibility, heels dance class and conditioning.

What has been your favorite part of your study so far?
My favorite part of my training this summer has been learning drops, flips and other dynamic combos. In aerial dance, the less contact your body has with the apparatus, the harder the technique becomes. Therefore, most of my classes are divided into levels that teach aerial techniques based on the number of points of contact your body has with the apparatus. Ever since I started aerial dance, I've wanted to learn flips and drops on the lyra and pole; however, my level wasn't necessarily advanced enough to attempt them during previous summers.

How did you learn about this opportunity, and what inspired you to pursue it?
In 2023 I trained at the International Aerial Dance Festival (ADF) hosted by the Frequent Flyers dance company, which can trace their work to Terry Sendgraff, who is considered the mother of aerial dance. I learned about the EADF from the professionals who attended ADF last year and was inspired to expand my technique in aerial dance by learning from European professionals this year.

How has W&L helped prepare you for this opportunity?
I never would have started training in aerial dance if there wasn't already an established aerial dance program at W&L. With resources already available and a support system to pursue my interest in aerial dance, it was that much easier to get started and commit to my aerial dance studies.

This summer, my ability to travel and attend the EADF is made possible by a Johnson Opportunity Grant, which helped cover the registration and travel fees for the festival. I would not have been able to train at EADF this year - and would not have been able to attend ADF last year - without the financial support of this program.

How does your summer study fit into your academic ambitions and career goals?
I plan on using the new aerial techniques I learn on the lyra and hammock to choreograph a new solo performance for the W&L Repertory Dance Company's fall performance.

I also hope to continue aerial dance as a freelancer and competitor after college, so these pre-professional intensives will help me work toward that goal. I have been apprehensive about graduating this upcoming year and trading my time in the studio for a full-time job, but I've been inspired by my engineering adviser assistant professor Mengying Liu, who continues to dance and pursue her artistic passions while having a full-time job. Her lifestyle shows me that you can always make time for something you love.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your study?
The most important takeaway has been to not overtrain. I love getting into a dance flow and focusing on perfecting a technique, but that extraneous practice time has often led to injuries rather than progress. During this study, I've learned to curb my enthusiasm and pace myself through my training so that my body has time to recover.

Who or what has inspired you during your time at W&L?
Because of scheduling conflicts with the classes required for my engineering major, I wasn't able to take any aerial dance courses, but I was inspired to pursue aerial dance as an independent study after seeing Kate Fisher '23 perform on the aerial silks during my first year.

I also never would have started aerial dance if it wasn't for the support and encouragement of (professor of dance) Jenny Davies during my freshman year. She has also attended both ADF and EADF before, so I was inspired to train at these intensives since they're both Jenny-approved!

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