Luminarium: The Extended Promo!
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New Ambient Aerial Hammock Demo!!!
If you’re wondering what the heck ambient aerial hammock looks like in action, wonder no more! Have a look! For more ImaginAerial videos, click here!
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Repeat performances- How to give ‘em the beef without making it into meatloaf.
I had Cirque style entertainment at my party last year. Everyone absolutely loved it, but how do I top that this year? There can be too much of a good thing, and nobody wants to repeat themselves. Think Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Need I say more? Nothing is ever as good as the first time. The last thing you want is to chase after a good idea with a cheap carbon copy formula (or greedy aliens). That said, people love cirque style entertainment and what are you going to do to follow that up, hire a mariachi band? You’ve set the bar pretty high, now you have to at least meet expectations. How do you do that without seeming like you are doing the same thing?
Well, there are ways. You just have to be creative.
1. Talk to us about figuring out something totally different- We’ve hired breakdancers, strolling tables, and girls who dance inside balloons. We are very connected in the entertainment world and could find something really unique for you.
2. Recontextualize the entertainment- Rather than having girls just hanging upside down, put them to work! Have them also pour people’s champagne. Aerial bartending is a fun way to really turn your party upside down. It’s interactive and fun. Most people don’t get to chat with someone hanging by their ankles on a regular basis.
3. Choose really different apparatuses- Silks are beautiful and exciting but also very popular. There are some amazing apparatuses that most people haven’t seen like a quadruple trapeze. It really draws people’s attention.
4. Use technology -There are all sorts of new technologies from interactive lighting, to lights that project video. A lot of it is cheaper than it seems it would be. It’s always good to seem high tech even if you still haven’t entirely figured out your iphone.
Don’t be afraid to be out there. People love telling their friends about that hip cool party where they saw something none of them have seen before. Many people have hired us year after year, but need to make sure their audience is not getting tired of Cirque. It doesn’t have to be always how we think of it, there are many possibilities, All you have to do is to let us think of them!
Aerial Bartending
Formula PR Newsletter Mention – WOOT!
Hi everyone! Check us out (yes, that’s ImaginAerial) in the Formula newsletter SPARK!
“Billed “Flights & Flights,” the evening dazzled guests with a sensory experience that transported them to the Rhône Valley (via air travel décor and props), while allowing them to savor flights of some of the region’s most spectacular wines. As 
Rhône Valley Wine region representatives mingled with guests and communicated key messages, attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvre and wine pairings as well as Cirque-style aerial performances by trained artists, contortionists and aerialists. The result was an elegant and memorable journey to Rhône…”
Read the rest here (scroll down). Many thanks to Formula NY for an AMAZING and fun event!
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Is Cirque-Style Entertainment Worth the Money? What You Should Know Before Parting With Your Hard-Earned Cash
Cirque-style acts don’t come cheap. There, I said it. If you’re looking for a contortionist (as in a person who can balance on her hands and sit on her own head) to come and perform at your party for $300, I have some bad news for you: the most you’re going to get is a strung-out yoga student in sweat pants or a Capezio unitard performing to Enigma and falling off the stage. We’ve seen it, and it’s not pretty. Repeat after me: you get what you pay for.
Why Do The Acts Seem So Expensive?
… Well, can you sit on your head or spin from one ankle? (If so, call us!) Quite simply, we have been training for years to do what we do. You’re paying for 20+ years of ongoing training with private coaches, innate talent and skill, rehearsal space (at upwards of $25 per hour), insurance, the hours and weeks that go into planning your event, and a host of other factors that go into presenting professional shows. It ain’t face painting, ya’ll!
What Goes Into Pricing An Act?
Among other things,
- How rare the act is (if you’re the only alligator wrestler in the Tri-State area, you can pretty much write your own ticket)
- How amazing the act is (see below!)
- How long they’ve been in the business and what kind of reputation they have for excellence
- Whether they’re booked months ahead of time or last minute
So, Are They Worth It?
The great ones are worth every cent or more. The mediocre ones don’t make it into our company. If you’re good with a flexible yogi dressed like an extra from “Flashdance”, have at it! But if you really want the quality, brilliance, and virtuosity of a professional act, then you must be willing to pay them what they’re worth. You’ll never regret it.
Acrobazia – one of ImaginAerial’s go-to handbalancing duos
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Our New Promo Video
ImaginAerial is starting the new year with a new video. It’s contains some of the greatest hits from the last few years. Enjoy!
NYE- Pressure, pressure, pressure….
New Year’s Eve is a time for the big and splashy, a time to pull out all the stops and celebrate until you find yourself sitting on your welcome mat with someone else’s dog. Given that people spend a lot of money to make this night special, as a planner for their party, you want to make darn sure they feel like they got their money’s worth. Cirque style Entertainment is perfect for this kind of celebration.
How do we make sure everything goes flawlessly?
- Book Early It’s especially important on this day to make sure you get the acts you want.
- Nothing After Midnight This advice cannot be emphasized enough. The energy of this night changes after Midnight like no other party does. I was part of the Millenial Celebration in Times Square. The organizers had the great idea of having performances every hour from different parts of the world as each country or region celebrated Midnight. This idea worked marvelously until midnight EST, when the annual mass exodus occurred, but they made us keep performing until 6 am. What a slogfest. By 1:30 am, it was just the performers dancing to tumbling champagne bottle bags and a couple of very resentful TV crews. Even when people do stay to celebrate after the pivotal moment, they will be too busy smearing their lipstick on someone’s face or dancing barefoot in among smashed bits of glass to care about much else.
- Higher Energy Acts Later As people get more inebriated they will need something bright and fast moving to keep them focused. Normally we like to have a balance of energies throughout the evening, but on this night it’s a little different. Put any walkaround performers on early as well as the contortionists. It will warm people up and put them on a great trajectory.
- Have performers arrive the day before This time of year is often fraught with all sorts of delays. This event is too big a deal to take chances. Make sure there is plenty of time for performers to get their luggage too.
- Whenever Possible, Add Glitter and Confetti If you can’t afford confetti canons then we can throw them out of our bras from 18 feet up. However you do it, it ain’t NYE if people aren’t spitting out mouthfuls of chopped up mylar.
Winter Fabulousness
Don’t Mess With The Messiah – Hire Professionals!
Don’t leave “The Messiah” to chance! Hire professionals or this might happen to you…. Enjoy!
10 Money Saving Tips for Getting the Wow Factor You Want For Your Event
You’re event is looming large, and it’s time to plan for The Entertainment. We want SPECTACULAR! DRAMATIC! EARTHSHATTERING! ENTERTAINMENT!, but what if you have a budget that’s so tight you need to use Crisco to squeeze into it? Let’s face it, we’re not all Kardashians, so here are 10 hot tips to help you get more WOW! for your wallet.
1. Book early!
Just like the spring handbags at Barneys, the crème-de-la-crème of the cirque world gets snatched up quick. Don’t be left with last season’s Prada! Book early to ensure that you get first pick. (INSIDER TIP: entertainment companies, performers, etc. will often charge a “rush fee” if you book too close to your event because of the tremendous amount of extra work involved, so seriously – book early).
2. Choose your venue carefully.
If you know in the early stages of planning that you want aerial dancers, skip the venue with 12 foot ceilings. Spaces that are easy to hang in save you the cost of rigging personnel and extra equipment. Call us – we’re happy to share spaces that work!
3. Choose less expensive acts.
Contortionists are expensive – they can sit on their own heads, people! Certain acts command higher price tags than others, and it’s not always based on how great the act is, but on how rare it is. If you’re looking cut costs, go with aerial silks, aerial hoop, juggling, or another popular act.
4. Choose fewer acts with more impact.
Sometimes, less is more. Choosing one or two spectacular acts can not only save you money, but leave your guests energized and amazed. It’s like a few sips of a fine wine versus a keg of cheap beer – it’s quality, not quantity that makes an event.
5. Take advantage of the freebies!
Really take the time to find out what’s included when you’re considering which company to hire. Costumes? Basic rigging? Music editing? Cabana boys? (yes, yes, yes, and no….) It’s not such a great bargain when they charge you for all of it separately!
6. Don’t feel like you have to “super-size” it – more is not always better.
Do you really need twelve hammock artists in antlers flinging confetti or would just two do the trick? Sometimes, more is just… well, more. You don’t always need fireworks to create a huge impact!
7. Let us do what we do best.
You hired professionals, let us do what we do best! We’ve been at this a long time, and have oodles of tricks up our sleeves to streamline our work and make things more efficient. Efficiency means savings, pure and simple.
8. Find the focus of your event.
What’s the big picture? How do you want guests to feel when they walk into the room? Share your vision with us and let us help you narrow it down to the essentials. If your guests are greeted with twenty aerialists and stilt walkers and jugglers and contortionists and rolling globes and one rogue unicyclist, they may feel a tad overwhelmed, and you’ve spent money you didn’t have to.
9. Choose one POW! moment.
The biggest bang for your buck is an actual act (as opposed to ambient performers). Showcase something extraordinary, and really make it the main event!
10. Pay early.
Many companies (ours included) offer a sweet discount for paying the balance early, and it’s less hassle for everyone. WIN!
This all adds up to significant savings, which can make a BIG difference if your party expenses are spinning out of control and your last name isn’t Trump. Let’s make it work, people!
A Weekend of Amazing Entertainment!
If you’re in the NY area this weekend, here are two shows not to be missed! Of COURSE I’m not biased – why would you say that?
Saturday November 12 – MUST SEE! ImaginAerial’s own Laura Witwer is presenting a showcase of professional and student talent at the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics. Click here for info!
Saturday Nov 5-27, Sat & Sun - One of ImaginAerial’s favorite jugglers, Michael Karas, will be presenting “Perfect Catch: A Throw-Mantic Comedy”. Seriously – we love this guy, go see his show. Click here for info!
Alright – now put down the Fritos and go see some awesome shows this weekend!