Today we’d like to introduce you to Joan Cooper
Hi Joan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a pharmacist by trade (Doctor of pharmacy) and have been working in the medical field for the past 15 years. I have always been creative and played music in bands, done dance as well as my own art, but didn’t really find my creative “calling” until I found aerial circus arts.
When I took my first aerial silks class, something really clicked within me and it felt like… this is the biggest challenge I have ever experienced, this is what I need to pursue. There is a quote that says “the greater the obstacle, the more glory there is in overcoming it,” and that is exactly how I feel about my journey as an aerialist. Nothing has ever challenged me more, both mentally and physically, and subsequently nothing has ever made me grow more, both mentally and physically.
I also found aerial arts during a time in my life where I had gone through a lot of grief and loss, my husband had passed away very unexpectedly and left me alone to raise our young children, who were 3 and 5 at the time. I had no family in the area, and I felt like a stranger in my own world, where everything felt distorted and bizarre after his untimely death. Many people turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms during difficult times like this, and like them, I also needed something extreme to help myself cope. Luckily, the extreme physical demands of aerial training were exactly the release that I needed during this time to help me release grief from my body. I also found that many others in the aerial community ended up there due to similar life stories of grief, pain and loss, so within circus I also found a community that I could connect with.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing about my journey has been smooth – ha!
My husband’s death felt like the biggest loss/failure of my life. Suddenly I was a single/solo mother, my kids lives were permanently scared and broken, and everything I felt I had been working for and toward was gone. But because the worst thing possible had actually happened, it took away my ever present fear of the unknown. Once you have the courage to fail, you discover who you truly are, and that is exactly what happened to me.
Joining the circus was tough in so many ways. Those around me did not understand it, nor did they believe I could do it. When you feel something so deeply in yourself, and then you actually pursue it without backing down, it really mystifies and confuses a lot of the people around you. Breaking out of the norm is often viewed quite negatively and with fear and discomfort, that is, until you succeed, and only then can people understand it.
I had to work 10 times as hard as everyone else because I had no background in gymnastics. My body was constantly bruised, torn, broken, and in pain– but that part I loved — there was a release that came from the pain and it also felt like progress.
Years later, once I became good enough to perform professionally, I quickly realized that my skills working in the medical and business worlds were just as important as my skills as an aerialist. The business side of things is something many artists and creatives struggle with, and when you work with large event companies and restaurant groups, they value your business skills just as much, if not more, than your skills as a performer.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known for being a multi-apparatus aerialist, meaning, I am able to perform on most aerial apparatuses including: silks, lyra (hoop), straps, chains, pole, and trapeze. I take pride in being versatile and being able to quickly adapt my skills to create beautiful movements on anything, dangling my body off of various objects. I also love performing in duos, choreographing pieces and collaborating with other aerialists. I also take pride in my endurance in the air. The industry norm is for an aerialist to perform for about 5 minutes at a time, due to how physically taxing it is to be in the air. I have built up my endurance to where I can perform on an aerial apparatus for 20-30 minutes at a time, if necessary, and I am very proud of that because that is an extreme physical feat that has taken years of hard work and discipline!
Through my training I also have been able to share the joy of aerial arts with my two daughters, who love it just as much as I do. It has bonded us and connected us in so many beautiful ways. I train both of my kids and perform with them as well. I love performing at children’s festivals with my daughters; children get so inspired seeing them doing amazing feats in the air!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can find me on instagram at @joandcoop or my annual event at @theglowmd
My email is joandcoop@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gigsalad.com/dazzling_aerials_columbia
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joandcoop
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/theglowmd
