Life & Work with Suspended Gravity

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suspended Gravity. Their team shares their story with us below:

Suspended Gravity Circus was founded in 2015 by director Erika Golden with the goal of creating a Nashville-based circus arts collective where members could explore the art in their own ways, collaborate and support each other, and share their creativity with their community.

Since then, they’ve performed in street festivals, appeared in music videos, danced alongside live bands, designed art installations for businesses and museums, created films, and produced several large-scale original productions. It’s been a dream!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No creative venture ever progresses on a completely smooth road! And the circus arts present their own unique challenges – we’ve navigated injuries, the loss of training spaces (aerial requires very specific rigging capabilities, which aren’t always easy to find), and, of course, a pandemic that virtually wiped out the entertainment industry for over a year.

But we’re happy to report that we’ve landed at the incredible Nashville School for the Aerial Arts – Nashville’s newest aerial program and the city’s first flying trapeze – and have had some of our most amazing performances yet in 2021. We’re back, bigger and better than ever!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are a circus collective specializing in the aerial arts – silks, Lyra, corde lisse, you name it! We create immersive spectacles that push the bounds of physics and leave audiences believing in the impossible.

The artists of SG love creating fantasy worlds that stoke the imagination and inspire people to discover the power of movement and art combined. Our team also features several aerial instructors – this art has changed our lives in so many beautiful ways, so we love empowering others to experience it for themselves. There’s nothing better than helping people discover their inner strength and creativity.

We are most proud of 1) our original productions, and 2) our collaborations with other local artists. Nashville is full of so many talented performers, and the arts community here really supports its own. Huge shoutout to the Kindling Arts Festival for giving us an incredible platform to create from – if you haven’t heard of this festival, check them out and mark your calendars for next August immediately!

What sets us apart? We believe in telling stories — circus is more than just presenting a series of tricks. It’s creating characters, themes, and narratives that resonate with our audiences. It’s finding that perfect piece of music that lets the artist lose themselves in the notes. It’s finding the humanity (and superhumanity) in all of us.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
All our members draw inspiration from their own passions and individual backgrounds and experiences. Our members are doctors, graphic designers, therapists, writers, teachers, light designers, and more. That variety is what makes our group so exciting – everyone brings their own perspective to the table.

Contact Info:

• Email: suspendedcircus@gmail.com
• Website: http://www.suspendedcircus.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suspendedgravitycircus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sgcircus
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgriMdkixTwQohUBjhRm5Ew

Image Credits
H.N. James – Punk Rock Photography, Bessire Photography, Griffin Dunn, Martin O’ Connor, Nate Brown, Luke Harvey, and Alan Bean