03-05-2015

Posted by IBA

Music Is The Next Step

Music Is The Next Step

Lise Hernandez Girouard is pioneering the sport of Indoor Sky Dancing. Her way of playing music for the audience and judges while listening and dancing to the same tune is beautiful and innovative. How is she doing it? We interviewed the graceful lady and here is what she has to say about music being the next step.

How did this idea to dance in the tunnel with music come to mind?

At the beginning of 2013, I really thought about how I should invest myself in the sport to achieve my personal goals. I needed to find the exact place where I could take my skills to another level while demonstrating who I am and what I have accomplished already in my life and I kept thinking about skydiving and figure skating. I heard about NeoFreestyle, an event held exclusively in indoor skydiving competitions. This word, NEO, attracted my attention.

I discovered that the NeoFreestyle rules were very similar to figure skating, with technical, free and artistic criteria. I really liked those three elements, but something was still missing: the music! Music is so essential for bringing new life and a higher art form into flying. Many people with whom I spoke shared this same point of view, but no one had figured out exactly how to accomplish this.

How can you hear music inside the wind tunnel?

First, I had to find a way to reduce the noise of the tunnel as much as possible—the noise level is 100 decibels. Laboratoire Ear Protection in France fabricated custom fit ear seals with earphones. These are comfortable and stay in place. However, these still did not sufficiently reduce the noise of the tunnel so as to be able to hear the music without turning it up to full volume. Loud noise INSIDE your ear canal is not good, so I bought and fitted a small acoustic earmuff into my helmet. Now, I plug my earphones into my music player and I’m ready to fly!

How do the judges, spectators, and yourself all hear the music in real time?

I use a wireless In-Ear Monitoring System from LD SYSTEMS (a European brand). Musicians use this device. It basically consists of two boxes: the transmitter and one or more receivers. The transmitter resides outside the tunnel and is connected to the audio source (music player or table mixer). It transmits the music to the receivers, one of which I connect to my earphones and carry with me. These receivers are typically wireless and work on a radio frequency. The frequency varies from country to country.

Did you have difficulties using your music equipment during the competition?

It was certainly presented some challenges. This event was the first ever IPC World Cup for indoor skydiving, it was something new for everybody. The music is part of my equipment and in the rules there was nothing against that. I had the support from the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association and the IPC.

I arrived at Austin a couple of days before the competition so I could set the audio equipment in accordance of the needs of the facility. I was unable to use iFLY’s speaker system since they were in use for playing the audio commentary. Luckily, it was very easy and affordable to rent another speaker system in the Live Music Capital!

I connected the speakers, console, and in-ear monitor then when it was time for me to perform in front of the judges, I needed to control the music wirelessly as I was inside of the chamber with the rest of the competitors. I used my iPhone as the remote control and the iPod as the source of the music. For the right volume, I simply asked that tunnel staff fix it if necessary.

What is Indoor Sky-Dancing and your vision of it?

It is the art of choreographing flying to music inside of a vertical wind tunnel. Air sports continue to grow and acquire new forms of flying and new artistic disciplines: Dynamic, Artistic Freefly, NeoFreestyle, and so on. I see in the future that some of these disciplines will include music for their routines, but my ultimate goal is to develop the DANCE, to be able to express music with our bodies in the air: Rock & Roll, Hip Hop, Romantic, etc. I want to create Dance Battle competitions and shows.

I believe by adding music to the routines will help our sport connect to the general public and by consequence the media will be more interested in broadcasting the competition. That connection will happen through the emotions that the spectator is percieving through the mix of dance and music. There is no need to know that X manouver was technically well-performed. The person who is not familiar with our sport will be able to bring his own experience on what he is seeing and percieving artistically.

How are others reacting to your idea of flying with music?

Tamara Koyn: one of the first pioneers of freestyle skydiving in the mid-1980s, commented: “The ‘heart’ of freestyle is about exploring complete freedom of creativity in freefall, and each person will have their own style of expression. By developing artistic indoor flying choreographed to music, Lise is an innovator advancing the creative elements of artistic flying to a whole new level with new possibilities of expression. It is yet another example of pioneering in creative flying … it can have many possibilities in both competitions and public performances.”

Gillian Rayner: during her work as the 1st Vice President of the IPC (now Executive Director of the FAI) initiated the process and brought indoor skydiving competition into the IPC. “I think it's great.  It brings a new dimension that we don’t have outdoors.  We should take advantage of the fact we are in an indoor environment. By seeing a performance with music it will make it media friendly because it will make it easier for the general public to enjoy and understand what the flyers are doing. I think this is the way we should go now.”

Ron Miasnikov: Chair of the Artistic Events Committee and Chief Judge at the World Cup:  “We saw the excitement from the audience when Lise was performing with the music. At the end of the competition the tunnel put some music for all competitors but is not the same effect because the other flyers are not hearing the music so they weren’t synchronized with what the audience was hearing but even then, the atmosphere was great.”

Mikhail Razomazov: Artistic Freefly and NeoFreestyle World Champion “This is really the next level of complexity in flight and the main thing is the total interest in developing oneself both as a flyer and as a dancer. The artistic disciplines in the tunnel and skydiving will develop in this direction.”

Aurelien Cabezon, CEO of Weembi:  “The wind tunnel represents a great opportunity for the general public. Thanks to this tool, everyone can experience the joy of the human flight without risk. Indoor Sky Dancing, according to us, will open up the sport to all ages. The very visual aspect and the music will contribute to make this sport becoming increasingly popular. More than any other emerging discipline, Indoor Sky Dancing will help to democratize the wind tunnel. With crossroads between air and sport, Indoor Sky Dancing” has beautiful days in front of it and Lise is a pioneer in this field! At Weembi, we will help her to develop this project. 


For the flyer that is interested in flying with music inside the tunnel we invite you to join on Facebook groups for Indoor Sky Dancing where you can share tips, info, questions, and videos. Visit both the private page and the public page.

 

Also check out:

Weembi

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The IBA distinguishes between the sport of indoor skydiving (engaged in by patrons with IBA accounts seeking approval of flight skills though the IBA's Flight Progression System) and recreational flying (engaged in by entertainment customers who do not intend to pursue approval of skills). While indoor skydiving is safe for all ages, the inherent risk of the activity is necessarily greater for those engaging in the sport of indoor skydiving, particularly as they progress through more sophisticated maneuvers.