Our Weekly Spotlight on the Arts is shining on Cassandra Larousse!
We had the pleasure of meeting Cassandra in person last September on First Friday in Leonardtown. Her stunning aerial performance amazed us and we were quickly intrigued to learn more about our gravity-defying artist!
Cassandra has been practicing the aerial arts for eight years now. She has tried many apparatuses over the years, including aerial hoop, trapeze, and her current favorite which is fabric.
Originally from Louisiana, Cassandra has lived in St. Mary’s County for about four years now. One of her instructors from back home has been a big inspiration to her and has motivated our featured artist to work hard to accomplish difficult and many complex moves. Other aerialists which she idolizes are Dara Minkin, Jenn Bruyer, Laura Dasi, and Suzanne Curry, to name just a few.
Over the years Ms. Larousse has been passionate about trying many different dance styles and circus arts. While aerial silks remain one of her favorites, she also enjoys fire dancing, “fire eating”, and spinning poi, which is a type of flow art which involves spinning tethered weights to music or rhythm. The regular poi includes colored plastic or rope balls with other variations being LED, flag, veil, and even fire versions.
Cassandra teaches aerial silks at the Vertical Dance Co. in Callaway and is also a member and founder of a local belly dance troupe, The Ghawazi Circus Sirens. In addition to being a performing artist, she is a visual artist as well and has been painting since childhood and has never stopped! Her favorite themes are animals in a colorful array of watercolor, acrylic, and gouache styles.
Keep shining Cassandra, thank you for bringing your unique talents and skills to our area!
Catch Cassandra and other members of the Vertical Dance Co. for a free outdoor/ socially distanced performance on First Friday, October 2nd from 6-7 PM in downtown Leonardtown. See links below for info about other upcoming opportunities and to learn more about our fabulous artist!
Links of interest:
Instagram: @Cass_Circus
https://instagram.com/cass_circus?igshid=3xotjnms5qrf
Facebook: @Cass_circus
https://www.facebook.com/cass.circus/
The Ghawazi Circus Sirens:
Instagram and Facebook @Ghawazicircussirens
https://www.facebook.com/GhawaziCircusSirens/
https://instagram.com/ghawazicircussirens?igshid=16ly4kxfefaia
The Vertical Dance:
Instagram and Facebook: @VerticalDanceMD