Meet Coco Lafousfous: Aerialist, Choreographer, Producer, Cirque Fitness Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Coco Lafousfous and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Coco, why did you pursue a creative career?
There was never any hope for me to live a normal existence. Growing up in a single parent family of 8 I had to fight to stand out and get attention. After being diagnosed with ADHD, I was sent to Charter Arts schools in the hopes that I would learn how to live with my disorder.  What I ended up learning was how viable an arts career can be, and the wide range of what an Artist can do. After moving out to Los Angeles I discovered Aerial dance at the famous Aeriform Arts and immediately fell in love. I began studying everything I could about Aerial dance, began choreographing, directing, and even learned the ropes of producing Aerial Theatre. I was even fortunate enough to work on two Hollywood Fringe festival shows (Dorothy & Alice, Cirque du Giselle). Helping to pave the way for new forms of theater. While my artistic career has had it’s slumps during this past year, there is nothing else that I could do for a living. Even as the entertainment industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, there is nothing else that brings me to life like the Arts.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a performance artist I have had to become a jack of all trades. Being a skilled entertainer is rarely enough these days for an artist to keep the show lights on. I have had to become a Photographer to create impactful promotional images, a producer to bring to life my choreography, a video editor to assemble interesting content, a social media wizard to build my audience, and Costume designer to stay stylistically fresh on a budget. I do all this while trying to maintain my dance technique, my fitness schedule, my aerial training and still finding time to create fascinating performance art. As easy as that all sounds, it certainly takes its toll on my physical and mental health. There is only so much grinding one can do before there is nothing left. To keep myself sane I try to always leave time to get away and hide in the wild and reset myself before returning to civilization.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Pre pandemic, I would take folks to Aeriform arts to get a lesson in Cirque fitness and get turned upside down. Then we’d take stroll down the beach in Malibu and breathe in that salty sea air . But as soon as the sun goes down we’d go straight to DTLA for dinner and dancing at the Precinct Bar. Classic bar food eats but no one does them better, and live shows most nights of the week means every time you do you’re bound to see something new.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This Shoutout is dedicated to all the folks at Aeriform Arts. A seemingly small studio off of Sunset in Hollywood, Aeriform Arts is a true hidden gem. After moving to LA, I didn’t know very many people and had a hard time making new friends. Yet from the moment I walked into that Aerial and Pole dance studio I knew I had found something special. Aeriform Arts has been my community of friends who each lift each other up with encouragement and sometimes with Hoops. A true haven for the strange & hard working folks who’s community is tightly knit it borders on being a second family. It wasn’t until the Pandemic pulled us all away that we realized how much we had relied on each other. I am so grateful to every member of the studio, and particularly thankful for the wonderful owners Lea & Al.

Website: https://linktr.ee/Cocolafousfous

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Facebook: Coco Lafousfous

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfQf7VCssuCiPjIzuDDbBag