Meet Coco Lafousfous | Aerialist, Dancer, Choreographer, Circus fitness teacher, Performance Artist

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

Hi Coco, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
I love the performing arts, and I can’t see myself ever leaving the world of theater. While the end of my career may be off in the distance, I do have quite a few fantasies for where I’d like my path to take me. I would love to have a theater to create my own unique Cirque style shows. A space where I could train the next generation of circus artisans. I truly believe that when we help others rise up we elevate ourselves. It would be truly a dream come true to continue to create, choreograph, teach, perform, collaborate, and inspire till the day I finally retire.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I always struggle to put my artistry into words; I’ll jokingly say “I am a dancer not a writer”. As an aerialist I perform on a plethora of apparatus; I may spin around on an Lyra (aerial hoop), drop from the ceiling on the silks, perform an impossible split on the Aerial Hammock, or discover new shapes on an invented apparatus. But I am never looking to just wow an audience with an insane trick. I adore the chance to tell stories through movement as well as invoking emotions from my audience.

Operating on a limited budget I find myself wearing many hats. While I love performing and choreographing I often find myself acting as videographer, producer, stylist, photographer, editor, and crew for my numerous artistic endeavors. Although it has been fun to learn new skills and push my artistic talent, I greatly appreciate the opportunities to collaborate with other artists and imbue new styles into my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The nightlife of Los Angeles is unparalleled. There are so many places to get an amazing drink and an unbelievably delicious vegan meal; to me the best places in Los Angeles are those with incredible entertainment. I absolutely adore the Burlesque, Drag, and Cabaret shows of LA. You can always find me at places like Angel City Brewery, The Globe theater, Red line, and then Precinct in DTLA. I love seeing the incredible Los Angeles original shows like Beauty of Burlesque, Tarentina, Wigs and Waffles, Pansy Craze Peepshow, Broads in the Barrel, Wicked Woman, Other Womxn, or the Secret Circus of LA.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

This Shoutout is dedicated to all the amazing folks at Aeriform Arts. Aeriform Arts is one of the best Aerial studios in Los Angeles. A seemingly small space off of Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, Aeriform Arts is truly a hidden gem. While I often find myself splitting my time between the grind in Los Angeles and hustling in the great northwoods of Wisconsin there are no places where I feel like I belong quite like Aeriform Arts. The studio has taught me an incredible amount of aerial skills, including Silks, Pole, Cube, Bungee, Trapeze, Hammock and Lyra. I am looking forward to teaching their Kids Aerial Cirque Summer Camp this July as well as some brand new aerial hammock workshops.

Aeriform Arts has been my community for almost 10 years. Friends who each lift each other up with encouragement and sometimes with silks. A true haven for the strange & hard working folk of LA. A community that is so tightly knit and welcoming 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

Instagram: CocoLaFousfous

Twitter: CocoLaFousfous

Facebook: Coco LaFousfous

Youtube: Coco LaFousfous

Other: Find me everywhere @CocoLaFousfous

Image Credits
Coco LaFousfous, Lost Hat Media, Revoy Reflections,