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Finding One’s Flow
The History and Culture of Flow Arts
The acrobat spins her illuminated hoops around her body, making them trace ethereal shapes in the air. To her left, the juggler engages in a battle with gravity, perfectly timing his capture of a striped ball as he releases another one on its upward journey. To her right, a dancer narrowly evades attack by a pair of glowing orbs suspended on cables, rapidly chasing each other in an infinite loop.
These are flow artists, and they’re performing at the nexus of the old and new. Manipulating objects for exercise and entertainment dates back to ancient times. Today, the flow props, such as hula hoops, poi, and ribbons, are often infused with LEDs, glow paint, or other technologies that give them an otherworldly appearance.
That new aesthetic is because flow arts experienced a resurgence in the rave scene, where elevating consciousness and creating striking visuals were easily achieved through both performing and witnessing flow. Unlike in other performance forms, there is relatively equal feedback — and often, a blurring of lines — between the artist and the audience. The music is an integral part, and as one might suspect, flowing styles of music such as EDM and ambient pop are the preferred choice of flow artists.
