The introduction of non-traditional materials in contemporary art has facilitated the emergence of air dancing—dances that are performed off the floor by means of support systems, such as scaffolding, ropes, rubber cords, wires, or a combination of these materials.

This article is not intended as a historical survey of air dancing. Rather, it represents a theoretical speculation on the esthetic options afforded by air dancing. For this purpose, I have contrasted two choreographers, Batya Zamir, who has only recently incorporated aerial elements in her work, and Stephanie Evanitsky, whose Multigravitational Experiment Group has been involved in air dancing since 1969. The choice of these artists has not been undertaken to evaluate what air dancing ought to be or who the best aerial dancers are. The aim is more limited. Zamir and the Multigravitational Group were chosen to clarify two opposing poles of artistic development in dancing.