Aerial silk — dancing in the air suspended only by a piece of fabric but not tied to it — is always fascinating to watch. This video of Ashley Smith hanging from a solitary monolith over a cliff, however, has left me speechless — especially since she’s not using a safety harness.
The Maiden Light project is the brainchild of Craig Muderlak — a climber, skier, musician, illustrator, and photographer who loves to spread the love for his passions through his art and music. He collaborated with Tim Davis, Jack Ellenberger, and Jenn Friedberg to film fabric dancer Ashley Smith performing while hanging from The Maiden — a beautiful rock formation in the Flatirons, Colorado, that gets dramatically illuminated at sunset.
Ashley was a bit scared about the entire project. I can’t blame her: “I just worry that the wind will die down midway up and maybe pick up again… and then I will just be hanging out, swinging… and… kicking a little. Scary.” Scary? This is absolutely terrifying.
Before climbing to the Maiden she says she had to concentrate on the mental aspect: The idea of dancing over a cliff with no safety whatsoever — even while she has been doing it for years at lower heights — is a hard one to process. But she finally did it and the result is really beautiful.
You can find more about Craig Muderlak’s art and music here.