It turns out you don’t need wings to fly! We think aerial silks are a much more awe-inspiring way to go about it anyway. If you can’t contain your inner aerialist much longer or are simply interested in pushing yourself to new heights, here’s what you need to know about aerial silks classes.
How Aerial Silks Got Their Start
Before we talk classes, let’s learn more about the art form itself. Now considered part of the circus arts, aerial silks are a relatively new form as they came about in the 1990s. French choreographer, Fred Deb, is considered to be one of the founders as is international gymnast and acrobatic designer, Andre Simard, who Cirque du Soleil hired to discover original and imaginative ways to attract audiences.
Performing with Aerial Silks
In an aerial silks performance, one or more aerialists perform acrobatics while hanging from a fabric. Fabrics may be in two pieces or one piece folded into a loop. Aerialists use the fabrics to climb, wrap, suspend, drop, and swing through the air. Safety lines typically aren’t used as aerialists rely on their strength, training, and skills. However, the appropriate hanging of aerial silks, known as rigging, is crucial for safety.
Benefits of Aerial Silks
Whether you’re interested in aerial silks as a performing artist, for exercise or simply the thrill of this high-flying skill, there are numerous benefits to the art form including:
- Building upper body strength
- Toning your core
- Increasing your flexibility
- Challenging yourself
- Building confidence
And of course, having fun!
Aerial Silks Classes at Expression City
Group and private aerial silks classes are available for both children and adults. From basic silk skills to proper body positioning, aerial techniques, and conditioning, we offer five levels of classes – beginner to professional. No experience is necessary for our beginner classes.
What Makes Our Classes Different?
Our passion for the circus arts led us to create dedicated space in the studio for our Nashville Circus Center. We’re members of American Circus Educators as well as the American Youth Circus Organization. What’s more, not only do our expert instructors engage and encourage students to learn at their own pace, we also require them to be certified, which means they must take safety and rigging courses.
In fact, some of our instructors are actually professional circus artists from Beyond Wings Circus. That they teach and train here speaks to the quality of our studio and program. Our students learn from the best of the best!
Aerial Silks Classes During COVID-19
Yes, we are offering aerial silks classes at this time. However, for the safety of our students and staff, we have implemented a wide range of health and safety measures to reduce potential exposure to COVID-19 including:
- Strongly encouraging face coverings for anyone who enters the building
- Maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet
- Requiring daily health screenings and temperature checks for staff
- Requiring staff to wear masks except when performing
- Limiting class size and schedule
- Sanitizing all apparatus and equipment used as well as bathrooms after each class
- Spraying aerial silks with alcohol between each class and laundering at the end of the week
- Only allowing students registered for class inside the building
Check out the full list of COVID-19 safety measures at Expression City.
Contact us today to learn more or to schedule aerial silks classes at Expression City!