

Aerial dance training used to be limited to Olympic level gymnasts and circus performers, but now it is being offered to the public as a dance and fitness program. It is an exciting time for this new aerial style, because it is gaining popularity yet it continues to explode with new developments. Debbie Parks, another aerial innovator does a silk performance from a hot air balloon. Aerial silk artists cannot wear safety harnesses, because it would get tangled in the fabric. Normally aerial silk artists work between 18-35’ but there is really no limit to how high it can be done. The fabric is supple and pliable, and is wrapped and unwrapped around various parts of the body. Poses and sequences often borrow from older aerial arts forms like trapeze or rope, but new ones are constantly being discovered, including dynamic movements like drops, slides, and rolls. The technology to create synthetic fabrics strong enough to hold the incredible amounts of weight of high impact drops has only been around for less than 50 years. The beauty of the silky material wrapping around the aerialists body is matched only by the breath-taking courage it takes to be suspended several stories above the ground. The suspense builds as an aerialist wraps complex, multi-dimensional sequences, then drops into a death-defying free-fall until the last second when they catch themselves mere feet from the ground.

Aerial silk artists climb, twist, spin, drop, and contort themselves on fabric curtain sheets that hang from the ceiling. What are aerial silks?Īerial silks, also known as aerial fabrics, aerial tissue, aerial ribbons, or aerial curtains is one of the newest and most challenging, yet most awe inspiring and versatile aerial art forms. Cirque du Soleil popularized the concept of aerial arts as a dance form and theatrical expression rather than a purely gymnastic movement art. It has continued to evolve and is gaining national recognition as a fitness program. Aerial silks (also known as aerial fabric, aerial tissue, aerial ribbon, or aerial curtain), trapeze, lyra (aerial hoop, cerceau), aerial rope (corde lisse, Spanish web), aerial sling (aerial hammock), and aerial net are a few of the more popular apparatuses, although aerialists are also known to invent their own equipment. It is an incredibly demanding art form that requires a high degree of strength, power, flexibility, courage, and grace to master.Īerial dance shares a fundamental movement vocabulary with circus arts, where high-flying acrobatic feats are used to amaze audiences. I love what I do and I hope to play a role in advancing this art throughout the region.Aerial dance is the broad term for a style of modern dance that incorporates the use of hanging equipment, also called aerial apparatuses. Everyone is different and that's why I prioritize one on one instruction during class. I like to encourage my students and focus on their strengths while also helping them build on their weaknesses. I have always loved teaching and I prefer to use a positive approach. My training there provided me with the knowledge and experience to safely and successfully teach and train children and adults in the beautiful art of aerial silks.

This is where I fell head over heels in love with Aerial Silks. I completed a 4-month intensive training program at Airotique Movement for her aerial silks training. It has given me a deeper understanding of the body and helps me create personalized training programs for my students. If youre ready to make a stress-free change, visit Vertical Fusion today.

Start dancing at Vertical Fusion today Changing your fitness routine doesnt have to be intimidating. My personal training knowledge has helped me educate my students on the effects of movement and strength training. Call (970) 377-9945 (Fort Collins) now for information about the pole danceand aerial danceclasses at our studios. I opened my first studio in Barbados at the age of 19 and since have opened THEA3 in Trinidad. I am also a certified personal trainer and stretch therapist! I have a diploma from The National Personal Training Institute in Orlando. I have been teaching aerial silks for about 9 years now! I specialize in teaching kids ages 6+. My name is Hope Armstrong and I am 27 years old.
