What to Wear to Your First Aerial Class

September 13, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Wondering what to wear to your first aerial class? This is one of the things we’re asked about the most when people call our studio about classes. Aerial dance is a different kind of fitness and has some special considerations. If you come from a dance or gymnastics background, you probably have a good idea of what to wear. But if not, here are some specifics to consider before you suit up.

Wear a form-fitting, longish shirt.

I almost always wear a wifebeater style tanktop to class. (Actually, that’s usually what you’ll find me in, airborne or not.) If you have one that’s a little longer than waist-length, that’s probably best. You’ll probably be going upside down, and if your shirt hanging around your bra makes you uncomfortable, you’ll want to be able to tuck it in.
Longer shirts are also very helpful to protect the skin on your lower back. The silks love to sneak some burns in there when they can.

I don’t recommend tshirts. They fit loosely which is easy for the silks to eat, and they fall over faces or expose stomachs when you go upside down, which often makes beginners even more uncomfortable as they’re trying to learn.

Removable sleeves.

While I mostly love tanktops, I also strongly recommend bringing something you can take on and off that has sleeves. A close-fitting, long sleeve shirt is good, or a sweatshirt without zippers. Especially in silks, there are a lot of moves where the posts will be under your arms. Armpit burns are zero fun (try putting on a shirt the next day and you’ll never forget sleeves again!).

Wear leggings or tights.

Cover your legs! Running shorts are not the best choice. The loose fit will work against you as you give everyone a view of things you probably don’t want on display. Yoga pants are your friend. If you want to wear shorts, get ones that are form fitting and comfortably hug your thighs. Layer them over footless tights. Or just cut the feet off of your tights. We ain’t fancy.

This goes for the guys too. If you’re uncomfortable with tights, get runners leggings and wear basketball shorts over them.

Make sure your pants aren’t see through.

While we’re talking pants, make sure yours aren’t see through. They may look fine while you’re standing upright, but what about when you’re bent over and the fabric is strained? Can you make out the pink polka dotted lace on your underwear? Rock that underwear proudly because you’ll also be showing everyone else in your class. Or you can get better pants.

Make sure your sports bra covers you upside down, too.

You’re going upside down. Make sure your girls are going to stay tucked in.

No thongs!

Well, maybe thongs. This is personal preference. But why?? I’ve made the mistake a couple of times of wearing this most uncomfortable of garments to class, and I have regretted it. You are going to get super intimate with your apparatus. That trapeze bar or lyra will be all up in your crotch, and those silks will be catching you in a diaper wrap. A small fabric strip makes it worse. So much worse.

Pull your hair back.

It’s going to be in your way. It’s going to be in your teacher’s way as they try to help you on the trapeze. It even gets tangled in the silks sometimes. Get it up and get it back.

No zippers! No rings! No dangling things!

You’ll want to take your rings off. They can rip the silk fabric and they will really hurt your fingers on lyra and trapeze.

For earrings, small studs are probably fine, although if you want to play it safe I’d take them off too. But definitely nothing that dangles.

And no zippers. Yoga pants don’t fall into this trap, but a lot of general athletic wear will include zippers in the design. Zippers snag silk fabric, which makes the silks unusable. An easy thing to overlook is sweatshirts. I have several zip up hoodies and it’s easy to forget to take them off, but they shouldn’t be in the air with you.

I recommend MikaWear for pants and bras because they hold up really well, they’re super comfortable and they look good (maybe we a little fancy).

Above all, make sure you’re comfortable. How can one be comfortable in spandex? Well, you get used to it. Definitely consider these things as you get dressed, but don’t freak out. You’ll learn what you need as you take more classes and learn what works best in the air.

Four Benefits of Learning Aerial With Other Students

September 6, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Private lessons don’t come cheap. Well at least, they shouldn’t. (Running a studio is expensive. Have you ever told an insurance company that you want to teach people to hang from knots in the ceiling?) Having the teacher to yourself can be great, but if they’re out of the question right now, know that being in class with several people can really help you to learn new skills too.

It helps to see how other people do a move.

Yes, everyone will be learning the same thing, but watching different people do the same thing is so helpful while you’re learning. Everyone moves differently, and seeing someone else move through what you’re learning can be illuminating. Plus if they are having trouble, you get a great perspective on the trouble spots in a move. We are constantly watching and helping each other out in class as we see what is happening in the air from the ground.

Watching others learn is one of the best ways to get a better understanding of what needs to happen when you’re in the air.

Encourage each other.

When you’re regularly in class with other people, you end up becoming cheerleaders for each other. You know what each person is working on and who is knocking certain moves out of the park. You can become your own little support group for each other. Learning difficult skills with people is a bonding experience; I’ve grown a lot with the people I met in class years ago!

You don’t get tired as fast.

Aerial dance is exhausting. Crazy fun, but exhausting. With others in class, you’re much more likely to get a breather in between silks climbs or trapeze drops.

Other people can offer different perspectives.

Has one student nailed a move that you’re having trouble with? Ask them for tips! Were they putting a lot of weight in their hand on the lyra? Were they turning their hips towards the ground with the trapeze behind them? Sometimes hearing something in someone else’s words is all you need. Maybe they can shed a different light on it.

The big caveat here: make sure that students aren’t teaching students. It’s one thing to share what worked for one, it’s another entirely for a student still learning how to do something to try to teach others. Listen to your teacher and stay safe!

You’re doing something insanely cool with these people once a week. How many other people do you know who are striving to drop from the ceiling while tied to fancy curtains? Make the most of your time together and you’ll learn much faster!

3 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Learn a New Move

August 24, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

You have a new move! You’ve done exactly what the teacher said, nailed it with pointed toes, and have already posted that noise to Instagram.

On to the next thing!!!

Slow your roll for a minute, though. Want to make any move better? Figure out exactly what’s going on. Ask yourself these three questions for a solid understanding of the things you’re learning.

What’s Holding Me Up?

How are you staying up there? With some memorized hand placement, wishes and prayers?

I hope not.

What part of your body is supporting your weight? What part of the apparatus is supporting your weight? Is that hand currently a load-bearing hand? Are you pulling the trapeze bar or lyra toward you or pushing it away? Which silk post needs to be taut for you to stay in the air?

This is important! Don’t just trust that you followed the instructions (although you should absolutely follow them!). Feel out what is going on in your body and with your apparatus.

Where is My Center of Gravity?

This is a big one I see overlooked. Where are you balancing from? You really want to pay attention here, especially in inversions. When doing an inverted split in the trapeze ropes or in the silks, are you wobbling back and forth, tick-tocking your legs on your posts to keep from falling? Not good.

Although every move is different, check your core first. Tighten your abs. Don’t untighten them. There’s a very good chance that your center will be there.

If you cannot find your balance, you do not have that move down. I don’t care if you can recite the directions verbatim. You don’t have it.

How Can I Safely Alter This?

Well here’s a fun one.

Want to get creative in the air without looking like a windsock in a hurricane? Start playing with safely altering the move.
What if your feet were here instead of there? Can you open the silks tails and spin them separately? Can you go into another pose without getting tangled?
Slowly and mindfully changing a move or pose is a great way to get better aquainted with it and to start developing your own style. Once you know what is holding you up and where your center of gravity is, you won’t be relegated to the exact same 5 poses.

Fight the urge to simply memorize trick after trick after trick! Work to understand what’s happening and you’ll not only create a better foundation for yourself, you’ll be a lot more interesting in the air!

Class Is Only Once a Week! Can I Really Improve?

July 25, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Over and over again, we have new students ask how they can possibly improve when class is only once a week.

Should they go ahead and hang a trapeze in their living room?
Should they do a million pushups everyday?
Should they really even bother, since obviously they can’t learn a new skill only coming once a week?

Well, as tempting as it is, please don’t hang a trapeze after one class. I’m never going to argue with someone who wants to do pushups. And for God’s sake, DON’T convince yourself that improvement is impossible when class is only once a week!

It’s completely possible to keep improving in aerial classes when class is only once a week. In fact, when you’re just starting out, it’s kind of perfect. You have plenty of time to digest the new information and it gives your body some adjustment time.

But there are a lot of things to do in those sad, sad six days when your feet are on the ground.

Conditioning

Aaahhh, who just cringed? You knew it was coming!

I know. This is not as fun as swinging from the ceiling. But this is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE.

Does your teacher do ab exercises on the floor? Do those at home!

Does your studio offer a conditioning class? Take it! Our studio offers aerial conditioning classes three times a week. They are open to every student, and are required for our performance company members. New students are oftened intimidated by these classes, but chances are, if you’re at a safe school, they’ll be tailored to everyone’s fitness level. Ask your teacher.

Can you get a pullup bar? I have one that hangs in the doorway at home. It’s great for, duh, pullups. But when I started focusing on trapeze, this came in really handy for static moves under the bar.

Seriously. Condition.

Take Notes During Class

Bring a pen and a notebook and take notes during class. Write down what new moves you learned, what conditioning exercises you did, etc. Ask your teacher if you can take pictures or record yourself or them doing that new silks wrap. I’m a visual learner; video plus notes helps me a lot.

Mentally Practice

This is far more helpful than it sounds. Mentally walking yourself through the physical steps of a new trapeze transition or silks move is huge. Where should I place my hand on the rope? Should my leg be in the middle of the trapeze bar or near the thimble? Which side am I placing the fabric on before my knee hook?

If you can work these things out on the ground, step-by-step, in your head, it will be so much easier in the air.

Eat Well

This means actually eating!

Aerial classes are physically demanding. You need those calories. Don’t fear them; good calories are your friends!

The key here is good calories. If you eat like crap, your physical performance will likely reflect that.

Stretch

Finally, make stretching a habit. Just like you want to build strength for aerial, maintaining and increasing flexibility is really important. Focus on your shoulders, hips, and everyone’s favorite, the splits.

Make sure to stretch after you condition. Stretching temporarily weakens your muscles, so save it for after all those pullups. Because you are definitely conditioning, right?

What to Do After an Aerial Class

June 18, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

Have you just taken your first aerial silks class? Just climbed off the lyra or the trapeze? Still wound up and wondering what to do with all that lingering energy? Make it work for you!

Cool Down!

This is the first thing you should do after class. Cool down whatever you have just worked. Stretch! Your muscles have just worked hard, and they need some lovin’. Pay special attention to your shoulders (I say this from experience), and any part of your body that you’ve worked a lot (which in aerial, tends to be everything).

Don’t skip this!
With all of the strength that silks, trapeze, lyra and whatever else you choose to climb on is building, loss of flexibility is a constant threat. It will also help your muscles be less tense the next day.

Eat Protein

Protein builds and repairs muscles, and after you’ve worked them so hard in class, your body is probably craving some. Eating protein after a workout speeds up recovery and can help you gain strength faster (which means nailing that climb sooner).

You’ve got options here. I eat eggs CONSTANTLY. I love them. Red meat! Any meat! Tuna (seriously, this stuff is almost pure protein). Greek yoghurt.

Looking for vegan options? Lentils, quinoa, tempeh, tofu… You’re not off the protein hook.

Take Notes

If you don’t already take notes during class, jot some down after while the material is still fresh. Include what you worked on, what conditioning you did, and especially helpful, any tips you figured out. Does this transition go smoother when your hand is facing forward? Does this silk drop go land better when you imagine you’re a board? That stuff is helpful. For real.

Mentally Review

This goes along with taking notes, but it’s a big one. Take some time to mentally review what you’ve just learned while it’s still rolling around up there. In your head, walk yourself through the steps. It will help solidify what you’ve just learned, which will give you a BIG headstart the next time you’re in the air.

Epsom Salt Bath

It eases sore muscles, and it’s a bath. And you shouldn’t need any more convincing than that.

What about you?

Anything you find helpful after class? Give us your own tips.

“Yet.”

May 16, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

“I can’t do this.”
“I don’t know that.”
“I’m not strong enough.”

If you say these things in my class, expect me to annoyingly chime in with “Yet!”

Why are you in class? Is it to show off all the amazing things you already know? Is it to prove to yourself you’re an aerial master? Is it so classmates can marvel at how easily it all comes to you?

If yes, then you’re wasting your money.

Of course you can’t do it…yet. That’s why you’re in class. You’re learning.

Classes aren’t for what you already know. What an expensive ego trip that would be. Classes are for learning new skills. They’re for what you don’t know…yet. Class should be a challenge, whether that challenge is getting your butt on a trapeze bar or nailing a backflag on straps.

I’m not going to bore you with any nonsense about no negativity. I’ve thought many bad thoughts in the trapeze’s general direction. But I am going to insist that you knock it off with the Eeyore schtick. The whole point is to learn new things.

And then?

Then you learn more new things. Things you can’t even do yet.

“Training” versus Training: How to Use Your Studio Time Wisely

April 23, 2016 by Nicky 2 Comments

“Are you using your time wisely?” was the irritating favorite question of more than one of my junior high teachers. Thirteen year old me would die if she knew I actually ask myself that as an adult.

I had a bad habit of showing up to open gym and doing all the things I already knew how to do. Why nearly bring myself to tears working on those dastardly meathooks when I could laugh through spinning technique?

Leg lifts? How about I just stretch my shoulders again instead…

I love being at our studio. There are fun things to climb on, fun people to talk to, fun music to bounce to. But every time I turned on my carefully curated Beyonce Pandora station, it got a little too easy to focus on the fun instead of on the training.

I plan my training sessions now.

What move is making me crazy during class? What transition can I technically do but only if I look like a dying spider? What part of my body is not as strong as I want it to be? (I’m looking right at you, lower abs!)

These annoying questions are what I ask myself before showing up to the gym. I pick two or three things to focus on, and I make myself work on them. Since this obvious revelation, I’ve been a lot more productive and I broke through my rut.

The fabulous Ms. Laura Witwer even offers a killer “Kick Tushie Work Sheet” at the end of this post on planning training sessions to get you started. (You haven’t been to Laura Witwer’s blog? You’re seriously missing out!)

What about you? Are you a die hard, protein shake bringing, train in sweats in July, side crunch ’til you cramp up gym-goer? Or, like me, do you need a little help to focus your training?

When Shit Hits the Fan, There’s Always Class

February 23, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

I’m having a time of it lately. Major life changes, including prematurely quitting a job I (mostly) loved, moving out of my apartment, only to have an engagement end two months before the wedding, leaving me in a worse spot than before.

There have definitely been bright spots, but suffice it to say that I’m frustrated. And when I’m frustrated, I tend to shy away from some of the very good things.

And being in the air is one of the very good things.

(Hang with me, yo. I get a little deep here.)

Constant worrying about the future (which is stupid, because the future is just a thing that doesn’t even exist yet) has left me feeling guilty about doing things I enjoy. And again, that’s stupid.

I made myself take a corde lisse workshop put on by my amazingly talented friend. And only three weeks in, I love it. LOVE IT.

I walked in that night in a very bad mood. But aerial class makes you focus on exactly what your body is doing. You have to think, but instead of downward-spiral thinking, you think of how to make something work. Which way to move your body, how to balance yourself better, where exactly to put your leg to stay in the air. It forces you to focus on your physical self. I can’t think about the future, I have a rope to worry about. It’s empowering. Even the small stuff.

Hanging out with friends who also find joy in climbing and tying themselves in knots is therapeutic.

I walked out that night feeling relaxed and excited. And oh, how I’ve needed to feel relaxed and excited.

This is my reminder to myself not to back away when I get stressed out, but to throw myself in even deeper. You can’t control the stressful, stupid things in life. And worrying about it does no good. Having aerial as an outlet lets you remember how strong you are, how much you’ve learned, and gives you something to constantly be working towards, even when everything hits the fan.

Coming Back After a Break

February 2, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

So although I’ve been teaching, I took a break from active training and performing for a few months.

Well I’m over it and ready to be back. (Also, guess whose rib seems to have lost its wanderlust!!)

I’m lucky, because I teach and am at the studio a few times a week. I haven’t been away from the trapeze, I haven’t lost my pullups or my calluses, I still get to play on the silks. But active training is a lot different, and I have lost some of the progress I was making.

First starting to get backflags around a year ago.

It’s still frustrating, especially since I had just started getting into straps. (I could show you nothing impressive, but I was and am proud of the massive personal gains I made there.)

But tomorrow I start a corde lisse workshop, and I am incredibly excited. And on that note, let’s talk about jumping back into training after taking time off.

Ease In

You’re going to be sore again. You remember the crazy way your shouders felt the day after your first aerial lesson? Who knew that armpits could even get sore?? Prepare to feel that again.

You’re going to be bruised again. Remember those suspicious questions from your doctor about why your thighs are bruised and your wrists look like they’ve been tied? They’re coming back!

Give yourself a day or two or six between training days at first. You’ll get back to where you were soon (much sooner than the first time, I promise!), but not if you kill yourself first.

Don’t compare yourself now to yourself then

I am SUPER BAD at this. But it’s important, especially if you’re easily discouraged.

You probably lost some strength. It will come back! And probably much quicker than the first time around.

You probably forgot a lot of moves. Grab someone who knows what they’re doing and go over them again. Muscle memory is a powerful thing (it’s why I can recreate so many of my high school cheer routines still, 15 years later). You likely haven’t “lost” the know-how, you’ve just buried it a little deeper in your brain. If you used to take notes during class (you should!), these will be immensely helpful.

Realize that you can carry on just like before

Why is this a thing? Why do we believe that taking a break equals stopping? Sometimes you just need a break. In my own case, I had some personal stuff that needed dealing with and just didn’t have the mental reserves to devote to training. Maybe it’s money or time related. Just come back when you’re ready and get in the air.

Take a couple of weeks to go over what you forgot and to get your muscles used to working again then carry on like you never stopped.

Really, don’t overcomplicate this.

And I will happily keep you updated on my corde lisse progress 😀

Let Yourself Heal

January 27, 2016 by Nicky Leave a Comment

I popped a rib out of place.

It sucked. Like, a lot. It sucked a lot.

And unfortunately, it’s still sucking.

I’ve had a lot of issues with my back throughout my life, so at the moment when I’m fairly sure it happened (at least when I think it really dislodged itself) I thought I’d just aggravated my back again and I’d be fine the next morning.

Four weeks later, it still hurts. I still feel constantly like the wind has been knocked out of me. I guess sometimes you’re uncomfortable for a day or so with a wonky rib, and sometimes it goes for longer. I seem to be in the longer category, and everytime I try to rush it, it goes back to bad.

So here’s my long-winded point:

Let yourself heal.

My chiropractor told me last week (when I figured out finally what it was) that I have to let it rest for a couple of weeks. And that sucks. I want to be back in the air. I’ve taken a lot of time off of actual training, and I’m ready to get crazy again. Spinning in ropes? YES! Dropping in silks? YES! YES!

Oh, but my rib is screaming no. And I’ve been good, mostly, since finding out that I need to sit facing forward and ice it and sleep on my back and all those unfun things. And it has gotten better. And then I thought that I’d be fine teaching the dolphin pose to BOTH my silks and trapeze students. And it got worse.

So I’m taking his advice, and really, truly trying to let it heal. And I hate it, but I hate the constant discomfort even more.

I’m once again reluctantly learning that you just have to let yourself heal. Circus is hard on your body. I believe it’s great for your body, but what we’re doing isn’t easy, and it’s a full body commitment. And I’m only setting myself back further when I don’t listen.

So please, if your body is screaming in unusual pain, don’t just try to fight through it. You could end up doing a lot more damage, and you’re only going to set yourself back some more.

And I’ll be damned if I’ll miss our new corde lisse workshop because I couldn’t sleep on my stupid back.

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