Elevate Your Aerial Silks Journey: New Classes and Intermediate Milestones
We're thrilled to announce the expansion of our class offerings with two new beginner aerial silks classes on Fridays at 12:30pm and Thursdays at 7:30pm. Additionally, we're changing the Thursday 6pm class to an intermediate level, providing you with a new challenge to strive for. In this update, we'll outline the key milestones you need to achieve to join the intermediate class. Starting September 15th we will also add a Friday beginner class 6-7:15pm
Intermediate Class Prerequisites:
Classic Climbing Mastery: To ensure a strong foundation, you must demonstrate the ability to classic climb on both sides of the silks to the top, execute a controlled slide down hand over hand, and re-wrap to climb back up without touching the ground. Focus on proper form, avoiding pulling through the arms, and opting for knee tucks over arm pulls for efficient movement.
Clean Footlocks and Double Footlocks: You should be proficient in executing an aerial footlock on both sides with precision, avoiding any awkward arm shuffles. Double footlocks must be consistently executed with good form. Strive for mastery in egg beaters aka Dancers Footlocks as well.
Aerial Hip Key Proficiency: Showcase your skills by performing an aerial hip key with excellent form. Engage your shoulders to prevent sinking back, and lift your legs high enough to secure the fabrics on your thighs effectively.
Inversions with Knee Hooks: Demonstrate your ability to invert from the ground into same-side and opposite-side knee hooks while maintaining elevated hips and pulling your chest through your arms.
Graceful Transitions: Showcase your elegance with seamless transitions into crossback straddle position. Keep your legs straight and avoid arching your back for a polished appearance.
Pencil and Pike Control: Exhibit control in the pencil and pike positions, holding one silk in each hand. Focus on maintaining an upside-down hollow body for the pencil position and lifting your legs off your thighs for the pike position without relying solely on flexibility. Avoid using wrist wraps.
Upper Body Strength: Showcase your strength by performing at least one pull-up from a standing position without using wrist wraps.
Fabric Wrapping Techniques: Demonstrate your skills by wrapping your body in fabrics, including executing a single footlock and wrapping your torso for moves like the gazelle.
Front Balance and Pullover: Achieve a front balance with impeccable form. Execute a smooth pullover with straight legs into a high knot, emphasizing leg extension, pushing through the pointed toes, engaging glutes, and maintaining parallel feet instead of pointing them downward. Use a a hollow body hold to engage the torso and glutes, rolling the shoulders back, and lifting the head forward.
By achieving these intermediate milestones, you'll be well-prepared to join our intermediate aerial silks class. This class will push your boundaries, refine your technique, and introduce you to a new realm of aerial artistry. We can't wait to see you soar to new heights with your enhanced skills and dedication.
Are you up for the challenge? Register for the new classes today and embark on an exciting journey of aerial silk mastery. Whether you're a beginner or advancing to the next level, we're here to support and guide you every step of the way. Let's reach for the skies together!
Additionally, the two new beginner classes will be focused on building up strength and refining technique to be able to join the intermediate class. There is no timeline of how long a student “should” be in the beginner class for. We really dislike using that word, as movement and exercise is lifelong and enjoying the process is much more fulfilling than worrying about whether you are behind or not- because there is no such thing as being behind. Having a strong foundation of the beginner level skills will make your movements efficient and will make the harder things so much easier to process because you will have the fundamental movements down: hollow body, shoulder engagement, etc which will also keep you safe in the air for years to come.
Lastly, we are a very delicate ecosystem as I’ve reiterated to a number of people over the years. The studio is really created by the people who come to class. We want to see you succeed and achieve amazing things that you never thought possible. So classes will vary and flow depending on the interest of students in class. We decided to add beginner classes because we felt like it would be beneficial to the students and teachers to focus on technique. We are not trying to hold anyone back. We want to ensure that students are following good form so that you can travel anywhere, take class, and feel really good about yourself and your practice. Or, alternatively, so that you can work on sequences and easily flow from one skill to the next because you understand exactly what the points of contact are.
That being said- Mixed Levels Aerial Silks is still on the schedule and will continue, the structure of that class may vary- again depending on the interests of the students in class. Sundays 4:30-5:45pm.