{"id":698,"date":"2015-10-03T23:38:33","date_gmt":"2015-10-03T23:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aerialdancing.com\/blog\/?p=698"},"modified":"2015-10-13T00:26:49","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T00:26:49","slug":"new-studio-coming-to-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aerialdancing.com\/blog\/new-studio-coming-to-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"New Studio Coming to Texas!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This past month, I got to interview Anne McCarthy, who is taking a journey that many across the country are also trekking upon\u00a0this decade and many more are dreaming of: opening an aerial yoga studio. \u00a0 Anne is leading a team of yoga teachers as they embark on creating a\u00a0place for aerial yoga in the South Texas area. Here’s a view into her journey.<\/div>\n
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Rebekah:\u00a0How did you get into aerial yoga?<\/h3>\n
Anne: I started dance in high school and danced through college. In 2002, I tried yoga for the first time. In 2010, I started to study yoga more seriously. It allowed me to find stillness for the first time. After my mom passed away from brain cancer in 2012, I went to my first aerial silks class and have been practicing ever since. When I went to yoga teacher training, I began to combine the two art forms. I remember the first time I did downward facing dog in an aerial hammock. My back felt free and my heart softened. A light turned on within me and I knew that I needed to share aerial yoga in San Antonio.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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R: What made you decide to open a studio?<\/h3>\n
A: I began teaching aerial yoga workshops in 2014. It was really hard to find spaces that would be safe and could accommodate aerial classes. I found one studio and we sold out every class. I knew I wanted to be able to teach more than twice a week. The only way to do that was to open a studio for myself.<\/div>\n

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R: It’s always hard to find a space for aerial. How did you go about finding the right space?<\/h3>\n
A: After looking at many spaces over the last year, I was starting to get discouraged. It is so incredibly difficult to find a place with height and an amazing ceiling. \u00a0I kept teaching a workshop series twice a week. \u00a0Then in March, things just lined up. I serve on a board for a non-profit yoga school that was starting a capital campaign. One of the other board members brought up an existing yoga studio for sale.\u00a0 I had been once and remembered a big i-beam that I thought could be perfect for aerial yoga. The space had this wonderful quality to it, truly something special.\u00a0There is just this amazing energy to it. \u00a0 \u00a0Another board member, Desiree, lived nearby and was also interested in the studio.\u00a0 We met and within 3 weeks made an offer on the studio.<\/div>\n
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R: How did you go about making sure that your space is ready to handle aerial loading?<\/h3>\n
A: My aerial teachers, Julia Langenberg and Laura DiPasquale, put a huge emphasis on safety and taught me to ask lots of questions about structures. Julia put me in touch with an engineer that she had used for her aerial studio. \u00a0 I had the engineer out to the studio and learned that it was a prefabricated metal building with z-purlins off the ibeam. \u00a0 I learned that these metal buildings are not built to support extra weight besides the roof and the required safety factor. \u00a0 I thought we were going to be able to it, until the engineer recommended a free standing structure inside the space. \u00a0 Then we started the next part, trying to get it right.<\/div>\n

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From my teachers, I knew that in aerial the standard is a 10:1 safety factor and requires\u00a0at least 2,000 pounds of dynamic weight per student. \u00a0With aerial yoga, I believe a lot of people think you can lower that standard. \u00a0However, in my classes, I know we swing and flip into the hammocks. \u00a0That is a lot of movement for many people all at once. \u00a0 I wanted to maintain that level of safety for my students.<\/div>\n

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We ended up with an engineer that had been a performer at SeaWorld and worked for SRO Associates, a theatre production company who builds the sets and designs shows for many places. \u00a0 So when we began, everyone had some understanding of the unique needs and types of dynamic movement produced by aerialists and aerial yogis. \u00a0 I worked with them to come up with good spacing and layout for our studio and then had the engineer run the numbers and create the official design. \u00a0 SRO has a metal shop and was able to build it off sight. \u00a0 It was amazing to watch them load in 500 pound i-beams and see the structure go up. \u00a0 We have 18 student hammocks and an instructor hammock. \u00a0 The engineer designed it so that everyone can be swinging and flipping at the same time.\u00a0 It is such a great feeling teaching in a space where I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the rigging is all held to that standard of 2,000 lbs of dynamic movement.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The following is a time-lapse video of the internal rigging being installed. (Aerial teachers everywhere share your excitement!)<\/em><\/div>\n
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