AerialDancing.com

An Early Year-End Wrap-Up

Hey Everyone!

This is my annual blog to fill you in on what’s been going on here at AerialDancing.com and what you can expect to see in the coming year. Things have been a little slow around here lately, but there’s a reason for that.

First, some back-story: For the past four years, I have had a day job – you know the kind that makes a nice predictable income and provides for health care and retirement for your family. My husband has been taking care of our kids and has been awesome at running this site. I have worked as an aerialist only on the side. Well, all that is about to change.

My contract of 4 years just came to a close and I am now making the slow and scary transition back to aerialist. only. just. an. aerialist. Well, of course, I’m also a mom and lots of other good things, but as for making any money, it’s down to just one thing. Aerial Dancing. So, this is it. To make it real and make it happen, I will be depending on you – the reader – to buy a book or sign up for a membership. It is wholly unpredictable if you will do that or not. I cannot control that. But I can control one thing – and that is doing what I love. I am a mover. Through and through and through. I am enthusiastic about staying healthy and keeping my body is prime condition so that I can be free to express myself and create art. I am passionate about helping others achieve the same goal that I chase after. I find satisfaction in connecting to other dedicated people like myself who love their art. So, I am going to keep on doing what I do and pray that the rest will follow. I plan on taking a nice break for the Holidays. After a very busy 4 years, it’s time to take a rest, enjoy hanging out with my daughter and my baby boy. Then I will come back in January refreshed and ready to see where this journey will take me next.

Below is the to-do list. It is quite the beast. I can’t do all of this alone. It will take a team of people, and you are most welcome to be on that team. In fact, we have an open position for a part-time job. More on that below.

THE TO-DO LIST:

Finish the rope videos that go with the manual that was released this past year. Once the videos are all linked up to the book, I will release the digital download version of Rope Volume 1.
Finish the prenatal aerial yoga book. This was a passion project that I worked on while I was pregnant this past year, and I just need to put on the finishing touches. This also has corresponding videos. HOW YOU CAN HELP: If anyone would like to share their experiences of being pregnant while being an aerialist, please send them along. I would love to share your story in the book!
Start working on the new Aerial Trapeze series! Melissa Roberts of Canopy Studio is my collaboration partner and I am so excited to be starting this project. Trapeze will be the last and final aerial apparatus that I will write books on.
Finish the revision of the Beginning Aerial Fabric Manual. I re-shot the whole book about 2 years ago and I been sitting on a brand-new version ready for editing. It is tailored for use with teacher training programs. I removed some of the moves that are too advanced for beginners and have added ones that are better. HOW YOU CAN HELP: If you have any great moves or programming that works well for beginners, send me your thoughts and ideas for the book. I’d love to have your wisdom shared. (Keep in mind that there will be an entire book devoted to the knot/sling, so that will be it’s very own topic!)
Continue working on the Rope Manual Vol.2. This project has been documented through film and I have all the pictures done. I need to work on the next phase – which is actually writing the text. HOW YOU CAN HELP: any volunteers to help write it are welcome aboard! You must be familiar with rope.
Continue working on the Aerial Knot/Sling Manual Series. This is another series that I have been working on, but it keeps falling to the bottom of the to-do list. I think this one will take a while because I have so many other things to do, but it is definitely planned! HOW YOU CAN HELP: do you have favorite moves that you like to teach in the sling? please feel free to share them with us and get credit in the book!
Continue filming Aerial Yoga Sequences that are created by experienced aerial yoga teachers. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Would you like to see your sequence on this site? Send it along. We pay or trade for goodies.
Start focusing on filming other sequences from silks, hoop, etc. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Have a sequence that you like? Share it with us. We pay or trade for aerial goodies.
Spend time with other amazing aerialists at retreats at the Marsh Studio. HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN THE FUN: For a list of upcoming retreats, see www.borntoflyaerial.com.
Open a real live studio. That’s on my dream list. Maybe one day I’ll get there. All funds from the books continue to go into an account labeled “Aerial Dance Studio.” Every time you make a purchase from this site, my future students thank you.

If you’re still reading (I know long to-do lists kinda stress me out, so that might have scared you away), we are always looking for cool stories and blogs. Consider publishing your next aerial article on this site.

If you haven’t purchased a membership yet, sometime before December 31, 2015 will be a good time to do so. This website is about to get a whole lot more active. To help fund all these upcoming projects, the membership prices will see an increase January 1, 2015. Think of this like kickstarter – only it’s here on this site, ongoing. You get something really cool for your money – you get access to the largest collection of beginning/intermediate aerial moves from 5 genres (silks, hoop, rope, aerial yoga and soon to be trapeze) on the internet!!

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JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

We are actively seeking an aerialist who has advertising/graphic design/communication skills. Live and work from home! The only requirements are that you must have a US Social Security Number and have a good phone number to reach you (not an international number).

Job Description: Seeking a friendly aerialist who is passionate about connecting a community to resources. Work 2-3 hours per week online helping spread the word about what AerialDancing.com has to offer. Opportunity for more hours directly proportional to website growth.

Must be:

highly competent with Social Media
have basic skills at graphic design to put together announcements, online flyers, e-mail campaign headlines, etc.
able to take initiative, create surveys, collect testimonials, and other tasks related to growing an online business.
an independent worker, ready to jump on board the mission starting in January 2016.

Pay: $10-$20/hour. Depends on Experience.

For more information or to submit your resume, drop a line to: info@aerialdancing.com.

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New Studio Coming to Texas!

This past month, I got to interview Anne McCarthy, who is taking a journey that many across the country are also trekking upon this decade and many more are dreaming of: opening an aerial yoga studio. Anne is leading a team of yoga teachers as they embark on creating a place for aerial yoga in the South Texas area. Here’s a view into her journey.

Rebekah: How did you get into aerial yoga?

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.

R: What made you decide to open a studio?

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.

R: It’s always hard to find a space for aerial. How did you go about finding the right space?

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. I kept teaching a workshop series twice a week. Then 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. 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. There is just this amazing energy to it. Another board member, Desiree, lived nearby and was also interested in the studio. We met and within 3 weeks made an offer on the studio.

R: How did you go about making sure that your space is ready to handle aerial loading?

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. I had the engineer out to the studio and learned that it was a prefabricated metal building with z-purlins off the ibeam. I learned that these metal buildings are not built to support extra weight besides the roof and the required safety factor. I thought we were going to be able to it, until the engineer recommended a free standing structure inside the space. Then we started the next part, trying to get it right.

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

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. So when we began, everyone had some understanding of the unique needs and types of dynamic movement produced by aerialists and aerial yogis. 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. SRO has a metal shop and was able to build it off sight. It was amazing to watch them load in 500 pound i-beams and see the structure go up. We have 18 student hammocks and an instructor hammock. The engineer designed it so that everyone can be swinging and flipping at the same time. 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.

The following is a time-lapse video of the internal rigging being installed. (Aerial teachers everywhere share your excitement!)

R: What sorts of surprises have you encountered in the process of opening a studio?

A: It has been an amazing learning experience. I looked at spaces with wood beams and talked to engineers and knew it wasn’t possible to rig that many students safely from wood. Before this, I never would have questioned rigging off an i-beam. I thought all i-beams were created equal. I have learned that there are so many elements to look into. (When the building was designed, what safety load for the roof was included – did they just meet the basic safety requirements or go above, does it snow and add more weight to the structure.) Now that we have a freestanding rig in the space, I feel like this is a wonderful way to rig. It allows everyone to see the structure and understand what they are hanging from.

R: Tell us more about your team.

A: We have an amazing team. Besides myself, my partner Desiree Whitney is also a certified yoga teacher and did aerial yoga training this summer. The yoga school we studied at (the Esther Vexler Yoga School) focuses on Iyengar style yoga with lots of props and modifications. So for our style of yoga, the aerial hammock is another prop and makes yoga so much fun! We also have an amazing group of traditional yoga teachers: Michelle Bowles, a yoga therapist, Debbie Pedersen, a certified Iyengar yoga instructor, Tricia Messinger, a thai massage yoga teacher, Donna Foster, a power yoga instructor, and Cathy West, a vinyasa teacher.

R: What is the name of your studio and how did you decide on the name?

A: Aerial Yoga Boerne. We really debated over several variations. Boerne is a small town 15 minutes north of San Antonio where the studio is located. We are the only full yoga studio in the area. While we have many styles of yoga, we know aerial yoga is rare and wanted to highlight it. In the end, we kept it simple to describe what we do and where we do it.

R: What do you love about the aerial arts?

A: I love the way aerial arts focuses me. When you climb the silks, it’s the only thing you can think about. I found it to be a form of mediation, keeping me fully present in every moment. In aerial arts, you must fully focus your attention to keep you safe. I also have never had strength. Through training, I see myself become stronger. I love that aerial arts blend together dance, strength, and grace.

R: Who are you most excited to teach?

A: I love teaching students who are new to yoga and aerial. The feeling of flipping upside down for the first time is incredible and I love sharing that with people who don’t think they can. I love watching the growth as they find strength.

R: What is one thing that’s got everybody talking about your studio?

A: Besides the fact that we have an amazing rig for 18 students?! We also have yoga rope walls, tons of props, amazing teachers, and a beautiful space. There is something special here. When you walk in, you know you are in a warm and welcoming space.

Anne, thank you so much for the interview! Aerial Yoga Boerne will have their official ribbon cutting on October 22, 2015. We wish them the best of luck. To find out more about how you can “build your yoga practice from the ground up,” visit www.aerialyogaboerne.com.

Not sure what to expect in an aerial yoga class? Watch this time-lapse of a class at Aerial Yoga Boerne:

Ways to connect with Aerial Yoga Boerne:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/aerialyogaboerne

Instagram: @aerialyogaboerne

Twitter: @yogaboerne

6 Balancing Acts for the Aerialist

If you were to sum up all of my soapboxes into one word, that word would be: BALANCE. We need balance in so many ways. We need balance in the obvious ways and the not-so-obvious. We need balance physically and mentally. The list goes on forever. For this blog, I decided to make a list of the top 6 physical juggling acts that an aerialist needs to do to stay balanced.

Strength AND Flexibility

An aerialist needs to be both strong and flexible. In your training regime – or if you are a studio owner planning out your curriculum, take note – you need to have time for both conditioning and for stretching. People who are tight might need more time in aerial yoga classes that focus on muscle lengthening. People are already very bendy don’t need to spend time in the splits. They need to focus on getting strength in order to protect their bendy tendencies.

train both sides — *photo creation: Jamie Ray of AirSeekers*

The Right Side AND the Left Side

When you climb with your right hand leading, the next time up climb with your left hand leading. Many aerialists get lazy and complacent (it happens to the best of us), and then they wake up one day realizing that one shoulder IS in fact bigger than the other. And that one climbing side is stronger – like, WAY stronger – than the other side. And they can’t even hip key on their bad side. These muscular imbalances can lead to body imbalances that will lead to limited range of motion and are not the ideal situation for injury prevention.

Many aerialists will agree that there is an exception to this for safety’s sake. When you perform drops, muscle memory can help keep you safe and having both sides in your body can be confusing. Some brains are up for the challenge, but others (like mine!) need to keep life as simple as possible to be safe. Aerial Performer Elizabeth Stich makes this point in her latest guest blog for Born to Fly Aerial.

She writes: “I choose not to train or teach advanced drops on both sides (In the heat of the moment in performance, when lights, music, and audience can make thinking challenging, I want my body to have muscle memory of executing potentially dangerous drops on one side only); however, I still have to figure out a way to safely address this imbalance. For me, the answer is to practice my flamenco S-wrap entrance from my non-dominant side and then windmill down instead of wrapping for the drop. This gives me the same sense of spiraling entrance and rolling descent, without actually wrapping the drop on my non-dominant side.”

The Front AND the Back

When was the last time you did some superman’s? (where you lay on the ground and raise both legs and upper body off the floor). It’s important to focus on extension of the whole body just as much as flexion. Hollow body is great, but it’s only half the story. To train a truly beautiful body, you need to practice both hollow body AND the exact opposite of hollow body. You want a strong core – all the way around, not just in front. Having a strong front prevents your back from working when it shouldn’t – so you need to train carefully, but you also need to train holistically. No one wants to end up hunched over and we all slouch too often when sitting (did I just make you check your posture? score if I did!). Strengthen your back so that it’s not work to sit up tall and balanced. Strengthen your hamstrings so that your hip flexors never dominate. Some muscles are meant to be larger and work harder, but it shouldn’t be overly so. When a muscle constantly works, it can become tight and shortened. This prevents it from being able to work at full strength. It starts a chain of events that involve all the undesired parts of movement = tightness, weakness, etc. To undo this chain, strengthen what is weak. This will be the theme for your whole body!

The Top AND the Bottom

As an aerialists, we know you got a pair of nice-lookin’ shoulders! But, what about them legs? How are they doing? Think about throwing in some squats after those pull-ups to keep a body that is shape from head to toe. You may also consider taking some ballet classes in order to work on your feet articulation. After all, your lower body articulation is what gets to be highlighted while your arms stick you to the apparatus.

The Push AND the Pull

Getting into aerial shape is all about getting that first pull-up. It is challenging to go from zero to one. But you can do it! After the (very necessary) obsession of pull-ups wears off, you should return your focus to whole body work. You need to be able to do push-ups too. This will actually give your pull-up muscles a break. Anytime you fire muscles, the opposing muscle group gets sent a response to relax, so when you push, your pulling muscles get a much needed direction from the brain to shut off. You don’t want to walk around all tight and tense all the time. Your body craves balance.

Another great way to add some push to your pull is to do handstands. Many aerialists, by nature of being acrobatic, already like to do handstands. You might already be that type of person, or maybe I have now given you a reason to start. I learned this lesson early from my mentor who was obsessed with handstands. Before every show, her warm-up always include hand-balancing. I’ve never been good at them, so I tended to avoid them, but lately, I’ve warmed up to the idea of heading upside-down in this fashion.

The Fast AND the Slow

Many aerialists I know have gotten to a point where there strength is phenomenal, but their cardio…well, let’s just say, it’s obvious that there workouts for the past several years have mainly consisted of slow-moving, strength-focused work. The only time they do fast-movements is by doing finger-flicks in their warm-ups (which are all well and good, but I’m talking about keeping up a fast pace for a sustained period of time). If we speed it up, their heart starts racing, and I’m scared they aren’t going to make it through the workout. For me, the goal is simply an overall balance for the sake of the heart. I want to be able to make it through a high-energy piece and not be winded at the end of it. I want to keep up my stamina and be strong. I want to have my cake and eat it too. It’s possible, you just have to juggle your training to get it all in there. Get creative and make it happen.

Now go do what you haven’t been doing. And stop doing so much of what you have been doing. Don’t read that wrong. Don’t stop altogether! But, tether back and add in some variety. You might not notice the change now, but years from now, you’ll reap the benefits of your choices.

Rebekah Leach is a person who thrives on being balanced in mind, body and spirit. Being a parent helps to throw all of her balance out of whack, but you know, that’s the fun of the journey towards balance. It’s a constant teeter-totter with forces at all ends.

Jamie Ray of AirSeekers submitted the awesome photo. Thanks Jamie!