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The Complete Guide to Aerial Silks
What it really costs, what you'll really feel, and how to know if this is your hobby before you spend a dime
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Is Aerial Silks and Why People Love It
Let's start with what aerial silks actually is, because until you see it up close, it's easy to picture something between ballet and a magic trick. Two long strips of heavy fabric — think parachute material, but softer and with a bit of stretch — hang from a point high above you, usually a ceiling-mounted rig in a studio. You climb, wrap, twist, and suspend your body in and around these fabric ribbons. Sometimes you're draped in them like a cocoon. Sometimes you're gripping them with your bare hands and feet as you inch your way toward the ceiling. Sometimes you're dropping from a height, letting the fabric catch you at the last moment.
The first thing you'll notice when you walk into a studio for the first time is how high the ceiling is. Most aerial studios have ceilings that are at least 15 to 20 feet tall, and the fabric drops all the way to the floor. You'll see a row of these fabric strips hanging side by side, often in rich colors — deep purple, teal, red — and they twist and sway slightly in the air. There's something a little theatrical about the whole setup, like you've walked into a circus tent that never left town.
Now, here's what a class is actually like. You won't spend the first day hoisted in mid-air doing elegant poses. You'll start on the ground, building the basic strength