Aerial silks is a great introductory acrobatic discipline that offers fantastic strength, flexibility, and coordination training. With its origins in Chinese pole acrobatics in the late 1800s, it slowly became a staple of vaudeville acts.
In the late 50s, Professor Paul Busch started the first aerial gym in Los Angeles. While there for an extended period of time, Don Friedel and Jeff Jackson took classes from Paul Busch, who influenced their style and eventually Don Friedel developed his own school of aerial skills which utilized aerial silk.
You can learn aerial silks at home. Whether you’re in a big city or tucked away in a rural area, learn how to set up aerial silk equipment for beginners and begin your journey of becoming an aerialist.
Table of Contents
Finding a safe space
Aerial silks is an acrobatic practice in which artists perform aerobatic figures while hanging from a special fabric that is suspended from the ceiling. The practice of aerial silks requires strength, flexibility and a lot of training. As with other aerial arts, such as trapeze or pole dancing, its practitioners are incredibly fit and strong. But don’t let the amount of work it takes to master this art scare you away: if you dedicate yourself to learning aerial silks, you can start seeing results in just a few months.
The first thing you need to learn aerial silks at home is a safe space. You have to find a high ceiling that can support your body weight without compromising its integrity (and your safety). It also has to be able to hold the fabric without breaking it or pulling it out of place
You can try looking for a room with exposed beams or installing a special mount on your ceiling. If you feel like getting really creative, you can even use door frames and furniture as anchors for your fabric.
Don’t forget about safety! If you’re not sure whether your mount or anchor will hold up when under your full body weight, try testing it by hanging from it with both feet off the ground.
As you start learning, you will be wrapping yourself in the silks a lot. You want to make sure that there’s nothing sharp (like furniture corners) or flammable (like fireplaces or radiators) nearby.
If you are doing double-point aerial silks, make sure that you have enough ceiling clearance for both points of the hammock. As a rule of thumb, the silks should not be suspended any lower than 4 feet from the ground. This will allow you enough room to safely climb the silks and practice low-to-the-ground moves without hitting your head on the floor.
Ideally, your aerial silks ceiling anchor should be bolted into a joist or rafter so it can handle your weight, with plenty of room for safety knots and backup knots. If you can’t do this, use a screw-in eye bolt in a wall stud instead. If that isn’t possible either, you can use an expandable ceiling hook with a screw-in eye bolt. However, these hooks do have weight limits and may not be as safe as alternative options.
Gather your materials
Aerial silks is a performance art that depends on the use of two pieces of fabric hanging from the ceiling. As a performer, you climb the fabric and then use your body to pose and perform tricks on it.
While aerial silks can be done in any space with high ceilings, here’s what you’ll need to get started:
Aerial silks equipment
You can buy your own aerial silks equipment or you can rent it from a local studio. If you’re looking at buying, make sure you’re getting an official set. The safest option is to purchase your equipment from a reputable dealer who specializes in aerial equipment. You can find these dealers online by searching “aerial silk equipment” or through your local studio. We recommend buying your fabric directly from an official dealer rather than cutting down drapes or using bedsheets (see below for why). The official fabric tends to be thicker and therefore safer than other fabrics you might find at home.
If you’re not ready yet to invest in all of the necessary elements, check out our guide on how to find free aerial silks classes near you! Or, if you have a friend who is training, ask them if they have extra materials that they are willing to
Find an instructional video
One of the most convenient ways to learn aerial silks at home is through an instructional video. The internet has made this possible and there are many videos available for purchase or rent. While this can be a great way to learn aerial silks, it is always best to learn from an instructor in-person, as they can correct your posture and other poor habits before you form them. With that said, purchasing an instructional video and practicing at home can be a great way to supplement your learning while you practice in class.
For beginners, I highly recommend the book Silk Secrets by April Rose. While not a video, it is one of the best beginner silk books on the market with clear photos and directions for wrapping yourself in the fabric.
Learn the terminology
Aerial silks, also known as aerial fabric, are long pieces of fabric hung from the ceiling. They can be wrapped and knotted. Aerialists use these fabrics to wrap, twist, suspend, fall and spiral their bodies into and out of various positions.
Aerial silks is a type of performance in which one or more artists perform aerial acrobatics while hanging from a special fabric. Performers climb the suspended fabric without mechanical assistance.
Aerial silks may be used to fly through the air, striking poses and figures while flying. Some performers use dried or spray rosin on their hands and feet to increase the friction and grip on the fabric. The three main categories of tricks and poses in aerial silks are climbs, wraps and drops:
Climbs: These methods include foot locks, hip keys and other techniques that allow an aerialist to ascend up the length of the fabric without mechanical assistance. Climbs can also be done on either one or two pieces of fabric simultaneously.
Wraps: Wraps are static poses where aerial fabric is wrapped around one or more parts of the body; they can appear anywhere along the length of the fabric. These positions can be achieved by folding, twisting or scrunching material into a desired shape or
Practice safely!
Aerial silks is a wonderful and fun activity to do at home!
However, it is important to note that the practice of aerial arts can be dangerous, so please take the time to review our safety guidelines below. We also encourage you to check out our tutorial videos for some helpful pointers on how to get started with aerial silks.
Last words
Overall, aerial silks are incredibly fun to learn and easy to teach. The best part about it is that the learning process doesn’t have to stop once the at-home fundamentals are mastered. In fact, learning aerial silks will open your eyes to a whole new world of acrobatic movement possibilities and help you develop strong arms, wrists and shoulders. And as your skills advance, so too will you body as it becomes stronger and increases its range of motion.