Aerial Circus for Beginners: What to Expect in Your First Class (and How to Feel Confident Walking In)
Hi, I’m Ana. I’m an aerial circus coach at Rhode Island Circus Space.
I started training aerials in 2008 and began teaching in 2013. I’ve had the privilege of teaching a wide variety of students from kids to adults, beginner through advanced on a wide variety of apparatuses, though fabric and lyra are my favorites.
I love teaching beginners.
I also know what it feels like to be a beginner and how intimidating that very first class can be! I am very familiar with all the “What if I’m not enough?” thoughts and the every present comparison anxiety. So I wanted to share a detailed and thorough guide on what to expect when starting an aerial circus journey as a complete beginner, so you can walk into your first class feeling confident, prepared and supported!
Before we dive in, a quick note: every circus school is different. This post is specifically about what you can expect at Rhode Island Circus Space, though many of the basics apply broadly.
Okay, let’s start by addressing the most common question that I’ve been asked over the years.
Can I really take an aerial circus class as a complete beginner?
Absolutely yes! I’m talking about beginners with no previous experience and have never done anything like this before in their lives!
A lot of new students come in with the main concern of “What if I’m not ____________ enough?”
What if I’m not strong enough, fit enough or flexible enough?
What if I have a bigger body or an older body or a weaker body or a body that is recovering from injuries?
What if I can’t do a pull up or don’t already have my splits?
What if I don’t have a background in sports, gymnastics or dance?
What if I’m not as good as everyone else in the class?
When you first start your aerial journey, you get to come as you are and progress at your own pace!
You are NOT expected to already be strong or flexible or to be able to do new things on your first try. Part of the joy of being a beginner (and honestly of teaching beginners) is the discovery of all the new ways your body can move. You are capable of so much more than you think, and celebrating that fact with students is one of the BEST parts of being an aerial coach.
And if you can’t do a skill first try? Then you are a normal human being! And…
Every exercise, drill, and skill we teach has modification options that can increase or decrease the difficulty. This means that even though your class will likely be filled with people of all shapes, sizes and movement backgrounds, your class experience is tailored to fit you as an individual. There are some skills that need to be worked towards slowly by doing extra drills or strength building. Other skills are going to feel a little too easy and will mean you need to jump ahead to something more challenging. The goal is for aerial circus classes to be fun and exciting, challenging and accessible. It is the job of the coach to make that happen.
Your job as a beginner aerialist is to …
Be courageous and try something new, even if it might be out of your comfort zone.
Be compassionate and patient with yourself.
Let go of what you think you “should” be able to do.
Set manageable goals and be willing to work towards them.
Allow your journey to be unique and stop comparing yourself with others.
Ask all the questions!
Celebrate progress, not perfection.
What does a beginner class look like? What am I going to be doing?
Each beginner class is going to be a little different depending on the apparatus you’ve signed up for. Aerial fabric, hammock, lyra and trapeze are all going to have their own unique skills and drills. Each teacher may also structure their classes a little differently depending on the student’s needs and their own coaching style.
As a beginner, make sure you are signed up for either an Introductory Class or a Level 1 Beginner class. The type of apparatus you should start with completely depends on what you’re interested in trying first. If you have any questions, you can always shoot us an email and we can discuss what the best fit is for you.
Generally speaking, most classes are going to start with some kind of warm-up or strength exercises called “conditioning”. These are exercises that help get the blood flowing, prevent injury, and increase strength while familiarizing your body with the specific fundamental movements needed to learn aerial skills on the apparatus. Some warm-ups are done on the ground, while others will incorporate the apparatus in different ways. Each skill will be either explained or demonstrated, so no prior experience is necessary, and you are absolutely encouraged to ask as many questions as you want!
Most classes will also include some stretching time. The coach will guide you through some basic flexibility drills, both to prepare your muscles AND to give you the knowledge you need to continue stretching at home.
Quick Tip: Beginner classes are usually only an hour long, which is not enough time to fully sink into deep stretching. So if getting more flexible is a personal goal, use what you learn in class and practice at home. Always being careful to move slowly and only push yourself to that first edge of discomfort, never trying to push through pain. We also offer deep stretch classes if you want that extra guided stretching time. Taking other stretching based classes like yoga can also be a great way to help meet your flexibility goals.
After warm-up and stretch, the focus of the class will usually turn towards skill based learning and movement exploration on the actual apparatus. Introductory and beginner classes focus on proper hanging form and body alignment, mounts and dismounts (or getting on and off the apparatus), climbs, inversions, spinning and simple beautiful poses. Eventually, as your level of comfort on the apparatus increases, you get to start combining the basic skills and movements into short choreographed sequences.
Are aerial classes really safe? What if I’m afraid of heights?
All aerial classes, beginner through advanced, happen over safety rated mats using rigging that is designed and inspected by professional riggers. Beginner classes usually stay within a few feet from the ground, so no worries if you are afraid of heights (I certainly was when I started). As your strength and confidence grow, skills can be done higher off the ground.
That being said, every movement class comes with some inherent risk.
Coaches help manage risk in a few different ways.
Coaches design conditioning and flexibility exercises to help prepare your body to be able to accomplish each skill.
Students are not pushed to try skills they are not ready for.
Skills that pose more risk are broken down into manageable steps and drills.
Hands-on spotting may be used to ensure safety or to guide a student into the right position.
**If you are someone who isn’t comfortable with hands-on spotting, just let your instructor know and they will find other ways to help you.
Extra mats and props can always be used when needed.
Apparatuses can be raised or lowered to more appropriate heights.
Coaches listen to you. If you are not feeling ready to try something new, you're feeling nervous, or something is hurting or not feeling right in your body, your coach will modify things for you until you are feeling confident, capable and ready.
Are aerial circus classes considered “fitness” or “workout” classes? How hard is it really?
Categorizing any kind of circus class and comparing it to other movement styles is always a challenge, so I will just share my personal opinion here. I do not consider aerial circus classes to be traditional fitness classes, where the focus is either on just burning as many calories as possible or systematically working each muscle or muscle chain to burn out before switching to the next area (aka going to the gym for leg day on Monday and arms on Wednesday). I would, however, place it into the “alternative fitness” category since, even though aerial circus classes primarily focus on building skills and competency on an aerial apparatus, they do this by holistically developing a strong, mobile, and flexible body. Many people also put aerial circus into the arts or sports category (more akin to dance or gymnastics).
That’s the cool thing about circus! It is capable of encompassing all of these categories and it mostly depends on your goals as a student. You can make your aerial class a…
Fitness class - if your goal is making your physical body stronger, more mobile and more flexible.
Skill focused class- if learning new skills and making your brain work in totally new ways is your priority.
Art class- if you use what you learn to channel your creative, personal, and emotional expression.
A sport- if your goal is to progress to the point of entering aerial competitions and testing yourself against other aerialists.
Whatever your personal goals are, learning to climb, invert, and reposition your body in the air is a challenging whole-body workout. It’s just so fun that it doesn’t feel like working out to most people, it feels like playing!
You will use muscles that you never knew existed. Shoulders, forearms, back, abs, and legs are all used to support these new and interesting ways of moving, and you will likely feel a little sore the next day. Warm-ups, climbs and inversions can also get your heart-rate up and leave you a little out of breath.
The intensity of your “workout” also depends on the intensity of effort you put into the class. There are some students who don’t want to feel super sore or break a sweat, and will try each new thing a few times with plenty of breaks in between. Others will try to pack as much movement into the hour-long class as possible. That’s the beauty of circus, these are your classes and you are on your own journey, with your own goals and priorities!
As you are learning new skills, some skills will feel like an impossible challenge at first, and others will come to you easily. So remember to give yourself some grace and patience and let go of comparison. All things that are worth doing and learning are also challenging. Aerial circus will challenge you physically and mentally, as you try to remember all the steps of how to do each new skill.
What do I wear and what should I bring?
Let me just say right off the bat, “No, you don’t need to wear a leotard or tights!”. There is no dress code for aerial class, but I do have some suggestions to help your class be a little more comfortable.
Wear clothing that allows you to move freely, but isn’t too loose or baggy.
I suggest shirts that will not ride up when you go upside down and long leggings. My personal preference is to keep my belly, back and legs covered to protect myself from bar scrapes and fabric friction burns. Some people like to wear leotards as a way to make sure their backs and bellies stay protected, but it is a personal choice.
Layers are your friend!
The studio has central heating and cooling, but it can be nice to have sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt for warm up and stretch, if you like being a little warmer, especially in the cooler months.
Bring a water bottle.
RI Circus Space sells water bottles if you forget one, but we also have a refill station so it is better to bring your own. It’s important to stay hydrated during class. Like we just discussed, aerial is a workout!
Take off your shoes.
You are welcome to keep your socks on, but there are no shoes allowed on the main floor. You can leave your bags, shoes, and coats in the coat closet which is on your left as soon as you walk in. You are welcome to carry your shoes with you across the main floor to use the restroom, which is towards the back of the building. Or we have a box of slippers you can use.
Eat something light…
and nourishing before class to fuel your body without feeling too full. I also like to bring a snack for the ride home or for in between classes if you are taking multiple classes in a row.
Hopefully, you are feeling a little more prepared to walk into your first aerial circus class. It takes a lot of courage to try something new, but you’ve got this!
What are the next steps?
Figure out what classes interest you by browsing the Class Descriptions page.
Create an Account and then go to the schedule to select your class.
Decide on what kind of package you would like.
We offer multiple drop-in and session packages so you can choose what works best for you.
Check out our FAQ page or Contact Us with any specific questions you might have about classes, pricing, packages or how to register. We are happy to guide you through the process.