Aerial Silks for Beginners: Everything You Need To Know to Get Started

What is Aerial Silks?

The History & Evolution of Aerial Silks

Aerial silks is a relatively new form of dance with deep roots in circus as an experimental medium for impressing audiences. Now, it has evolved into a widely practiced discipline. Of course, it still has a strong presence in the circus, but now you can see it used in general performance arts, fitness, and even for therapeutic movement.

What Makes Aerial Silks Unique?

Most aerial apparatuses are horizontal apparatuses. This means that they have a horizontal component that can be used to directly support the body, such as the bar on a trapeze or the steel loop of the lyra. Silks, however, are a vertical apparatus. As a floppy piece of fabric, the only supports that you have will be the ones that you make as a part of your routine. This means that it can be more demanding to access skills that require you to be higher in the air. 

Like other aerial arts, aerial silks help you build strength, flexibility, and artistic expression. The dynamic nature of the silks will focus on a different set of muscles and strengths than other apparatuses, such as core strength and grip strength. Many aerialists who primarily work on other apparatuses will often use silks for cross training for its emphasis on building stabilizing muscles that are universally useful.

While silks don't have the same sort of support that rigid apparatuses have, it more than makes up for it in the wide range of expression. There are so many ways that the silks can be used, from climbs to wraps to drops, the sky's the limit (no pun intended!) when it comes to discovering new ways to interact with silks.

Types of Aerial Silks & Fabrics

Aerial silks come in different stretch levels, materials, and width. Choosing the right fabric depends on your needs (studio vs individual), skill level, and training goals.

Nylon vs. Polyester

Aerial fabric is typically made of either nylon or polyester. There are advantages and disadvantages of both, however, at Aerial Fabric Acrobatics we only sell nylon due to one main reason. 

• Nylon Aerial Silks
  • Stronger and more abrasion-resistant due to its flexible molecular structure and hydrogen bonding.
  • Can withstand higher tension and impact, making it more durable for intense aerial work like doubles.
  • More elastic, which can be beneficial for certain movements.
  • Prone to heating up quickly under friction, which is why the silks can “burn” with slack drops. 
• Polyester Aerial Silks
  • Less strong than nylon, the minimum breaking stretch of polyester silks is generally lower than that of nylon silks.
  • Slightly more rigid, which can make it less flexible under tension.
  • Generally less expensive than nylon.
  • Some polyester fabrics tend to be slicker, requiring extra grip strength or the use of rosin/grip aids.

Overall, we prefer nylon at Aerial Fabric Acrobatics as it is stronger, offers greater durability, and feels less “slippery” than polyester silks. 

Low-Stretch vs. Medium-Stretch Silks

The stretch level of aerial silks impacts how it feels, particularly during climbs and drops. Low-stretch fabric is the most used type for both aerial silks and yoga hammocks. It provides excellent stability, making it ideal for beginners as it is easier to climb. On a low-stretch nylon silk, there will be very minimal 'give' when someone applies weight to the fabric. This makes it much easier for beginners to find success. 

On the other hand, medium- and high-stretch fabrics are primarily used by experienced aerialists. These fabrics provide extra bounce, which is beneficial for larger drops and certain dynamic movements as it provides some “rebound” and can make these skills more comfortable. However, they are more challenging to climb and require greater grip strength. 

High-stretch silks can help aerialists build strength quickly due to the extra effort needed for climbs and holds. Many people purchase a pair just to use for conditioning — climbing to fatigue at the end of a training session. 

Here you can see a stretch comparison of our fabrics at Aerial Fabric Acrobatics. 

Silk Width & Grip: Finding the Right Fit

Fabric width influences grip, hand fatigue, and fabric strength.

• Narrower Silks (60 - 96 inches)
  • Easier to grip for folks with smaller hands.
  • Can feel “tighter” when wrapped around hands and feet, making them less comfortable.
  • A narrower fabric width results in a lower breaking strength.
• Wider Silks (96 – 108 inches)
  • More comfortable in wraps as more fabric helps to distribute weight more evenly.
  • Requires more hand strength to grip due to the extra fabric.
  • Popular for aerial yoga and wrap-heavy tricks, where extra fabric is beneficial.
  • The thicker the fabric, the stronger the breaking strength will be.

What’s the Difference Between Aerial Silks & Aerial Hammocks?

While both are technically a single length of fabric, the way that it is rigged makes a huge difference for how you interact with the apparatus. Aerial silks are rigged from the center point of the fabric which creates two separate lengths of fabric to use, while aerial hammocks are rigged from the ends to create a loop at the bottom. The hammock will provide more support as a horizontal apparatus, and is often easier for beginners, but the silks will offer a wider range of expressions.

Why Start with Aerial Silks?

Aerial Silks vs. Other Aerial Arts

While aerial silks do require a fair amount of strength to get airborne, they can still be a great place to start. The best way to get better at anything is by practicing it, and silks are no different.

If you find that the upper body strength is too much of a barrier for you, there are other aerial arts that can also be great starting points. Aerial hoop and trapeze give you a solid platform to work from as you build your fitness levels. Pole fitness can be a great start for those who want to practice a little closer to the ground, at least to begin with.

However, if you enjoy a challenge, already have some fitness background, or just love the aesthetics, silks are still a great starting point into aerial. There are lots of exercises and techniques that start from the ground, such as basic footlocks, climbs, and inversions. Working with an aerial instructor or going to a beginner level class can adjust to your level no matter where you are.

The Versatility of Aerial Silks

We've been hinting at it pretty heavily, but it really is worth emphasizing just how flexible of an apparatus silks are. From a fitness perspective, depending on how you interact with it, you can develop any muscle group to build strength, you can improve your cardio health, build flexibility, practice being creative, or learn techniques.

It is incredibly accessible to beginners, but there is always something new to be learned. No matter how long you do aerial, silks will always have something new for you to practice, some new goal to work towards. 

The Physical & Mental Benefits of Aerial Silks

Physical Benefits

It has the same baseline benefits as most other exercises, but silks are great at targeting a few specific areas. Your grip strength, as you will often have to hang by just your hands. Similarly, this focuses heavily on upper body strength, building up your back and arms. The dynamic nature requires a strong core to maintain stability, so be prepared to build up those abs.

Even when you focus on the artistic expression of silks, there are benefits. Practicing silks will improve your flexibility, and not just your splits. It can help build shoulder, back, and general joint flexibility. The mix of fine and large movements forces you to improve your coordination. And doing all of the above helps you to be aware of how you move in ways you never thought possible.

Mental Benefits

Silks aren't something you can just pick up, but that isn’t a bad thing. The intentional nature of silks means that you have to be mindful while you practice. It builds focus and awareness, not just of yourself, but of how things move about. It’s a wonderful feeling when you realize you are able to keep track of how the silks wrap around your body while you are upside down and spinning.

As it has well known and solid progressions that can be done safely, it is great for building up confidence and overcoming fears of heights. You never have to do anything beyond your comfort levels, but by continuing to practice within those bounds, they will grow over time.

What to Know Before Your First Aerial Silks Class

What to Wear & Bring

Wear fitted clothing that hugs close to your body. Stretchy clothing is great for this, such as legging and a snug top. Don’t wear anything with zippers, metal or hard bits, and take off your jewelry as they can snag the fabric causing it to rip.

Bring water to keep hydrated, grip aids (such as rosin), and an open mind.

Check out our slim-fit graphic tees here!

Finding the Right Studio & Instructor

As aerial silks continue to gain popularity, you want to make sure that you are doing your due diligence when it comes to finding someone to learn from. Make sure that the studio and instructors have the proper certifications and are up to date. There are multiple organizations that are starting to form to help build unified, safe standards for doing aerial, such as the American Circus Educators (ACE). Shout out to our studio partner, Aerial Cirque Over Denver for sharing their ACE safety recognition insignia with us! 

You should also ask about the studio’s safety measures. Is their rigging certified by a professional? Is it regularly checked? They should have crash mats that provide at least 8 inches of padding. Aerial is inherently risky, so it is important to train at a studio that takes precautions to reduce the risks.

Common Fears & How to Overcome Them

Fear of Heights: You never have to go higher than you want to. Many (but not all) skills can start next to the ground. You can build up your confidence there, then slowly take it higher. Even just doing a single climb and staying there exposes you to heights, and will feel easier over time.

Lack of Upper Body Strength: Just like any new activity, you don’t start as an expert, but you get better every time you do it. Doing aerial naturally trains the strength you need to do more. While it might take time, be persistent and patient, and you will gain strength.

Feeling Self-Conscious: Whether you are young or old, tall or short, skinny or fat, aerial is accessible. Having a history in the circus gives aerial a natural jumping point for accepting everybody. Aerialists are very positive, and want to help everyone around them succeed. It isn’t like competitive dance, where there are consistently high standards. What matters most in aerial is that you are safe, and having fun!

Safety First: Essential Guidelines for Beginners

Learning to Fall Safely & Spotting Techniques

While we do our best to avoid falling, there is always a risk. While you might think that falls happen most often when you are pushing your limits, but often it is when you are doing things you think are routine and easy when you miss a step. Your first and best safety mechanism is being mindful of what you are doing, and stop before you push beyond your capabilities.

Should you find yourself falling, the best thing you can do is tuck your chin to your chest, relax your muscles, and roll it out. How you roll will depend on how you fall, but you can practice close to the ground. Most studio’s don’t teach you how to fall, but you can always ask an instructor if you are worried.

As you start to get higher and learn drops, learn how to do a controlled descent before you throw it. Learn where the bail points are in the skill, so no matter where you are, should your strength start to fail, you will know how to safely get to the ground.

And of course, always train with a crash mat!

The Importance of Crash Mats & Proper Rigging

Crash mats and proper rigging help keep you safe. Like the saying goes, it isn’t the fall that kills you, it’s the landing. Injury is based on how quickly you decelerate. You come to a stop very quickly, and thus injury, on hard surfaces, but with a crash mat you have more distance to stop over and take longer to stop, thus less injury.

Rigging is far more complex than just putting silks on a carabiner. A professional rigger can rig the apparatus to ensure that it can handle the extreme stresses of aerial dance. If you train at home, work with a structural engineer to ensure that everything is up to the task. 

Listening to Your Body & Avoiding Injury

You will always know your body better than anyone else. Listen when it tells you to stop. It can be fine to challenge yourself, but never push through pain. Pain is our body's way of telling us something is wrong. 

When you start to get tired, or when your muscles start to feel sore is another risk point. While you don’t have to stop, you should be mindful of how you move. Unlike some other forms of working out, the goal is not to push to failure. 

To help avoid those dangers, always do a proper warmup before working out, and a cooldown afterwards. A warmup should get your heart rate up, have dynamic movements in each of your major muscle groups, and start to get you feeling more mobile. A cooldown should be slow, help your heart stop racing, and work through major muscle groups to give them a proper stretch so they won’t seize up later.

Check out our partner studio, Aerial Cirque Over Denver video demonstrating a ground and air warm up for aerial silks!

5 minute Ground Warm up for Aerial Silks by Dr. Kathryn O'Brien, PT, DPT, OCS 

5 minute Air Warm up for Aerial Silks & Sling by Dr. Kathryn O'Brien, PT, DPT, OCS 

 

How to Progress & Improve in Aerial Silks

The Importance of Consistent Practice

Muscles atrophy over time and memory fades. Which is why it’s important to be regular and consistent with your practice. Repetition builds up stronger muscles, and you will remember skills better. Eventually, you won’t even have to think about some skills as they will be so ingrained in your muscle memory.

Frequency also plays a big role in how quickly you progress, training twice a week is much better than just once a week. Think of each workout as a big spike of progress with it slowly getting lost over time. That said, rest days are also important, make sure you have at least one a week. You can work with a PT to find a schedule that is best for your body.

Complementary Workouts to Improve Strength & Flexibility

There are three main areas to focus on improving your strength as you get started.

Grip Strength: Find something that you can hang from, like a pullup bar. Do both short-arm, with your hands next to your shoulders and elbows at your side, and long-arm hangs, where you hang directly beneath it with straight arms. There are also grip workout tools that you can use, as well as any exercise which targets your forearms will help with your grip strength.

Core Training: To stay safe in the air, you want to keep your core engaged. If you don’t have practice doing that, focusing on just that on the ground can make it easier in the air. Don’t just focus on one area, make sure you engage all of your core, including your back. To improve here, you can do planks, leg lifts, hollow body holds, side side-up, and superman man sit ups.

Flexibility: There are three main areas that you want to target to help with aerial, splits, back flexibility, and shoulder rotation. Focus on exercises that build flexibility through strength, it is safer if you are actively engaging into a flexible pose than flopping into one by outside forces.

When to Move from Beginner to Intermediate

Many studios will have guidelines and requirements for different levels, and you just have to follow them. For the most part, moving to intermediate classes will happen when you have a solid understanding of the basics, such as footholds, climbs, and inversions. Work with your instructor to see if you are ready. 

Expect to spend a lot more time in the intermediate level than in the beginner levels. Once you get the basics, it opens up a wide range of skills that are harder to do safely and master.

Aerial Silks as an Art Form & Sport

Combining Strength with Creativity

Silks as a performance art combines athletic talent with artistic movement where you take incredibly difficult sequences, and make them look effortless and beautiful for the audience. Combine the piece with music or narrative for added effect.

Performing vs. Training for Fitness

While training for fitness will help when you are ready to train for performance, you focus on different things. For fitness, you will focus on a wider range of techniques, do repetitive conditioning, and balance on both sides of your body. For performance, you will work on refining a very specific set of techniques, focus on the aesthetics of it, and often only on the specific side for the technique in the piece.

Take the time to identify your goals, and be intentional with what you are working towards. If performance is your goal, don’t dedicate all of your time to improve your piece, make sure you are dedicating at least some time to fitness to maintain your strength, as well as add new skills to your performance repertoire.

Exploring Choreography & Expression in Aerial Arts

Inspiration for choreography often comes from getting inspired by other aerialists. You can find sequences you like on instagram, or shows. But make sure you work with an instructor before trying any new skills as sometimes there can be very specific movements required that are easy to miss if you don’t know what to look for. 

Incorporate groundwork and acting to enhance the piece. Point your toes. Over time, you will slowly build up your own personal style, you will find moves that you are particularly good at, characters you like to portray, and your own unique energy to bring to the stage.

Final Tips for Success in Aerial Silks

Patience & Perseverance in Your Journey

Enjoy the journey that you are on. Everyone progresses at their own pace, and you should celebrate yours. Learning aerial silks isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Even the most talented and fit beginners take time to progress. Don’t rush past the basics because you want to get to “the cool stuff”, as a strong foundation will keep you safe, and give you a deeper understanding of the art.

Be patient with yourself, work hard, and eventually, that impossible goal will come into your grasp.

Building Confidence & Celebrating Small Wins

Sometimes it can be disheartening when you are working hard at something, but don’t see dramatic progress or improvements. Everyone experiences this feeling sometimes. Acknowledge it for what it is, and then try to find a way to move through it and past it.

Set realistic goals and write them down. Being overambitious in your goals can set you up for failure. Don’t try to jump straight to your splits if you aren’t very flexible, but set a goal of getting an inch or two closer to the floor. Take videos of what you are doing, especially if you feel awkward about doing it. Future you will be impressed to see how far you’ve come when you look back at your starting points. 

Find small victories to keep you going. This can be a new trick, improvement in fitness, or consistency for an amount of time. Don’t underestimate how amazing it feels when you realize you’ve been doing aerial for a month, or a year. Reframe how you are thinking about your progress, instead of “ugh, I’ve been stuck on this trick for a month.” think, “wow, I’ve been consistent about training for this trick for a month. If I keep at it, I’ll get there.”

Your confidence in yourself and your skills will naturally improve (as long as you are patient and persevere.) 

Joining the Aerial Community for Support & Inspiration

When you join a studio, it is more than just a place to work out. Often you find yourself in a supportive community that is rooting for you. Whether your goal is fitness, performance, or just fun, you can find other people on similar journeys. It isn’t surprising that doing something tough with other people builds amazing bonds.

Digitally, you can find most aerialists on Instagram, and oftentimes studios will have a digital community as well, through email lists, Facebook, or discord. 

Conclusion 

As you can see, there is a lot to aerial silks. While it may not be the easiest hobby to get into, it is incredibly fulfilling and absolutely worth it. No matter where you are in your fitness journey, there is something for you. Find a studio, get in the air, and see just how fun aerial silks can be.

Happy flying!