Articles

The answer: Yes, Turquoise and Jade Tricot with Shine Fade in sunlight.

We did a sun-fading test in the bright Colorado sunshine and found that the tricot with bounce and Interlock aerial fabric did not fade. However, Turquoise and Jade Tricot with Shine DID FADE.

We timed our test and checked all aerial fabric after one hour. The turquoise had gray streaks, not at all attractive. After two hours the Jade had faded to a lighter color.

All other colors, including the Tricot Special Order Aerial Silks were color fast after 11 hours of direct sun exposure.

Our results are as follows:

We followed up our sun-fading test to see if the faded aerial fabric still met our criteria for a break strength of 2,000 pounds.

The answer: Yes, the tensile strength of the aerial silks was not affected by sun fading. Even after 11 hours in the sun!

To conclude:

All of our aerial fabrics’ strengths will not be affected by direct sunlight, but Jade and Turquoise will fade quickly if left exposed to UV light through a window or in direct sunlight after just 1 to 2 hours of exposure. So, if you have a portable rig, plan to spend the day outside, or have a sun-filled Aerial Yoga studio, we recommend purchasing any of our other beautiful Aerial Silks that are not Turquoise or Jade for your Aerial Yoga Hammock or your Aerial Silks.

As with so many aerial innovations, Cirque du Soleil pioneered Bungee Dance. In their show, “Saltambanco,” four acrobatics captured the imagination and excitement of the audience doing bungee trapeze throughout the high arena space. We got started with Bungee in 2001 with our halftime performances at Denver’s Pepsi Center for the opening game of Denver’s Mammoth Lacrosse team and Denver’s Arena Football team the Crush- so we know bungee dance is exhilarating and an engaging core workout!

So, what do you need?

With the flips and flying, you have to have a high ceiling for bungee trapeze. In our research, we discovered studios were using a pulley system to suspend the bungee cord from different heights. But, if you don’t have a pulley, you must have at least a 10 foot ceiling space, and at this length the cord can only be two-feet long. Among the belts we’ve tested, we sell a back point for bungee dance and two side hip points for aerial bungee dance. We attach three bungee cord to each hip of the aerial bungee dancer, as well as the 24 inch multiple link, and necessary carabiners, and a swivel.

We have tested several bungee belts and the one we sell has a back point for Bungee Dance, and also two side points on the hips for more Acrobatic Aerial Bungee Dance. For Bungee Trapeze, we use the two points on the hips and have the belt resting lower so it is easier to flip. For Bungee Dance, the belt is worn higher up so the center of gravity of the dancer is closer to the center of the body.

A back point allows the dancer to spin, run in place, and to float in the air, hovering over the floor. If used with a partner, adagio moves are possible. The movement of the flyer is assisted by the bungee. When the back point is used, we recommend a multiple link go between the bungee attachment and the harness, in order for the hardware to be away from the dancer’s back. Swivels are used to aid with spinning, one is needed for the back point, or two for each side of the belt

Bungee Type:

We sell bungee dance cord that has a soft stretch, medium stretch, and hard stretch. Bungee cord stretches quickly to twice its length, meaning the soft stretches faster than the medium and the medium extends faster than the hard. We recommend using individual cords in aerial bungee so that the dancer can use a combination of cords to fit their needs. It always best to have at least three cords for a dance per point on the belt (three total for a back point and six to eight (3-4 per side) on each hip).

Weight Considerations

The stretch of bungee used depends on the weight of the dancer:

*Bungee cord is NOT recommended for individuals weighing over 175lbs

Bungee Cords: The Mechanics

The best bungee cord to use for aerial acrobatics or bungee dance is made in the USA and has a 1:1 stretch. The bungee stretches evenly out and rebounds back at the same speed. This means it stretches its length; for example, if you have a two foot bungee cord, it will stretch to four feet. Our bungee is made in the USA and has a 1:1 stretch.

In addition, you can order 2:1 but this is only used if you have an arena space of at least 40 to 60 feet. The 2:1 bungee stretches twice its length for every one part; for example, a two-foot cord would stretch to eight feet. This is why it can only be used for very high ceilings. We can obtain this type of stretch, but only if the performers has years of experiences and an arena space to practice and perform in.

All the needed equipment can be found in our Bungee Dance shop section.

We assemble our Aerial Yoga Hammocks by “choking” the multiple link or runner directly around the fabric of the hammock. This requires no special knot tying, and it does not create a friction burn, and it reduces the amount of hardware. It is easy to assemble and easy to change the height of your Aerial Yoga Hammock from the floor. We add a half hitch for safety. Please visit our Video Tutorials for videos showing how to choke a multiple link onto the fabric and also how to attach runners to a basic hammock.

We have seen videos showing how to tie Aerial Yoga Hammocks to a small caribiner. We do not recommend this method. There are a few reasons why.

1. If your caribiner is smaller than a pear link, less than 3” at the bottom it is difficult to fit the fabric into the carabiner. Aerial Yoga Hammocks are assembled with Tricot which is 109 inches or 9 feet wide and 100% Nylon. This is a lot of fabric to fit in a small caribiner. You can snag the fabric when you are trying to get it in the caribiner or, you can snag the fabric when you try to close the caribiner.
2. If your caribiner is smaller than 3” at the bottom, the tricot will slide on itself and can create a friction burn without much effort or much use. Friction burns create holes. Tricot is 100% Nylon and melts when the fabric slides back and forth on itself. When the fabric melts it can look like a burn with black edges, puckering, or a hole.
3. If you use a pear link that is 3” at the bottom, or a caribiner that is this size, you need to absolutely know which knots will stay tied and not come undone with you in the air. If your knot fails, you have compromised your safety. Also, if you use what is referred to as a “slip-knot” it can tighten around the carabiner making it very difficult to untie when you want to wash your fabric.
4. If your fabric has been weakened from a friction burn at the attachment point then the strength of your Aerial Yoga Hammock is compromised. You need to replace the fabric.
5. Examine your fabric at the attachment point for any sign of wear or holes.

If you find any holes, or burns, please retire the fabric of your Aerial Yoga Hammock. Please examine all your equipment and consider these tips to help you stay safe and enjoy your Aerial Yoga Hammock for many hours.

If you are new to aerial work, or if you have reached a plateau, then conditioning can make the difference in pushing through, or learning more to attain the next level of your aerial career.

Conditioning on a daily basis will make all the difference in improving your aerial skills. Over-all, consistent conditioning will pay off.

Aerial work on silks, rope, straps, trapeze, and aerial hoop requires efficient use of your shoulder, core, and back muscles. The stronger these core muscles are, generally, the safer you will be when you are in the air.

We find incorporating 15 minutes of conditioning every day is ideal. We offer the Conditioning Tutorials featuring conditioning we developed, because we know how important conditioning is when you are learning aerial and also as a performer. For aerialists who perform infrequently, it is important to stay in condition because you never know when you may be called upon for an opportunity to perform. If you are performing on a regular basis, you know that continued conditioning can make all the difference in keeping you injury-free.

In our experience, we have found it is important to incorporate Awareness Through Movement from the Feldenkrais perspective into your conditioning. The Pilates approach is fantastic for building and maintaining strong muscles along with Dance and Yoga.

In aerial, or circus acrobatics, you are suspended in air and it is important that your shoulders are in good condition. If you have access to a swimming pool, swimming is also an excellent way to stay in condition.

We find swimming not only helps keep your muscles strong, but it helps you understand the importance of breathing throughout your movements. Breathing is not often thought of as a conditioning exercise, but we find it is an important component to any conditioning regimen. Building in Yoga breathing into your daily conditioning is fantastic. Consider even adding a breathing break during your aerial practices.

It is equally important to condition your hands and your feet for aerial work. Having a good grip is essential, but having awareness in your feet is just as important. Typically, you are not conditioning your feet, but you can! When you are sitting, consciously roll your foot around, or when standing rise on your toes and hold your balance. If you have the opportunity, take a Ballet class. Ballet provides excellent conditioning for aerial work.

It is also important to do conditioning before you start your aerial work or a performance. Injuries can happen if you are not fully warmed up. Conditioning on the floor is essential before you are in the air.

At the end of your aerial practice, consider adding strength conditioning. If you are working on aerial silks, or rope, climbing several times at the end of your workout will help with both strength and stamina. For static trapeze or aerial hoop, doing pull-ups or toe touches would good options.

In any aerial work, if you are learning new movements, new combinations, or new drops, you may find that you need to condition specific muscles for success. An example would be a trick called the “meat-hook” which requires a lot of strength in your core, back, and shoulder muscles.

Most aerial work has an element of discomfort and some poses are actually painful at first. An example would be the toe hang on the trapeze bar. It is hard to build up the tolerance for this pose since all your weight is resting on the top of your feet. We developed a Conditioning Trapeze Bar that allows you to condition for this pose while having most of your weight on the floor. It can also be used for the back balance which can be done on the trapeze, or the aerial hoop.

In summary, we cannot stress enough the importance of conditioning for more success in your aerial work.

Daily conditioning will help you learn new aerial skills quickly and if you are an aerial performer, then you already know that conditioning really pays off!

First measure the entire width of the aerial fabric, and decide what width you would prefer. If the fabric is 108” inches wide, and you would like it to be 90” inches wide, you would subtract the desired width from the original width. In this case, you would be stripping 18” inches off of the width of your fabric.

Lay your fabric down flat in an area with space for the length of a few yards at a time. Using a yardstick, measure 18” inches from one side of the fabric’s width and mark this place. Measure and mark this again roughly a foot and a half down the length of the fabric.

You can also draw a line connecting these two marks, to ensure that the fabric is cut perfectly, but we find that eyeballing the scissor line is just as effective and takes less time. Remember that once the fabric is hung, the edges will begin to roll in on itself and any imperfect cuts will be hidden.

We prefer to cut about a foot and a half at a time and then find the next mark, but it is also effective to mark your measurements all the way down the length of the fabric before you begin to cut. It is a preference.

We also prefer to cut while seated on the floor in a straddle position. This allows a good eye line to see where you are cutting, more room for your hands while they cut, and a perfect opportunity to continue stretching!

We ship our products to you just about anywhere in the world. To calculate shipping costs to your destination complete the following steps:

1. Create a “Shopping Cart” by clicking “Add to Cart” on the products you wish to purchase.
   • Be sure to include everything that you would like shipped as the product weights and dimensions are calculated to give you the most accurate shipping estimate. Any addition or removal of a product will affect your shipping costs. If you are ordering Aerial Fabric, the weight calculated is based on the number of yards you order.
2. On the very top right of your web page, click the Shopping Cart Icon
   • This will bring you to a list of everything you have included in your “Shopping Cart”. Double check that all products and quantities are correct.
3. If you have a coupon code for a discount, enter this in the coupon code box.
4. Scroll down the page to the “Cart Totals” and directly beneath, there will be a Red button that states “Calculate Shipping”.
   • Enter the “Country” of destination, followed by the “State/County” and the “Postcode/Zip” and click the Red Button that states “Update Totals”. You will be given the available options of shipping routes and prices as a drop down list beneath your “Cart Subtotal”.
5. Choose your preferred shipping option and note the price of delivery.
   • If you are outside the US, taxes and duties will be an additional cost. We do not know what the taxes and duties will be for your country. We categorize our products as “Sport Equipment”.
   • Then click Continue to Checkout! Once processed, you’ll be sent an email with your order number. Once shipped, you will be emailed a Tracking Number associated with your order, so that you can track and confirm your package all the way to delivery!

At a quick glance:

Important Note: When using the hammocks, you need your attachment point to accommodate a 2,000 to 3,000 pound force; this is especially important if you plan to have more than one person in the hammock. When swinging, bouncing, and doing tricks in the hammocks, you are placing a dynamic load and shock load on the equipment as well as on your attachment point. Please reference our article on why this load is generated: What is Dynamic Load? To ensure that your attachment point can support a hammock, consult a rigger, SOMETHING I forgot the words….

Basic Aerial Yoga Hammock

Our Basic Aerial Yoga Hammock kit can be used for yoga slings, fitness, relaxation, stretching, stress reduction, and to relieve back pain. The material is comfortable, easy to clean, and durable.

The Basic Hammock installs at two points, allowing for easy getting in and out of it. It comes fully assembled, including two runners and two carabiners. You can adjust the height by moving the runners on the fabric, but the Adjustable hammock is recommended for individuals who will change the height of hammock frequently. For a home studio, or if you are planning on using the hammock at only one height continuously, choose between 4-yards for an 8-foot ceiling, 5-yards for a 10-foot ceiling, or 6-yards for a 12-foot ceiling.

Adjustable Aerial Yoga Hammock

The Adjustable Aerial Yoga Hammocks are used for aerial yoga in studios around the world. Also known as “slings,” they are assembled with between 4- to 10-yards of fabric with either Shine or other special order fabric. It is mounted at two points making easy to get in and out of as it does not spin. These hammocks are set at hip height, but can be lowered for restorative yoga or stretching.

The Adjustable yoga hammock includes: two steel screw-gate carabiners and two multiple links. Unlike the Basic Hammock, the Adjustable hammock can be raised or lowered in 4-inch increments.

Single Point Aerial Hammock

Some studios prefer the single point hammock as it reduces the need for 2 mounting points. We recommend always using a swivel for Single Point Aerial Yoga Hammocks to be able to incorporate choreography into aerial dance or for a young dancer who loves to spin!

The length of the hammock will depend on your attachment point or ceiling height AND the distance you need between the bottom of the hammock and the floor. For example, if you are planning on doing flip make sure your hammock is set at shoulder length to ensure there is enough space to perform your trick safely. The Single Point Hammock includes: two 9-inch runners, two steel screw-gate carabiners, one swivel, and one multiple link (to adjust the height). The multiple link is best used with with hammock to give yourself a bit more height when performing acrobatic movements, as you want enough space between the floor and your head.

There are a number of tricks and poses using a slip-knot that can be done in a single point hammock. Check out Level 1 and 2 of our Aerial Dance Curriculum for suggestions.

Aerial Flying Trapeze Yoga Hammock

The Aerial Flying Trapeze Yoga Hammock comes fully assembled at either 7 or 10 yards, depending on your ceiling height. You can choose between any of our Tricot with Shine colors, or special order a color (which only takes a few extra days). This hammock attaches at two points with an extra length of fabric used for hand or foot supports. We have found that loops offer better support than handles, as loops help support against wrist rolling and can fit on your feet. In addition, our hammocks are made from soft, durable fabric rather than stiff, parachute material.

The Flying Trapeze Yoga Hammock is great aerial fitness and offers an change for engaging core workouts!  This hammock includes multiple links so that you can easily adjust your hammock up or down depending on your needs.

Flying Yoga Aerial Dance Hammock Kit

Our most versatile hammock, the Flying Yoga Aerial Dance kit can be assembled into a Flying Trapeze Aerial Yoga Hammock, an Adjustable Yoga Hammock, a Single Point Hammock, or an Aerial Dance set-up! Included with your purchase details is a PDF showing you how to configure the kit to suit your needs.

This hammocks does come assembled with between 9- to 11-yards of fabric for ceiling heights between 8- to 11-feet. While it comes with all the hardware, we do not include a ceiling mount point.

This kit is popular for home studios and individuals who are exploring aerial yoga or dance. Levels 1 and 2 of our Aerial Curriculum can help take your aerial adventures to the next level while using this kit!

Since you are moving, spinning, swinging, and dropping when you are doing aerial acrobatics or aerial dance you are creating a dynamic load (one that is in motion) on the structure supporting you.

Even if you weigh 100 pounds, your body when in motion weighs more depending on what you are doing. Certain drops create more of a shock on your equipment and structure. Certain movements like swinging creates more force on your equipment and structure. Even spinning creates force on your equipment and structure.

Safety is essential you’re in the air doing aerial acrobatics or aerial dance.

For aerial acrobatic rigging, a safety factor of 10 to 1 is the standard. This means that if someone weighed 200 pounds, they would want their equipment and structure to support at least a 2,000 pound load. If they weighed more than 300 pounds, then they would want their equipment and structure to support a 3,000 pound load.

It is a good practice to verify that your structure can support a dynamic load of 2,000 pounds per attachment point, or 3,000 pounds per attachment point. This gives you a safety factor of 10 to 1.

You can check with a structural engineer who can help determine if your structure is the right one to support you. You can also check with an acrobatic rigger when you have questions or need help attaching  your equipment to your structure.

Remember: You would like to verify if your structure can support a dynamic load meaning, you in motion: spinning, swinging, or dropping. And you want a safety factor of 10:1.

We suggest washing your aerial fabric once a month. However, if you are using your fabric more than 3 times a week, you may want to wash yours more frequently. The fabric can be washed in a washing machine, top load or front load. Some people go to the expense of dry cleaning, but we always wash ours in the washing machine.

We use cold water and a liquid detergent such as Woolite.

To remove odor, we use baking soda.

We do not use any other stain removers and we never use fabric softener!

We use the gentle wash cycle. An extra rinse cycle is advised to remove soap residue.

We dry each set of fabric in the dryer at a medium temperature.

We do not wash several fabrics at the same time.

You will need to untangle your fabric after washing and drying. This gives you the opportunity to check for any snags, holes, or places that are slightly puckered. If you see a slight pucker, this might be damage from where the fabric was damaged from a drop. This area should be re-checked for further damage such as a hole.

As with all equipment:
Please check your fabric frequently and although it can have small holes, please try to prevent these by taking care to not have long finger nails or toe nails and of course, no jewelry of any type.

When rigging anywhere be aware your fabric can get damaged if close to lights. In theaters there is the additional possibility of frayed cables or snagging on other equipment. If you are planning to perform where there is fire dancing, please make sure your fabric is not above where the fire spinners will be performing. Heat rises and your fabric is synthetic material which is flammable.

Be sure your costume will not damage your fabric. Sequins have not caused damage to our knowledge.

Certain types of drops, slack drops for instance can cause damage to your fabric. This drop creates lots of friction which can melt the fabric and then you will see puckering, or an actual hole.

Make sure your fabric is not exposed to sunlight or it will become sun faded, especially the Tricot fabric.

We have noticed that some of the Tricot, the red in particular, releases some of the color into the water when it is washed. Please do not wash other items along with your fabric.

Also, if you are stripping your fabric to a more narrow width, we recommend no more narrow than 86″ but 90″ is ideal for most people.

When you are ready to order your own aerial hoop, you want to purchase the correct size.

Here is one suggested way to determine the best size:

From a seated position, put your hand on your head, then make a fist. The measurement from the top of your hand to where you are seated will be the size of your hoop.

If you are NOT very flexible, have your fist with the fingers down against your head. Measure the distance from the top of your hand to your bottom.

If you ARE very flexible have your fist with the base of your hand against your head and measure the distance from the top of your hand to your bottom.

The last type of measurement used by many people over the past 10 years is to use the length of your leg as the size of your hoop.

Hoops are sized by inches so the size is measured across from center of the metal tubing to center of the metal tubing.

To calculate how much fabric you need for aerial dancing or acrobatics, first measure your ceiling height, or the height you will be hanging the fabric. If you think you will eventually use a higher space, then calculate for that height.

Multiply this number by 2.

If you are using feet as your unit of measurement, you will need to divide your number by 3 to determine the number of yards.

If you are using meters as your unit of measurement, then you will not divide by 3.

Once you have your total in yards or meters, then add 2 yards, or if using meters then add 2 meters to your total. This will give you extra fabric for a tail which is helpful if you are learning aerial silks. If you prefer not to have extra fabric on the floor, then do not add the extra 2 yards or meters.

However, it is best to round up if you have a fraction since you will order from the web site using yards as your quantity.

Remember, if you are using meters for your measurement, be sure to calculate how many yards you will need since your order will be measured and cut as yards.

If you have questions, please contact lynn@aerialfabric.com

Which fabric is the least slippery? All aerial fabric, Tricot, Interlock, Tricot with bounce, and matte Tricot can be slippery based on the amount of humidity in the air, the amount of moisture on your hands and feet, the type of clothing you are wearing, and the air temperature.

We recommend that you try using rosin if you find you need more gripping strength. You can mix the powdered rosin with rubbing alcohol, not too much of either one and you will find it does wonders!

I use it all the time since my hands are smooth and dry and the fabric slips easily no matter which one I am using!

Lynn Coleman

We offer rosin under “other supplies” here is the link:
aerialfabric.com/shop/rosin

We know aerial dancing is fun and that slack drops on aerial silks are particularly fun to do.

Here are a few cautions: First, make sure you have wrapped for the drop correctly.

Make sure you have enough room between you and the floor and you did not pull out more fabric for the drop than you planned!

Also, this type of drop has the potential to cause your fabric to melt from the friction or possibly cause burns to you. This can happen when the fabric is brand new or you have been using it for a while. It can happen with both Tricot and Interlock. The new tricot that has some bounce is more susceptible to melting when you use it for slack drops.

Slack drops are made worse if you are wearing synthetic material like tights.

A slack drop is any drop where you pull out a length of fabric out and then drop down through the slack, hitting the bottom of the drop with quite a bit of force. There are some slack drops where the fabric is wound behind the back and this type of drop creates quite a bit of friction! You do not have to drop far for this drop to damage your silks.

Usually people have trouble with Tricot melting from slack drops. However, any aerial dance equipment synthetic material will melt with the heat from the friction created in a large slack drop. A large drop is anything more than 3′ unless you have wound the fabric in some way and then the fabric is stressed at the point it wraps on itself.

The combination of the slack drop and the synthetic material in your tights increases the possibility for the fabric to melt from the heat of the friction. After melting, it will create a hole. With tricot, it can sometimes just create a hole with no evidence of melting.

We have seen the fabric pucker in spots that have been caused by friction or stress. We had quite a bit of ruined fabric for a couple of months when the advanced students in our classes were doing slack drops (aerial silks drops). They were using the Tricot.

If there is a lot of force generated in a aerial silk drop, you may find the fabric will show puckering or even have a hole. You can find the different results of our stress tests if you review the Specs tab on our site. Also, you can see photos of the fabric that was tested. You can see in the photos the puckering and what the fabric looks like when it is torn.

Although fun, unfortunately, slack drops are notorious for being hard on all the fabric used for aerial dance and aerial acrobatics.

We sometimes learn that aerialists do not use swivels as a way to save money on hardware costs. We ask: Why risk your safety?

Swivels will keep your Aerial Hammock or Aerial Silks from twisting which makes it hard to separate. Swivels also reduce the lateral stress on your attachment point. This is essential!

It is NOT recommended to suspend yourself from a single point in aerial silks, aerial hammock, or aerial hoop without the use of a swivel. We know some people do rig themselves without swivels but we cannot stress enough that it is NOT recommended.

Swivels are meant to keep you moving safely. We carry swivels that are made with aluminum, but they have steel ball bearings inside.

Rated strength of our swivels is 26kN

We recommend that you inspect your swivels with each use.

Please do not drop your swivel.

Retire the swivel if it has a crack, sharp edge, burr, irregular rotation, or if it does not spin without resistance. Life expectancy is 5 years depending on frequency of use. Protect your swivel from water, heat, or corrosive materials.

Swivels have the ratings engraved on them, as they need to meet the proper safety standards. All our equipment is designed and built by industry standard companies, to withstand the rigors of life safety and climbing.

We get calls everyday from studios and excited people who want to take their adventure to a new level with aerial yoga, aerial dance, and Circus Arts. Here are a few tips we offer to those who are beginning aerial yoga or to those who have been doing aerial dance or circus arts for many years.

First: it is very important to learn if the structure you plan to be attached to can support not only your weight, but also your weight when it is in motion. When you are in motion, you are 3 to 5 times your body weight. For human or acrobatic rigging, you want a safety factor of 10. The standard is to use 200 pounds multiplied by 10 which means you need your structure and attachment point to support a 2,000 pound dynamic load.

If you have people who weigh more than 200 pounds, or there will be 2 people supported in the hammock or on the aerial equipment (trapeze, hoop, duo silks, duo hammock), then you want the attachment and structure to support a dynamic load of 3,000 pounds. This means that a 300 pound person or 2 people with a combined weight of 300 pounds could be supported when in motion. This number can change depending on what you are doing and what weight you are planning to put into motion in the air. For arena rigging, or OSHA guidelines you will find that the requirement is 5,000 pounds of dynamic load.

A dynamic load is one that is, or will move, versus a static load that does not move.

Please check with your local structural engineer if you have ANY doubts about your structure BEFORE you hang your aerial silks, aerial hoop, lyra, rope, corde de lisse, straps, or trapeze! Also, please let us know if you find a good structural engineer in your area so we can let others know who has helped you to stay safe!