Aerial Dance: Rigging Safety Guidelines
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We receive calls daily from studios and enthusiastic individuals eager to elevate their journey with aerial yoga, aerial dance, and circus arts. Aerial dance is growing and the potential to add this offering to your space is exciting! However, it's crucial to approach rigging with care! Careless rigging can result in accidents that could be life threatening to you, or someone else. Read this guide to understand:
- Dynamic forces and why they matter
- Attaching to structures and how to do this safely
If you take nothing else from this article please remember:
- You should ALWAYS consult with a structural engineer on an aerial dance rigging project, no matter what. This should never be considered an optional cost.
Measuring Dynamic Forces in Aerial Dance
In aerial we create forces much greater than our static load, which is the weight of a person’s body and apparatus at rest. More dynamic moves, such as aerial drops, create significantly more force. It is important to understand how much force we are producing as it helps us determine the necessary strength of equipment and structural elements.
How Much Force are We Creating?
Use a load cell to calculate the aerial dance force
The most accurate way to know how much force we are producing would be to use a load cell. Here is what it looks like and how they work:
However, load cells are expensive and usually not practical.
Estimate aerial force with data from studies
Another way would be to estimate the forces created using data from available studies. A recent scholarly study completed by Cossin, Bergeron-Parenteau, & Ross (2022) quantified the maximum shock force of many different tricks on different apparatuses using a load cell. They found that maximal forces were as follows:
- Rope (slack drop), 7.3x body weight
- Solo fixed trapeze (cross back slack drop): 6.8x body weight
- Aerial hoop (drop hip circle to front balance), 4.8x body weight
- Flying pole (bicep to back salto), 4.0x body weight
- Duo foxed trapeze (big tempo back salto), 2.5x body weight
As an example, for a 200 lb aerialist doing a slack drop on a rope, the maximum force could be 7.3* that person’s body weight. So the maximal force could be around 1,460 pounds. 1,460 pounds answers the question “how much force are we creating”.
Use a general aerial estimate
It’s common in our industry to estimate force created. There is a saying that “an aerialist weighs 1,000 pounds.” This is a simplification, but for most single-person, recreational settings, it is sufficient.
In short, without a load cell we can’t calculate the force we’ll create precisely. 1,000 pounds is a good estimate in most cases but you might consider increasing this estimation if you have:
- Large drops on rope
- A larger bodied person doing dynamic moves. We know that the maximum force is a multiple of a person’s body weight, so body weight does make a difference.
- We may consider increasing our force estimate if we have multiple people on a single apparatus, especially if they are doing more dynamic moves.
Ok, so we have a 1,000 pound estimate, but what does this even mean?
Attaching to Structures
Everything you rig to is subject to the dynamic forces you generate. If you estimate those forces to be around 1,000 pounds, or 3 to 7 times your body weight, both your equipment and the structure it’s attached to must be capable of withstanding that load.
Unless you’re a structural engineer, you lack the necessary expertise needed to accurately assess whether a structure is safe for aerial use. There are many variables involved in this. For example, beams are a common attachment point, but they can vary widely in:
- Aterial
- Length
- Height
All these factors can impact the beam's minimum breaking strength. This is why only a structural engineer can definitively calculate the safety of a structure for aerial rigging.
As mentioned earlier, the forces in aerial arts can range from 2 to 7 times your body weight. For human or acrobatic rigging, a safety factor of 10 is recommended. The standard calculation is 200 pounds multiplied by 10, meaning your structure and attachment point must support a dynamic load of 2,000 pounds.
If you have individuals who weigh more than 200 pounds or if two people will be supported by the same equipment (such as in a hammock, trapeze, hoop, duo silks, duo hammock, cube, etc), this estimate must be increased accordingly. This number can vary depending on the activity and the weight involved. For arena rigging or in compliance with OSHA guidelines, the required dynamic load capacity is often 5,000 pounds.
Wow, this is complicated!
Luckily, you don’t have to worry about figuring this out! Just send this article to your engineer and they will be able to assist you rig your aerial silks, trapeze, hoop, or hammock safely!
