Aerial silks, also known as aerial fabrics, aerial tissue, aerial ribbons or aerial curtains is one of the most challenging, yet most awe-inspiring and versatile aerial art forms and it’s the latest way to up the fitness game for your whole body. Using strength, grace and flexibility, you climb the silks and move your body into amazing and beautiful poses and shapes. Poses and sequences often borrow from older aerial arts forms like trapeze or rope, but new ones are constantly being discovered, including dynamic movements like drops, slides, and rolls. Unlike working out on terra firma, the act of moving in the air forces people to become aware of their bodies very quickly.
Iron Man
Make a foot lock on the right leg. Separate the silk, put one arm at a time in the middle of the silk. Wrap each arm outside to inside and grab it. Push out the right leg footlock with your left leg. Take your arms out wide in a T position. Don’t sink or stretch your body upwards.
Iron Man
Middle split or vertical split
From the basic stand, separate the fabrics and footlock your left foot on one silk. Stay holding on with your left arm to the left silk as you reach your right arm between your body and the fabric.
Follow with your torso, twisting until you can put your head on the other side of the silk. Grab the free fabric with your right hand so that you can let go with your left hand. Then grab hold of the pole of the silk above your head. Lean towards the free silk until you can fully grasp the pole with your left arm. Keep leaning to the side until you can bring your left elbow around the pole.
Middle split or vertical split
Release the silk from your hip and bend your left arm so that the pole of the silk passes underneath your left arm. With both hands holding the silk at the equal height, go into straddle back with the tail of the free fabric staying on the inside of the leg as you invert. Rotate your body around your pelvis as the axis of rotation. Aim the arch of the foot on to the pole of the silk. Transfer your hand so that both are on the free fabric. Sink your weight into your pelvis to prevent the pole from slipping over the buttocks.
The Warrior
Start in a seated position on a single footlock on your right foot. The free fabric should be on the inside of your left elbow. Reach around your back with your right hand to grab the tail. Once it is around your back and under both your armpits, hold on to it and transfer weight into your arms. Straighten your leg and extend your body onto a side plank position. You can turn your body towards the sky so that you can press your right hand towards the ceiling, let go of the left hand, and stabilize your core in a plank position towards the sky. You can also play around with different positions of free leg.
The Warrior
Back arch
Split the silk and wrap each leg on each silk from outside to inside. Take your hand through the silk one by one. Bend forward and grab the silk next to your toe (right side silk with right hand and left side silk with left hand) split your legs and move them upwards and keep bending forward. Once you get upside down, bend your legs in a small drop which is also called arch drop or scorpion drop and then hold this back arch pose, try to get your head closer to your toes.
Back Arch
Double footlock and split
From the basic stand, separate the silk and hang with either straight or bent arms. Perform a single footlock on one silk. Standing on your right footlock, wrap your left leg around the left silk and position your leg slightly in front of you.
Repeat the same process to be able to do it a second time for a double footlock. After you have both your legs tied into double footlocks, turn your body towards one of the fabrics to square your hips. Sink as far as you can into the split while keeping your hips square.
If you are not flexible enough to stretch to the fullest, do not get discouraged. And regularly do this.
The writer is the director at Arts in Motion
