Ladies and gentleman, please make sure your body is in its full up right position and that your silk is correctly fastened. We wish you all an enjoyable flight!
From Cirque de Soleil to Pink, Sarah Hyland, The Real Housewives, and more, Aerial Silks are HOT when it comes to fitness, bachelorette parties, out-of-the-box dates, and of course, bucket list experiences. And, what better way to find new, fun, and adventurous things to do as the weather turns cold and indoor experiences top your list of things to incorporate into your social agenda!
Voler – Thieves of Flight is a ‘Performance Ensemble & Aerial Academy’ based in Kansas City, KS in a uniquely converted 1917 Russian Orthodox Church turned studio. Amongst the 20-foot ceilings and spiritual rays of sunshine pouring through the former congregational windows, specialized classes are offered throughout the week, held by professional instructors with a passion for aerial dance and acrobatics. Choose from disciplines focused on aerial silks, hammock, hoop, straps, trapeze, ringlet, swings, carousel, and net, and select from beginner to advanced courses.
As much as I wanted to enjoy my first aerial silks experience with my 6’7,” highly inflexible husband (love you, Dan), I went straight for inviting my girlfriend who grew up dancing, and she couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for me to document and watch in awe as her amazing frame wrapped seamlessly in and around the billowing, purple silks. Our wonderful instructor and Co-Director of Performance, Jade, tranquilly kicked us off with some yogi-inspired stretches to warm and loosen up the muscles we were about to challenge. And, challenge did we ever; aerial silks are SO much harder and more intense than you would presume at first glance. While training is absolutely not a necessary precursor, you will find that this outstanding workout regimen will leave your overall mind, body, and soul craving more, and the sore head-to-toe muscles 24 hours later will remind you in the rare case that you forgot.
So what kind of dynamic movements did we take flight in as Voler took us through their ‘Intro to Aerial Silks’ class? Let’s dive into some of the details. To start, one important accessory to the craft is prepping your hands with a light chalk, much like you see athletes and gymnasts do. Good grip is key to maximizing your motions as your hands sweat with the rising heat of your increasing physicality. As you navigate your way to the double silks hanging securely from the ceiling high above, you begin by twisting your wrists snuggly into each with arms raised above your head, and begin to get acquainted with your own strength, comfort, and confidence in the medium itself. It’s at first a bit surprising, and then very apparent how magical these silks are, in that they can carry the weight of your spiraling and flexing physique.
From there, you learn how to double down on the wrap with your feet and ankles, finding a resting plank to stand strongly up and into, and so begins your entry into the aerial aspects beginning to transform. Once you get the basics down, you then are taught the ropes, quite literally, of trusting the placement of your limbs, and stretch your wingspan and acrobatic lower half into places you didn’t know you could go until then and there. Before you know it, your self-expression comes into play with the courage to take on new shapes and heights with your embedded silks along for the ride.
While I can’t say acrobatics is where my natural-born destiny lies (I could only WISH for the strength and prowess that these pros bear!), what I can say is my friend and I had THE TIME of our lives as we released a wealth of ‘WOWs!’ and laughter and ‘AHAs!’ envisioning ourselves in a fantasyland of personal cirque-like performances. Who knows, maybe next time you see or meet me, I’ll be raving about the new sleek, black silks adorning my family’s hearth room and my traveling, performing family!
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