I've been noticing an increase in aerial silk, aerial sling, aerial yoga hammocks / antigravity hammocks sales online lately and I have been looking through them individually to compare quality and price. If any of you are pole artists you probably remember when someone duplicated the xpole and made a fraudulent item posing as the real thing that wasn't safe, same with silks. Some sellers are not using the right kind of material that is strong enough for your safety.
It is good to ask the seller many questions, here are some questions you can ask them and yourself before purchasing aerial fabric.
The majority of the ads don't tell you what type of fabric it is other than "chiffon" which can be any synthetic material which means the tensile strength is unknown, and they don't mention the denier, etc.
When buying aerial silks the width and length are extremely important.
You want them to be long(tall) enough for what you are doing, and the width is important because it affects the tensile strength of the fabric. The shortest amount of fabric I recommend is no shorter than 10yards because 10yards can reach a 12ft-16ft ceiling, so you can practice but I don't recommend doing drops on that short of silks unless you know what you are doing.
As far as length goes you have to double the height of your ceiling because you are pretty much taking a long length of fabric and folding it in half at the ceiling so both strands reach the ground so example if you have a 12ft ceiling you need at least 24ft (8yards) of silks (though I recommend a little extra like the 10yds just because attaching silks to equipment such as rescue 8 etc takes extra of the length) and if your silks barely touch the ground from the ceiling you are not going to have any beautiful tails to play with to create that dramatic performance, you'll have little short nubs under your footlocks instead of gorgeous fabric fanning the audience.
A 60 inches width is generally recommended for children
Minimum of 75inches up to 110inches is recommended for teens and adults.
I'm seeing silks being sold on ebay and other sites for only 64inches wide and only 8yards.
I am also seeing on online silks rigged to rings which have no info of what kind of rings they are or what the weight limit on them. You can buy similar rings at home depot that say right on the package "NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN WEIGHT" make sure if you get a set with a ring that it is an authentic steel O ring from a reputable climbing company example: pretzel, etc.
Yes the price is cheaper on some of these fabrics but at what cost? Do you really want to save money if it means putting your life in jeopardy?
We sell safe aerial fabric at http://www.aerialempowerment.com
Friday, October 22, 2010
How to assemble aerial silk to a rescue 8
This video demonstrates one of the easiest and effective ways to rig aerial silks to a rescue 8 so that if you ever need to wash them etc, you can put them back together safely.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
How to Rig Aerial Apparatuses from Trees
This is not a recommended method of rigging according to professionals because of the potential danger from not knowing how strong the tree is, etc. Aerial Empowerment is not liable if you attempt to rig from trees.
I personally rig my apparatuses (Aerial Silks, Hoop, Trapeze, Hammock, etc) from trees.
AllI use is:
*Climbing/Arborist Rope: A minimum of 60ft or longer, high tensile strength rope (Rock climbing rope, I personally am using an arborist rope which I prefer for trees because they have a tough outside layer that is abrasion resistant which is ideal for trees).
*Smaller rope: tied to one end of the thicker rope, this one should be lighter weight to throw over the branch, trust me, you're not going to want to throw over just the thicker rope unless you don't have to throw very high.
*Heavy Object- attached to smaller rope to throw over the branch. Should be heavy enough that it will come back down to the ground on the other side of the branch so that you can grab it and pull the rope over. You can use scrap metal, horse shoe (though I don't personally recommend incase it gets stuck on a branch.) You can use rocks, one of my students used her shoe, etc just get creative but beware whatever you throw can potentially get stuck in the tree.
I had a video but I had quite a few professional riggers get very upset about my method so I took it down. It is not the safest method to rig according to them, but I personally have been doing it for over 3 years and have not had any problem, failures, or have harmed any trees in the process they are all still growing and blossoming every year. Note that if you leave a tree tied up over time it could kill the tree so NEVER leave the tree rigged when not in use.
I personally rig my apparatuses (Aerial Silks, Hoop, Trapeze, Hammock, etc) from trees.
AllI use is:
*Climbing/Arborist Rope: A minimum of 60ft or longer, high tensile strength rope (Rock climbing rope, I personally am using an arborist rope which I prefer for trees because they have a tough outside layer that is abrasion resistant which is ideal for trees).
*Smaller rope: tied to one end of the thicker rope, this one should be lighter weight to throw over the branch, trust me, you're not going to want to throw over just the thicker rope unless you don't have to throw very high.
*Heavy Object- attached to smaller rope to throw over the branch. Should be heavy enough that it will come back down to the ground on the other side of the branch so that you can grab it and pull the rope over. You can use scrap metal, horse shoe (though I don't personally recommend incase it gets stuck on a branch.) You can use rocks, one of my students used her shoe, etc just get creative but beware whatever you throw can potentially get stuck in the tree.
I had a video but I had quite a few professional riggers get very upset about my method so I took it down. It is not the safest method to rig according to them, but I personally have been doing it for over 3 years and have not had any problem, failures, or have harmed any trees in the process they are all still growing and blossoming every year. Note that if you leave a tree tied up over time it could kill the tree so NEVER leave the tree rigged when not in use.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Rafaela Montanaro
One of my new favorite pole dancers that I have come across recently won 3rd place in the World Pole Competition Championship in Zurich. I found her youtube probably about 4 months ago and I was very impressed (which is not easily accomplished anymore since I've been watching pole videos on youtube for going 4 years now)
I wrote her my compliments and asked her how long she had been a poler which she responded only one year. ONE YEAR? I've been doing pole for 4 years and she was already caught up to my level and beyond. That made me curious so I looked into her background and found that Rafaela was a hand balancer or equilibrist and aerialist prior to picking up the pole. That definitely demonstrates how much strength is involved in the art of hand balancing.
Rafaela as a hand balancer
and Rafaela's winning routine in the World Pole Championship
If you would like to buy a handbalancing board or aerial silk set, I sell them on my website http://www.aerialempowerment.com
I wrote her my compliments and asked her how long she had been a poler which she responded only one year. ONE YEAR? I've been doing pole for 4 years and she was already caught up to my level and beyond. That made me curious so I looked into her background and found that Rafaela was a hand balancer or equilibrist and aerialist prior to picking up the pole. That definitely demonstrates how much strength is involved in the art of hand balancing.
Rafaela as a hand balancer
and Rafaela's winning routine in the World Pole Championship
If you would like to buy a handbalancing board or aerial silk set, I sell them on my website http://www.aerialempowerment.com
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
You know you're a pole dancer when....
- you are proud of your bruises.
- you can't find shorts that are short enough.
- you spend more time watching women pole dance than the man in your life.
- you hear a song and immediately rate it for pole compatability.
- you have spent any amount of time trying to convince someone that pole dancing is different than stripping.
- you find that your closet is slowly (or quickly) filling up with plastic shoes with 6 inch heels and plastic boots that range in height from ankle to thigh-high and previously, the highest heel you ever wore were 1 inch sturdy shoes.
- you've cleared everything you possibly can out of your family room to make space for your pole.
- your husband gets a huge grin on his face when you say you're going to work out.
- you walk past your husband in platform heeled black boots a bra and teeny shorts and he glances at you and then goes back to whatever he was doing.
- you're looking at every stop sign, lamp post, children's playground thinking, "I wonder if I can do a invert on that?"
- your kids are so familiar with pole moves from watching you watch YouTube obsessively that they can critique you pretty well when you're practicing. "Mommy, you should keep your back straighter when you do that!"
- you have to schedule life events (weddings, balls) around poling so you won't be bruised in pictures.
- you get ceiling height envy.
- you took the furniture out of the guest room to make a pole room and your company has to sleep on the couch.
- you assess the weather each day wondering how it will affect your grip more than to see what you should wear.
- you have to explain to other people, especially doctors and anyone that sees you unclothed, why you are bruised so bad.
- people have thought you were abused from all your bruises.
- you're asked "what's new?" and the first thing that goes through your head is the move you nailed the other day.
- you start a detailed description of your last practice with non-polers, easily forgetting that they don't know what you're talking about when you say "inverting", etc.
- you get the biggest grin whenever people ask you if you work out.
- you won't buy certain shoes because you're afraid the buckles or whatever may scratch your pole.
- your husband/boyfriend doesn't bat an eye when he walks in the room and you're hanging upside down.
- you get strange looks from people when you're going through the store shopping for work-out clothes saying things like "no there won't be enough skin showing if I get that one!"
- you have a huge bookmarks/favorites list in your web browser for pole dancing.
- you dream about pole dancing and/or pole in your sleep.
- you can dance in those 6-inch clear heels, but can't walk across the room in them.
- "Peek-a-boo" is a bad word... won't even say it to a baby.
- you have to think long and hard about how to respond to the question "So, what do you do for fun?"
- you've answered the door in your pole workout clothes and made whoever was there blush.
- you know exactly, to the second, how long it takes for you to take down your pole when company is on their way over.
- your child's behavior on the fireman pole on the playground has been the reason for several parent-teacher conferences.
- your day-time shoes are falling apart but you find yourself passing up buying "real" shoes because you would rather spend your money on hot red stilettos.
- you judge every house by its flooring and ceiling height.
- your pole gets wiped clean more often than your coffee table.
- you rate couch cushions for their cushioning ability under your pole.
- you go to your hairdresser and ask to cut your hair in a way that it may floooow when you turn your head (and even demonstrate).
- you walk into a club and instantly start wondering weather their poles are steel or chrome, spinny or static.
- you stopped using lotion because it makes you too darn silky smooth - you have tricks to do!
- you just can't find mirrors big enough.
- someone asks if your heels are stripper shoes and you say "No! Those are my workout shoes!"
- you have ever replaced carpet with a hardwood floor so you could be more stable in your heels.
- you are willing to loose you security deposit on your apartment in order to keep your crappy pole up (Peek-a-boo, Flirty Girl, etc.) despite the damage it's doing to your floors and ceiling while you're waiting for a good one to be delivered, just so you can keep poling.
- you intend to go clothes shopping for work or personal and end up searching for that perfect top or shorts to pole dance in instead of regular clothes.
- you can't find shorts that are short enough.
- you spend more time watching women pole dance than the man in your life.
- you hear a song and immediately rate it for pole compatability.
- you have spent any amount of time trying to convince someone that pole dancing is different than stripping.
- you find that your closet is slowly (or quickly) filling up with plastic shoes with 6 inch heels and plastic boots that range in height from ankle to thigh-high and previously, the highest heel you ever wore were 1 inch sturdy shoes.
- you've cleared everything you possibly can out of your family room to make space for your pole.
- your husband gets a huge grin on his face when you say you're going to work out.
- you walk past your husband in platform heeled black boots a bra and teeny shorts and he glances at you and then goes back to whatever he was doing.
- you're looking at every stop sign, lamp post, children's playground thinking, "I wonder if I can do a invert on that?"
- your kids are so familiar with pole moves from watching you watch YouTube obsessively that they can critique you pretty well when you're practicing. "Mommy, you should keep your back straighter when you do that!"
- you have to schedule life events (weddings, balls) around poling so you won't be bruised in pictures.
- you get ceiling height envy.
- you took the furniture out of the guest room to make a pole room and your company has to sleep on the couch.
- you assess the weather each day wondering how it will affect your grip more than to see what you should wear.
- you have to explain to other people, especially doctors and anyone that sees you unclothed, why you are bruised so bad.
- people have thought you were abused from all your bruises.
- you're asked "what's new?" and the first thing that goes through your head is the move you nailed the other day.
- you start a detailed description of your last practice with non-polers, easily forgetting that they don't know what you're talking about when you say "inverting", etc.
- you get the biggest grin whenever people ask you if you work out.
- you won't buy certain shoes because you're afraid the buckles or whatever may scratch your pole.
- your husband/boyfriend doesn't bat an eye when he walks in the room and you're hanging upside down.
- you get strange looks from people when you're going through the store shopping for work-out clothes saying things like "no there won't be enough skin showing if I get that one!"
- you have a huge bookmarks/favorites list in your web browser for pole dancing.
- you dream about pole dancing and/or pole in your sleep.
- you can dance in those 6-inch clear heels, but can't walk across the room in them.
- "Peek-a-boo" is a bad word... won't even say it to a baby.
- you have to think long and hard about how to respond to the question "So, what do you do for fun?"
- you've answered the door in your pole workout clothes and made whoever was there blush.
- you know exactly, to the second, how long it takes for you to take down your pole when company is on their way over.
- your child's behavior on the fireman pole on the playground has been the reason for several parent-teacher conferences.
- your day-time shoes are falling apart but you find yourself passing up buying "real" shoes because you would rather spend your money on hot red stilettos.
- you judge every house by its flooring and ceiling height.
- your pole gets wiped clean more often than your coffee table.
- you rate couch cushions for their cushioning ability under your pole.
- you go to your hairdresser and ask to cut your hair in a way that it may floooow when you turn your head (and even demonstrate).
- you walk into a club and instantly start wondering weather their poles are steel or chrome, spinny or static.
- you stopped using lotion because it makes you too darn silky smooth - you have tricks to do!
- you just can't find mirrors big enough.
- someone asks if your heels are stripper shoes and you say "No! Those are my workout shoes!"
- you have ever replaced carpet with a hardwood floor so you could be more stable in your heels.
- you are willing to loose you security deposit on your apartment in order to keep your crappy pole up (Peek-a-boo, Flirty Girl, etc.) despite the damage it's doing to your floors and ceiling while you're waiting for a good one to be delivered, just so you can keep poling.
- you intend to go clothes shopping for work or personal and end up searching for that perfect top or shorts to pole dance in instead of regular clothes.
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