Testing Aerial Silks on the Machine that Breaks Things

Phil Servita is an amazing aerialist and inspiration. He recently conducted some tests on fabrics. See the results here:

http://flyingsquirrelconsortium.com/ptest2007/index.html

He also created the silks wiki.

http://www.antepenultimate.org/mediawiki/index.php/Glossary

Enjoy and happy flying ;-)

Handbalancing Boards for Sale

Coming soon to Aerial Empowerment, hand balancing boards. These are great boards, wide for added balance, long and short extensions for beginner as you work your way to advanced. I love hand balancing. It is a lot of hard work but it certainly pays off. Hand stands are pretty difficult but the more you work them the easier they become. Cost will be $249 Plus Shipping and handling. If you are around Salt Lake City, Utah then you do not have to pay shipping costs as you can pick up directly.





Here are some amazing articles by Christopher Logan
http://www.lostartofhandbalancing.com/articles/

and a video :-)

Aerial Empowerment Grip Enhancer for Silks/Poles/Lyra/Trapeze

Now up and available on the website http://www.aerialempowerment.com

24oz spray bottle for $19.99

This is the most amazing grip enhancer I have come across. I created this spray for use on silks but I got the notion to try it on the pole one day and it works wonders. Doesn't matter if you have sweaty hands, or dry hands, whatever your skin type this spray is guaranteed to aid gripping the pole (or silks or bare lyra/trapeze) better than you ever have before. It not only helps grip but it also cleans the pole as well.

Directions:
Pole, (bare trapeze and lyra): Spray solution on a clean rag and wipe down the pole. Wait a few seconds to dry.
Silks: mist solution onto silks all the way down.

Not intended for consumption, if swallowed please contact poison control. Do not spray in eyes, if this solution gets in your eyes flush out with cool water. If skin rash occurs then stop use of spray, it could be an indication of an allergy.

Richard MacDonald amazing Cirque du Soleil Sculpting Artist

I went to Vegas not too long ago and wandered the Vegas strip, I stumbled across an art gallery near the O theater in the Bellagio. He has some amazing artwork unlike any I have ever seen before. I was reverent and at peace in that art gallery gazing at frozen statues of time. If you have not heard of Richard MacDonald, I recommend you look up his art at www.theartofrichardmacdonald.com

http://www.aerialempowerment.com

Aerial Hammock / Antigravity Yoga Silk Suspension Training

Aerial Empowerment now sells Aerial Hammocks! These are very effective for full body suspension training as well as stretching and improving flexibility. They come with 6.25 yards of low stretch tricot fabric, any color of your choosing, height adjustable straps and one carabiner (unless double point is requested then 2 carabiners). There is a large variety of exercises that can be done on a hammock. Video soon to come.

buy your hammock today at

Practice Falling Correctly

Any sport can be dangerous, especially when proper techniques are not taught. Remember teachers to teach your students to tuck their head forward toward the chest if they ever fall. If I didn't tuck my head when I fell for the first time (and hopefully the last time) during silk training when I wrapped improperly for a drop, then I probably would have been paralyzed as well. Also it is good to ALWAYS train with a mat! Don't allow yourself to get the attitude that you'll never fall because you just never know. You could be the most skilled aerialist out there but if something is not rigged right, or something breaks, you'll appreciate that mat a whole lot.

Its amazing how something so small can make such a difference. Tuck and roll on your shoulders

I strongly suggest that you practice falling correctly incase you ever need it. Do it on a mat and don't be too high up when you practice. Exhale when you land as well, holding your breath can cause you to get the wind knocked out of you.
You will usually fall in one of three directions. The least injury is caused when falling on your side. It reduces the impact placed on your limbs, including your neck. This is the best way to fall safely. If you find yourself unbalanced and falling to either side tuck your chin to your chest. Then bend your arm to your chest. As you continue to fall let your bottom leg straighten. Keep your top leg bent to reduce impact. Keep your chin tucked to your chest at all times. Just before you reach the ground straighten the tucked arm level to your body. This position will cause the least impact on your body. Practice this a few times daily until you feel you are doing it correctly.

The next direction we fall in is forwards. You may injure your neck or face if you do not know how to fall properly. The first thing to do is tuck your chin to the bottom of your neck. Hold this throughout the fall.

Then place both arms up at a ninety degree angle. They will absorb any impact that would injure your face. Then fall straight forward onto your torso. You may bend your knees but only slightly. You do not want any joint to absorb impact. Keep in mind if you fall on ice you may still suffer minor cuts and trauma. These falls should be practiced on a soft surface.

The last way to fall is straight onto your back. The most important thing is to always keep your chin tucked to your chest. The neck is one of the easiest injured body parts. It only takes ten pounds of force to cause fracture. You will also want to bend both arms onto your chest. Bend your knees if possible and let yourself fall back. At the point of impact let you arms loose to the side but even with your body.

Remember the key to success is practice. You will not be able to react properly without training your body for these situations. Never use an arm to prevent your fall. Always keep your chin tucked to your chest. In closing, do not be afraid of practicing these techniques. Falling is generally safe if done with the proper knowledge.

Article about a paralysed pole dancer


Aerialist falling accident

Aerial Silks

I love aerial silk dancing, I remember when I saw my first aerialist in 2007 at the bite show in Vegas at the stratosphere and decided I absolutely had to try it. Here is a the video of that aerialist, the woman who inspired me to learn this incredible but complex artform.




Already being an experienced aerial pole artist, I wondered how different could it really be? Well I found silks to definitely kick my butt in more ways than I could imagine. I remember coming home and trying to research it. I typed in all sorts of things into the search engine to attempt to find it. I think I typed in things like ribbon dancing, air ribbon dancing, scarf acrobatics, material gymnastics, etc. Finally found it after all sorts of searching. It comes up under a few names; Aerial silk, Aerial Fabric, Aerial Tissue, Contortion in Silk, Ballet in silk, antigravity yoga, suspended dance, etc.

There are 2 main types of fabric used for aerial silk dancing. Those are Polyester Interlock and Tricot (Chiffon)

Tricot is a low stretch fabric which makes it easier to climb and Polyester interlock is a high stretch fabric which is a little more difficult to climb but it does cushion during drops, though you want to be careful you don't stretch as far down as the ground. It is recommended to get silks that are between 75' to 110' wide for adults but for children you can use 60' wide fabric.

Please be aware that there are two main types of polyester, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PCDT (or poly-1, 4-cyclohexylene-dimethylene terephthalate). Please not that PET is stronger than PCDT, though PCDT is more stretchy than PET is. Its good to note the type of yarn (filament, spun, or blended) as well as the size of yarn (denier). The higher the denier, the thicker the yarn as well as strong. For spun poly, 35 denier and above is strong enough for use in aerial fabrics.

We at Aerial Empowerment carry 110' wide low stretch tricot it is the most perfect type of fabric I have personally found and performed on for aerials, its a low/medium stretch, its easy to climb, it cushions well during drops but doesn't stretch you beyond a safe distance and it is incredibly sturdy. It also has a tensile strength of approximately 3000lbs. I know someone who out of pure science decided to tow a truck using our fabric and it didn't break! I don't know about you but that makes me feel pretty safe.

Our Aerial Fabric comes in the colors: Aqua, Black, Brown, Cloud, Pink, Yellow, Lilac, Lime Green, Baby blue, Mint, Royal Blue, Purple, Crimson Red, Forest Green, Turquoise, White, and Dark Red.

Here is one of my favorite silk performances on youtube.