Spooktacular Fun!

Aerial Dance Halloween Party! Are you new to the studio and looking to get to know some of your fellow aerial/pole people? Aerial Dance’s Halloween Party is a great opportunity for just that! Come mix and mingle with your fellow classmates! This party is free to all current Pole, Aerial, and Fitness Members! Our instructors will have mini dance routines for Thriller and Time Warp! Who doesn’t want to learn how to do the Thriller Dance????? I know that I sure do! In true Aerial Dance Fashion, there will be cookies and juice provided for all who attended! CJ the massage therapist that many of the ladies at Aerial Dance work with will be in attendance to provide  FREE chair massages! I have never had a massage before, so I am super pumped for the opportunity to have one! This Sunday I am running  the Hot Cider Hustle in Green Bay with some friends, but you can guarantee that I will be at the Halloween Party after! The only struggle I face is what on earth should my costume be!?!?! HELP!!!! The Halloween Party is on Sunday, October 29, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.  If those aren’t reasons enough! Let me share a few more with you!!!! Community When I am asked why I continue to enroll at Aerial Dance, many people are shocked by my answer. Has Aerial Dance made me physically stronger? Yes it has! Has Aerial Dance helped boost my confidence and self worth? Yes, it has! But, the biggest reason you will continue to see me re-enrolling at Aerial Dance is due to the sense of community found there! Each instructor takes the time to get to know you and your ability level. This is no easy task when hundreds of women come and go from the studio throughout the week. I myself am a teacher with only 15 students to keep track of, now multiply that number several times. Holy wow! When they ask how you are, they are not simply making small talk. Our instructors know when you are not yourself and truly care about how you are doing. They are truly incredible women! By becoming a student at Aerial Dance, you don’t just gain a few friends, you gain a whole new  aerial family! The Halloween Party is just one of the many ways that Aerial Dance tries to bring their students together outside of regular classes! Aerial Dance is an amazing place to be a part of. I am so thankful that I have had to opportunity to get to know many of the women who attend Aerial Dance! New Term If you have been on the fence about trying pole or aerial classes, this next term is perfect for you! The next term is only six weeks long, compared to the regular eight week terms. This term is shorter to allow all those employed by Aerial Dance time with family during the holidays. It is perfect for those who are new to the studio commit for a shorter amount of time to really see if pole/aerial are tight for you! The new term begins November 5 and runs through December 16! Hope to see you there!   Until Next Time, Janelle  

Register for Pole!

Registration is now open for Pole Term 6, the last new session of Pole in 2017! Due to the Christmas Season, this session is only 6 week (instead of the usual 8) and costs $120 for Beginner Pole! When registering, select the day/time that best suits your schedule knowing you can move class times if you need to during the 6-weeks. New classes start the week of November 5 and end December 14th. Beginner class time options include: Sundays at 10am or 3:50pm depending on the Packer game Mondays at 8:10pm Tuesdays at 4:55pm Thursdays at 7:05pm Register online!

Gotta Love That Reachback

Always Moving Forward Last Saturday, I took Fabric Fit with Instructor Olivia, which was amazing!!!! I haven’t been to the studio on a Saturday in sometime.  My biceps are still reminding me a little bit about the amount of biceps curls we did. Over time, I have grown fond of my muscle soreness, it lets me know that I am getting stronger. Ask me about that on a day where I can hardly sit down, because my thighs are dying,  and it may be a different story. On Saturday, I decided to drop into pole practice. Each time I do pole, I am never sure what kind of day it will be. Will I have grip or won’t I? In my class on the previous Monday, we had been working on Superman Reachbacks. This move has always escaped me in my three years  I have been at Aerial Dance. I could never get my hips to slide down the pole to be able to reach my arm back. So on that Monday, I had tried several times, but it was painful and I was so slippery my hands slid right down the pole. So I gave up on that for the day, I know many of you can relate. My goal for Saturday’s practice was to work on my Superman Reachback. I wanted to make even the slightest improvement, because at Aerial Dance your one goal is to just be stronger than you were yesterday. Monday I hadn’t been feeling very strong, Saturday though was another story. I had lots of energy, I felt strong, and was confident I could make improvements. Just a little FYI for you. My first ever successful Superman happened in March of this year! I couldn’t find a way that I felt comfortable to transition into Superman, until I was taught the Flatline to Superman combo! Yes, I have been doing pole for quite sometime, but I still have many nemesis moves. Thankfully I was able to cross Superman off that List.   I Got The Reach! After several failed attempts to slide my hips down, yet again, and one very, very close attempt……. I was ready to give up on Superman Reachbacks, but thankfully Instructor Olivia was there to my rescue and I had the support of my fellow pole friends! Instructor Olivia told me to give it one more shot and she would guide me through the transition from Superman to Superman Reachback. She had me re-grip both hands on the pole before letting my hips slide. Little did I know that because I was only holding on with one hand, my thighs were squeezing like crazy to keep me from going anywhere. Essentially making it impossible to reachback, no matter how hard I tried. The re-grip of my hands allowed my body and mind to relax enough to be able to slide my hips down. My brain went from “If you let your hips slide down with one hand on, you will die!” to “Oh okay, we can get used to this movement.” Turns out for me the reachback was not an issue of flexibility or strength, but more of a fear of falling.                                 It has been months since I have had bruises on my inner thighs like I do now.  It was a reminder of how much Superman can hurt when first learning the move. My bruises are not painful, but a happy reminder that I was able to cross off yet another nemesis move. With each visit I make to the studio, even days that I don’t feel successful, I know that I am leaving there stronger than the day before. Keep working hard ladies and the progress will come! Unitl Next Time, Janelle

Better Safe, Than Sorry….

Better Safe, Than Sorry…… I can’t express this enough. On Sunday, September 24, I was practicing handstands at my boyfriend’s house like we do at the studio. Being an aerial student I have kicked up into handstands at the studio more times than I can count. On this particular day, I was at my boyfriends working on handstands. In his house, he only has one wall that has enough space for handstand practice. I moved all objects out of the way and began practicing. I had done two handstands and held each of them for 30 seconds. In between the stands I would come down to rest. As I went up into my third handstand, I did not have my hands placed properly. My shoulders were not square and my left hand was slightly behind my right, causing my left arm to carry most of my weight. My left elbow buckled sending me flying down the wall to the left. Remember how I said I had moved all objects out of the way? Hitting the Floor Well, turns out I did not move the kitchen table out of the way enough. As I came crashing down out of the handstand, I fell down the wall sideways, smashing my left shin on the table. Hitting your shin on anything is painful in any cause, but smashing it on to the edge of the table was one of the worst pains I have ever experienced. As I hit the floor my stomach did a flip flop and I was sure I was going to throw up. My leg started to swell and walking was almost impossible. I immediately applied ice and thought of how I could have been so stupid to not move the table further away. As the afternoon went by my leg continued to swell and started bruising, but I could walk. When my boyfriend came home, he had a good laugh about the whole situation, until he saw my leg. Then it wasn’t so funny. He wanted to rush me to the emergency room, but since I could walk on it I decided not to go in. As the week passed my leg continued to bruise and be very swollen. That Wednesday, after I hurt my leg I finally went to the doctor. Thankfully, I did not break or fracture my leg, but the doctor said I was very close to it. By doctor’s rules I was not allowed to do any intense workouts. Meaning no Aerial Dance! 🙁 Two Weeks Out I am now two weeks out, and the swelling has gone down quite a bit and the bruising is starting to fade. I still cannot apply pressure to my left shin without a shooting pain, but in time that will heal too. This week, I was able to resume my regular workout schedule! Having to take a week off from Aerial Dance was pure torture in itself. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I had broken my leg. Here are some pictures of my bruise progress so far. Practicing at Home Please learn from my experience, be sure you have the appropriate amount of space! It doesn’t matter if it is only working out, practicing handstands/dead lifts, or if you have your own apparatus at home! Having the correct amount of space will save you from injuring yourself! It could mean the difference between a week off for a minor injury or several weeks to months off for severe injury.  It will be weeks before I am fully recovered, and I only bruised my bone.   Be Safe Out There Fellow Aerial Artists!   Until Next Time, Janelle