Its no surprise that I love aerial dance. How did I get here? I first heard about aerial dance about six and a half years ago already. I went to a bachelorette party, and the morning after one of the women was freaking out. She could not find her shorts in her bag. I of course had to ask what was so special about these shorts. She then proceeds to tell me that they are pole shorts that she needs to go to practice! I immediately asked for more details and had a half hour conversation where she told me all about aerial dance. The next day (Monday) I stopped by the studio and signed up for my first term. It was truly love at first spin.
As I continued to attend class, I got to know more and more of the other women at the studio. When I was a student, the aerial studio with all of its toys didn’t exist yet. Other conditioning and flexibility classes were new and becoming more regular, and I started to take more and more of them. I loved getting to have a great vertical bar followed by a bendy. As more variety of classes got added to the schedule I loved attending all of them. I became an all inclusive member as soon as it was an option. I loved being able to spend time with other women who had similar interests in fitness, but came from very diverse backgrounds and professions. Getting to know the other women in my classes was such a great way to get me out of my shell. The connections with others is what made aerial dance different than any other gym I had tried, and that’s why I kept coming back.
When I became an instructor, I was most excited about being able to hold space for the women at the studio. I loved how my instructors always showed up and were there for us, and I was so eager to be able to do that for others. I still love being able to do that for our women. As a veteran instructor now, I focus on making this a priority. Having aerial dance to go to as a safe space where I could talk and work through things was so helpful for me, so I strive to continue to do this for other women.
