Silks are definitely something to be intimidated by. They are pretty tricky. The beauty that they behold can be yours with lots of practice however.
My first experience where I was intrigued by silks was actually at a circus shortly after I joined Pole. I’m I was just taking pole classes at the studio. I had heard of silks but never really knew what it was. This circus sure did open my eyes. It was full of aerial acrobats. Immediately my attention was captured and I thought of all the cool things that I might be able to do someday. There were hoops and hammocks and silks and other gymnastics. When it came time for the silks performer I was very engaged. These silks were not like ours at the studio. These silks went all the way up to the top of the circus tent. It was so high it was unbelievable. I watched as the performer worked her way up, climbing herself to the top of this circus tent where the silks were clasped to the ceiling. I was completely in awe. She moved so swiftly with grace and beauty, I was stunned. It was like her movements to get to the top were effortless. She held herself up there for a few moments before she let herself fall. I gasped. This was breathtaking, I was terrified for her life at this point. Before I could actually truly worry I could see that she had preplanned this all, she caught herself at the bottom. She didn’t even look like she broke a sweat.
When I was watching this girl perform I knew that silks had to be something I had to try.The beauty and grace that she had; I was just blown away. I remember getting to a class the following week and asking to sign up for the Elite membership. The fist class that I wanted to take was silks. I found the next opening about a week later. I got to the silk class barely knowing what to expect. I knew that I wouldn’t be anywhere near any of the moves this girl had done, but I did want to see how hard she worked to get to where she was. That day I learned how to do footlocks and hip hangs. I remember really struggling to stay in place but eventually did get it down. The next class I learned how to climb. This took a lot of focus. It was extremely difficult to hold up my body weight while trying to lock my foot into the fabric. But like all things, in time, you’ll get there. It took me several classes to kind of get the flow of silks but eventually it did come. I am nowhere near where that girl was, but my respect for her is greater than ever. Seeing her do all these amazing tricks was such a good experience.