Taking a Break is Hard. Coming Back is Harder
I know that these blogs are typically positive in nature, and I promise I will get there. It cannot be stressed enough how important mental health can be. The past 4 months have been absolute torture on me. Just before life threw as many curve balls at me as it could, I signed up for the annual show (I know it was ages ago but every woman who preformed was absolutely gorgeous and killed it!). When life started throwing punches, every inch of me wanted to step back from the show. I told my husband repeatedly that I couldn’t do it, but he encouraged me to not quit. Show day came and went and boy am I glad that I stuck with it! It was a nice break from everything else going on. I never thought about what came after. I went to a few classes after the show, and I slowly realized I was doing more early canceling than showing up. It has been about a month and a half since I’ve taken a class and I plan to return to my regular pole class Monday. Let me tell you something… I am terrified! Can I still do it? Is all my strength gone? Will I remember to engage? What if I fail? As I sat here today thinking about writing this, I’m slowly realizing that I have nothing to be afraid of. I know that the second I step foot in those doors I will be at home again. I will be welcomed with open arms and I know it’ll feel like I was never even away. Will I have to rebuild some strength? Absolutely! But it will come back in time. Will my first day back be a struggle? I have no doubt in my mind, but I will show up and I will do amazing! I cannot wait to see everyone again. If I’ve learned anything from writing these blogs about Aerial Dance it is that I never should have stepped away in the first place. It is my happy place! My break from life and everything that happens, and I wish it didn’t take writing some blogs to remember that. But I remember now, and I am so excited to be going back. Whether you’re returning from a break or joining us for the first time, there are classes for everyone!Check out a pole, aerial, or fitness class today!
Learning to Find My Flow
Flow was not my favorite class. Dancing and movement did not feel natural. To be honest, it still doesn’t feel natural. I started taking them regularly because I hated them and they were very unnatural for me. The idea of “if its yours, you can touch it” felt incredibly uncomfortable for me. What do I touch? What would that look like? How am I supposed to move my hands and also my feet and maybe do a move or two? It was intimidating. My first few flows I definitely “just kept moving” during the warm up/cool down free dance. At times I wish I had a video of those early free dances but that’s for another time. After a few flows an instructor said to close our eyes during the free dance. This was game changer. It was a slow game changer, but a game changer all the same. There was a freedom that came with it. An openness. There was probably still a lot of “just keep moving” going on, but at least it finally didn’t feel uncomfortable. It felt like a possibility. It gave me the option to just try movement in my body without watching myself or thinking about everyone else watching me. It allowed me the confidence to try moves or transitions I was unsure would work. If I didn’t know how something would look, it didn’t matter because no one would see it. I could simply move the way my body wanted to move. About two and a half years into my pole journey and I’m just now starting to explore the “touch it if it’s yours” concept. But ladies, I will say, the little I have explored it, it is empowering. It’s simply an expansion of just letting my body move the way it wants. It is also a little bit of self awareness and love rolled into it. Do we really know what our body feels like under our own hands? Have we traced our own curves? I have started and I think it has only improved my body awareness. Another thing that has changed is I don’t always close my eyes anymore. Sometimes I like looking in the mirror. Wait…what did I just say?!? That’s right, sometimes I watch myself dance. I watch what the transitions look like. Sometimes I like what I see in the mirror. I also started recording some of my free dances. Want to know what I learned from that? I learned that I do some kind of cool transitions when I just move my body. So, here we are, 2.5 years later and flow is now one of my favorite classes. It’s one of the classes that has taught me the most. Now, the decision is to try focusing on climbs and inverts or pole spins… If you’re curious about Pole Flow, drop into a class or sign up using your Fitness or Elite Memberships!
Just Keep Going
I began my journey at Aerial Dance two years ago. I take a couple months off each year when life gets too busy, and I still always find myself LONGING to walk back through those doors, absolutely craving the energy and the achy muscles again. There’s something addictive about the energy of this place. Whenever I see someone online post about wanting a place to provide a sense of belonging, wanting a good place to exercise, a good place to dance, a good spot to workout that doesn’t feel like working out, I think of and always recommend Aerial Dance. Founder Paula has created such a safe space for women from so many different walks of life. I don’t think there’s a single woman who couldn’t benefit in some way from a membership at Aerial Dance. Here I was thinking these blogs were going to be hard to write, but then I realized I’ve been writing them in little fragments for the last two years. I’ve been speaking them out loud after a boring gym session with a friend who doesn’t attend Aerial Dance. I’ve been typing them when I wanted to encourage a mom who needed a sense of purpose and belonging who hated her body. I’ve posted them through video showcasing what my body has learned. Sure, sitting down to gather these thoughts while I work full time and am a stay at home mom to a toddler seemed daunting, but when you host as much passion as I do for this place- it’s not hard. These words came with such ease. And I’ll continue to share my experiences about Aerial Dance with strangers on the internet, or my friends who haven’t pulled the trigger on it yet, or the people in my life who say “I could never do that” or “I’m too weak”. And I will always share these experiences with a happy and grateful heart because I have gained so much. I cannot wait to see how far this place will continue to take me. So thank you for allowing me and other women to find footing financially and being graceful enough to let us share our experiences in exchange for this scholarship. Aerial Dance has changed me and I’m so happy it has. Even on the days I have to drive home with no music on, contemplating my life choices and frustrated with my body, I am happy that I walked through and get to continue to walk through those doors. I am grateful that I get to keep going, and continue my growth. Thank you so much. Click here for more information about our Sisterhood Scholarship.If you’ve always wanted to start your journey at Aerial Dance, try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
The Start to My Experience
I have been attending Aerial Dance since January. I was so nervous to join a pole dance studio and I wasn’t sure which one would be the best fit for me personally. After doing some research, I came to find Aerial Dance. After looking over reviews and seeing the different classes they offered, I decided to go with them for my journey. Ever since day one, staff and instructors have been great and have helped me a lot through these few months. They have put down so many of my worries and most of which are on the first day of class. One thing I would recommend is that people take advantage of pole practice. That time was so helpful for me when I was still in beginner classes. The instructors were all helpful and took their time to help each of us when we were struggling with moves. This time was very helpful because it gave the instructor time to come to each of us and discuss things that weren’t working for us. On the opposite side, the instructors still applauded the things that we did well and were very enthusiastic about it, which helped feel at ease and more comfortable with the things I had accomplished. I can’t wait to go back and start classes again. Pole overall has helped me feel better about my body and has even helped me feel a bit more comfortable in my body. It helps that instructors are so nice and welcoming to everyone. It also is nice that there are a variety of bodies of people in the class as well as the instructors. I felt it was easy to relate to the bigger body instructors because they had similar struggles with certain moves as I did and they knew how to alter the move somewhat in order to complete it. I’m very happy and proud to be a part of this studio. I hope to continue to keep going to Aerial Dance and to keep climbing up the ranks of the classes. I enjoy being able to explore other classes with the Elite Membership. It has helped explore the things I’ve had interest in and has given me the opportunity to try new things. I hope that in the future I can continue the Elite membership and can continue to try the different classes that are offered at Aerial Dance. Start your journey with Aerial Dance! Great places to start include Intro to Pole and Intro to Aerial!
Being an Intermediate Beginner
I have been stuck in beginner hoop, silks, and hammock for years now. I finally learned that I was able to take intermediate hammock (talk to your instructor if you aren’t sure if you are ready yet), I was so excited! I’d get to learn harder tricks, longer sequences, and different ways to do things. When I got to class and saw the first sequence I was terrified. Had I made a mistake? Was I even ready for this? By the end of class I felt so unsuccessful. I wasn’t able to do any of the full sequences and some of the moves from each sequence seemed impossible. I left class feeling slightly defeated. I wasn’t even sure I was going to take another intermediate class. When I got home I sat down and watched the videos of myself. Side note, take videos and pictures every chance you get! You will regret not doing it sooner. After I watched the videos, I realized I that I did a lot more than I thought. Sure I wasn’t able to do everything, but it was my first time doing almost all of the tricks we were shown. It’s so easy to watch other girls getting the tricks as you are sitting up on the air wrapped up going “Wait, my what goes where?? Which direction???” But I did things! I was still successful, and in the end that’s what matters. Always be proud of your progress and hard work! It’s hard to remind ourselves what it’s like to be new at something again when we “level up”. It is going to be hard again – which is what I wanted! I’ve taken a few intermediate classes since then and it has gotten easier! Can I do it all yet? No, but that’s okay. I can do more than I could yesterday. Growth takes time and effort. Keep trying! Start your Aerial Journey today!Start with a beginner class of your choice or try a little bit of everything with Intro to Aerial!
Show Up
I know the rule was that these blogs should be happy in nature, and I really hope they meet the criteria. But I think real and vulnerable don’t always have to compete with happy. If you’re thinking of joining Aerial Dance, I want these blogs to be nothing short of encouraging you to do so, and I want them to be honest about the process. There are days where I can’t wait to wake up and go to class, and hurt and heal my body in the best and most fun ways imaginable. There are also days where I dread it. Both will happen to you, too. Some days I leave class feeling so strong I’ll even hit the gym after or go for a run. You will literally feel invincible on these days and nothing will break your spirit. There will also be days where you leave class so exhausted in every way that you get in your car, don’t even turn on music, and just cry because you don’t feel strong enough, or sexy enough, or skinny enough. You’ll be too slippery to accomplish anything or you’ll have a mental block making it IMPOSSIBLE to get a move down. But guess what- you absolutely NEED those days too. This journey is not steady, or chronological. You’ll feel like you’re taking two big steps forward and then leaping three steps back sometimes. You learn in time that these leaps back do not break you. As long as you show up in some way (sometimes showing up for you means giving yourself a break, maybe instead of signing up for advanced pole you listen to your body and do aerial yoga instead). But you’ll learn how to show up for you in the best way possible. You’ll learn you have a group of women who know how to show up for you in the ways you need, whether it’s cheering you on when you finally nail that move you’ve been working on, foam rolling a muscle that aids in healing stored trauma (thanks Instructor Amber), being able to be vulnerable with your day to day life (thank you Instructor Kim, not even sure you remember having this talk with me but I remember exactly where we were sitting when you allowed me to be vulnerable with you), being told you have to eat to get strong (thank you Instructors Chrissy and Alyssa), laughing and feeling the burst of energy I need to get moving (thanks Instructors Sara and Erin). Every single instructor is dedicated to showing up and aiding in your progress, you will not be alone in this journey. If you’ve been wanting to try classes at Aerial Dance, why not show up in an Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial? Come play and start your journey!
Show Up for Yourself
In joining the sport of aerial dance, I had never expected myself to stick with it. I had found myself always wanting to try new things and always going through new hobbies, but never being able to commit to one and stick with it long enough to actually see progress. When I started with Aerial Dance, I knew it was something I would actually be able to see myself doing long term when I found myself excited to go to class. I would look forward to it as a part of my day to day life. I found myself taking better care of myself because I needed to have more energy for class. I also found myself to be eating healthier, setting a more strict sleep schedule, and taking time out of my day to exercise so I could keep in shape to get the most out of classes. I love being able to go to a place that makes me feel welcome and motivated to always do my best, even on days when it can be hard. Finding myself has been a journey in itself, but Aerial Dance has really opened my eyes to finding the inner me and realizing it is okay to take a moment for yourself and to relax. Often, I find myself so caught up in work and day to day life I find it hard to take time for myself. During classes that is my time to focus on what helps me and what I need to better myself physically and mentally. There is nothing more relaxing than being able to hang upside down with music in the background and stretching when class is over to make sure you get the proper warm up and cool down. I love being able to come to a place where I am excited to be and where I am enthusiastic about seeing myself progress. There is something about a lifestyle change that you cannot really put into words of how it really makes you feel. I can honestly say I have more energy than I have had in years and I feel stronger than I ever have. I am so excited to be able to continue to see myself progress through my journey and see the strength I can gain over the course of time! Thank you for bringing the real me back and encouraging me every step of the way! If you’ve been interested in trying something new, come take a class at Aerial Dance!Not sure what to try? Check out our Intro to Pole and Intro to Aerial classes!
Body Positivity
In today’s world we are seeing more and more about being happy in your body. TikTok has allowed many women to see that being plus size is not a bad thing. So many women on there have been challenging themselves to wear things out of their comfort zones and wearing things plus size women previously would not normally wear. It’s empowering and gives those who are self conscious about their body a sense of confidence. It’s helping women to love their body no matter what size you are. This was not always the case, in the past you were made to think that you had to be skinny to be happy and that if your body did not portray one of the “typical beauty” that it was bad. Personally I grew up thinking that I was ugly because I was plus size and I couldn’t wear things thinner people could. I discovered later in life that it is not so bad being plus size and you can wear what you want. Pole exercise, and any type of dancing for that matter, can really help you to feel confident in your body and that it doesn’t matter if you have curves or a few extra pounds. Pole exercise makes you feel like you belong and you can do anything, no matter what shape your body is. Thanks to my family, friends, and pole exercise I am starting to love my body the way it is and wear things out of my comfort zone. A lot of people associate pole dancing as having to be fit and thin, but that is not the case. When I first started attending classes due to receiving the classes as a gift for Christmas, I was so nervous. I thought “I’m plus size. I’m not sure if I can do this”, but boy was I wrong. It definitely was challenging to get my feet off the ground at first, but I did it. I found out that conditioning and practice is key. The more I continue to attend classes, the more I’m loving it and loving myself inside and out. As I stated before, watching other plus size women express themselves and wear what they want has helped me to feel more confident too. It is so nice to see that our world is becoming more of a body positive place and I am helping others to see that too. Pole is for all bodies!Come see for yourself by trying Intro to Pole or sign up for a full term and start your journey!
First Aerial Yoga Class
I had always wanted to try Aerial Yoga, but never had the time to try it. It has always been offered at the gym here in Fond Du Lac, but the timing never worked for me. I was a little nervous to try the class at first. Afraid again that my body would make it difficult to do the poses or that I was too heavy for the hammock to hold me. After a little bit of time thinking, I finally decided to try the Aerial Yoga class at the Appleton location. I wasn’t really sure what to think going into this class as I had never done this type of class before and didn’t really know all of what was entailed in the class. I was still nervous as I walked into the class, still worried that my body would just get in the way. However, the instructor was very nice and her voice was so soft and soothing. This helped me get more relaxed in the class. The lights were very dim and the air was at a perfect temperature. We started with some pretty basic moves that helped me feel at ease about joining this particular class. The moves helped make my body feel more relaxed and comfortable. When it came time to do an inversion and just hang there calmly, I got very nervous. I had never been in an inversion before let alone in a hammock. I was afraid that my weight wouldn’t be held by the rig. However, the instructor was very nice and encouraging to us, so I thought I would give it a try. I sat in the fabric and then slowly got myself to the inverted position. It felt so good to actually complete this position and all my nervousness went away once I was in that position. After the inversion, we went to lighter stretches to get things more relaxed and comfortable. The final thing we did was to lay fully encased into the hammock and to just take deep breaths and relax. This part was so comforting and felt right to do. Overall, my experience with Aerial Yoga at Aerial Dance was amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. I hope that sometime in the near future I can go again to another Aerial Yoga class. I hope to expand into other Aerial classes one day as well. Join us for Aerial Yoga at Aerial Dance Appleton and Aerial Dance Green Bay!
Making a Come Back from Illness
I unfortunately had to take a few months away from the studio due to health reasons. Some time that had passed and I was worried I had lost the ability and ambition to continue. Out of fear I was no longer ready to come back to intermediate level of the pole classes, I delayed contacting the studio for a little while. One day, I decided to reach out and see if I could come back to the studio to do intermediate pole classes. The Aerial Dance Team was so supportive and helpful during this process. I was quickly able to pick an intermediate pole class to join and was ready to come back. However, I became sick yet again and wasn’t able to attend any of the intermediate classes. The team at Aerial Dance was beyond phenomenal as they helped me cancel my remaining classes I had signed up for. After some time had passed and I felt better, I reached out yet again. I was a little nervous to do the intermediate class as it had been about 3 months since I last went to a class. I asked Chrissy if I could sign up for the next round of beginner classes as I didn’t feel well enough to do the intermediate class. She emailed me back with the list of classes and times that were available for the Beginner classes of pole. I’m very grateful for how the team at Aerial Dance has treated me throughout my time of being sick. It has made me feel better about the whole situation and has given me hope for continuing my journey at Aerial Dance. In the next few weeks, I plan to get back into things and I’m sure that the instructors will be the same as they had been in the past. I am very excited to get back into the swing of things and can’t wait to see what I can accomplish at Aerial Dance with all the different type of classes they offer! I plan to start with the beginner pole classes and slowly start to add some of the Aerial classes as well. With the help of the instructors and the passion I have for pole and aerial classes, I’m sure I will succeed in the future classes I take. Come meet the team at Aerial Dance and let them guide you through your journey!Not sure where to start? Why not try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
