Aerial Silk Classes at The Last Carnival
Silks 1
The Last Carnival’s Silks 1 class is an introduction to aerial fabrics class that will prepare you to fly into acrobatics and dance in the air. So come on down to the circus school and learn the fundamentals of aerial silks: your first step to becoming an aerialist! There are 7 foundational moves in aerial silks. In this class we will begin to cover those on the ground and in the air and find some fun poses and movements along the way. Aerial Silks are a fun way to get your fitness in, while challenging your mind at the same time as we learn how to create knots safely around our bodies. For the first time student, you will learn the basics of aerial conditioning, climbing, fancy descents, foot locks, hip keys, arabesques, inversion practice and more! The instructor will lead you through flexibility warm ups as you learn at your own pace with other beginners. Often the biggest concern of beginners is that they will not have enough upper body strength to execute moves. Silks class is designed to help build your upper body and core strength. This class truly does give you a full body workout while giving you a taste of what aerial movement is all about.
This is a 60 minute class. Prerequisite: none. Drop Ins Allowed. $30/class. When you sign up and prepay for the whole session the price per class is discounted to $22.5/class. Register online today though The Last Carnival calendar page.
Silks Level 2 Classes
This Class is for students who know the basic moves, and are still working on gaining the strength for moves in the air but are comfortable with inversions and movement from the ground level. New moves will be taught each week, giving the students a wide vocabulary of skills built on the basics of what was taught in previous classes. Level 2 aerial silks will introduce drop motions and movement series. You will be encouraged to find your favorite movement series and begin working on routines to push your endurance. You will gain strength, flexibility, balance, and agility. Students will explore transitions, wraps, inversions, drops, and movement series training and choreography.
This is a 60 minute class. Prerequisite: Silks 1 and permission from Sihka. $30/class. When you sign up and prepay for the whole 6 week course the price per class is discounted to $22.50/class. Register online today though The Last Carnival calendar page.
To advance to the this level you must be able to do the following:
-single foot locks
-double foot locks
-hip key
-arabesque
-classic and russian climbs
– be able to do a pull up
-be able to do a clean inversion : egg roll and straddle
-crossback staddle
-be able to transition yourself though moves in the air for two minutes without coming to the ground
Level 3 Aerial Silks Classes (Silks Theory)
This class is all about understanding movement. Aerial Silks Level 3 will help students really break down movements and understand what makes them. We will be asking the “what if” questions and in a safe environment explore the answers. After delving into a theory of a certain wrap or style of drops, students will be asked to create their own entrances and exits with what they have learned about the move. Students will also be invited to come to class with their own ideas and movement styles and you will work closely with the instructor to learn how to break down movements and create new ones. Advanced Aerial Silks students will be able to start to see the 
grace and beauty of their movements in this form of circus artistry. Upper level aerial silks classes are for those students who have mastered the basics and are ready to move onto some next level circus fun. These are fitness, dance, acrobatics, and circus skills classes like no other. For those students who are comfortable in the air and are interested in building sequences, techniques, and presentation skills these classes will help you to fly into your true potential!
This is a 60 minute class. Prerequisite: 2 years of aerial silks experience, an audition, and permission from Sihka. Register online today though The Last Carnival calendar page.
To advance to the this level you must be able to do the following:
-single foot locks in the air
-double foot locks in the air
-hip key in the air
-arabesque in the air
-classic and russian climbs
-cross back straddle from a climb
-double crochets in the air
-three pull ups
-be able to do three inversions in a row in the air : egg rolls and straddle ups
-be able to transition yourself though moves in the air for four minutes without coming to the ground
History of Aerial Silks
Aerial Silks are easily the youngest of the aerial arts, first appearing in a French Circus School 1959. As a final project, the school would assign students to present their existing senior act in a completely new way. One web student found a bolt of fabric in the local bizarre, and presented her act completely on these fabrics. History is from a newspaper report only – the school has no record of which student did this. Aerial Silks were practiced occasionally by others between 1959 and 1998. Over that time, the tail from the knot used to secure the fabric became a second leg of fabrics and , and modern silks were born. While silks have existed since that fateful spring day in 1959, it was not until 1998 when Isabelle Vaudelle and Isabelle Chassé performed separate silks acts in Quidam that the act became well-known.
