“I was truly awed by the strength and agility of the performers. I never imagined that one day I’d actually be in a class.”

The first time I ever saw an aerial silks performance was back in 2004 as part of the Cirque du Soleil production Quidam, which was also the first Cirque show I’d ever been to. As mentioned in some of my previous posts, I’m not particularly coordinated or graceful (i.e. I often trip over my own feet and walk into things), so I was truly awed by the strength and agility of the performers. I never imagined that one day I’d actually be in a class, learning how to climb silks and turn myself upside down. But that’s just where I found myself at the end of last year.

I watched a fair bit of U.S. TV when I was growing up, and seem to remember almost all the shows that involved a school or school age kids either mentioning or having the challenge of climbing a rope as a key part of an episode. This included shows such as Saved By The Bell, Family Matters and Boy Meets World. Having never experienced it myself at school in Australia, I always wondered what it would be like. I found out in my first silks class.

While some people seemed to pick it up easily, I did not. It wasn’t until my third class that something finally clicked and I managed to climb the silks to the ceiling for the first time. I got the big deal about the rope climb. The sense of accomplishment when I made it to the top that very first time felt great, and, given how much I struggled at the beginning, I’ve felt it every time since.

Like pole dancing (my other favourite sport), there is always something new to learn with silks. Now I can climb to the ceiling, there are new challenges, like going upside down into a tuck and then pushing my legs straight up (I can almost do this) or climbing up, locking myself into place with my legs and letting go of my hands while leaning backwards (not so much yet). These are just the basics—and I haven’t even talked about the lyra (aerial hoop), which presents a whole range of other tricks to learn!

If you’re reading this and thinking, “it sounds like fun but there’s no way I could do that”, I challenge you to prove yourself wrong. Remember the beginning of this piece? I am not coordinated or graceful, and have never naturally been good at sport. But I persevere, and every week I surprise myself with what I’ve managed to achieve. And when I can’t do something, I try, and try again—and bond with the others in my class who also can’t do it! (yet—we’ll get there eventually!)

Silks and lyra is a fun and different way of getting fit and building up your strength, and I highly recommend giving it a go. You can try for yourself at Aerial Pole Academy in Kingston (which also offers pole, pilates and flexibility classes). Term 2 starts the week commencing this Monday 25 February and runs for six weeks. More information is available at www.aerialpoleacademy.com.au.