17th South Magazine

Top Menu

  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Culture
  • Indulge
  • Happening
  • Living
  • Cover Story
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

logo

Header Banner

17th South Magazine

  • Home
  • Latest
    • Artistic Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • WESTSIDE WARES

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • PCM Premieres

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Burning Up

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Edge of Tomorrow

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • The High Gets Higher

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • COMEBACK KID

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • DYNAMIC DESIGN

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • European Experience

      November 1, 2018
      0
  • Culture
    • The Voice of Atlanta Radio

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Put a Sock on It

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happy to Be Here

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Coming Up Roses

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Going Green

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • Stompin’ on the Westside

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • PAINTING THE TOWN

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • EAT WITH YOUR EARS FIRST

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • Atlanta-based designer Megan Huntz

      Fashion, Forward

      August 23, 2018
      0
  • Indulge
    • A Modern Classic Menu

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Drinks on Demand

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Family Affairs

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Food News - March / April 2019

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • A SEASONAL BITE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happening Hood Hangout

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • How Sweet It Is!

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Cozy Up, Drink Up

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Food News - JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Happening
    • ATLANTA ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • THE GREAT RACE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • FASHION FORWARD

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • LE JARDIN FRANÇAIS WINTER FLORAL DESIGN CLASS

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • 2019 ATLANTA BIENNIAL

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND TOUR OF HOMES

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • YOUR BEST LIFE

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • MOSCOW BALLET’S GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER - DOVE OF PEACE TOUR!

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • BOO AT THE ZOO

      September 27, 2018
      0
  • Living
    • Minnesota's Shopping Mecca

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Treasured Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Preserving the Past

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Cajun Country Culinary

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Spring Forward

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • West Highlands Retreat

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Highly Addictive Beauty

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Dose of the Ocean

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Gangbuster Alabama Getaway

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Cover Story
    • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GET CRACKING

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • CREAM OF THE CROP

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • LAST THINGS FIRST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • RISE & SHINE …

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Matt Gryder and Matthew Fishman

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Antonio Brown

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

  • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

  • CREAM OF THE CROP

  • GET CRACKING

  • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

  • LAST THINGS FIRST

  • RISE & SHINE …

Cover StoryNew Year New You
Home›Cover Story›Learning To Fly

Learning To Fly

By 17thSouth
December 30, 2016
2519
0
Share:

Head over heels for aerial Arts.

he first time I saw aerial arts in action was at Cirque du Soleil, where a couple was performing contemporary dance movements about 15 feet in the air, holding up their body weight using only one set of aerial silks. I was fascinated by the level of strength that was required.

What seemed to be a faraway goal turned out to be closer than I thought when I did a Google search to find Inspire Aerial Arts tucked away on Amsterdam Avenue in Midtown. I signed up for the “Introduction to Aerial Dance” class, despite the fact I’m not a dancer or a gymnast. I’m a runner. Little grace involved, but a lot of endurance.

Kimberly Sende, the owner of Inspire, shares some insight with me before my class. “The greatest challenge for most people starting aerial arts is getting rid of the misconception that you have to have a lot of upper body strength and be very flexible,” she says. “While having an athletic background certainly helps, everyone has to crawl before they can walk.”

I take the advice to heart as I go to the intro class and join 11 other students. Alicia Dixon, our instructor, starts by asking, “Who has done an aerial arts class before?”

No one raises a hand. Good, we are all newbies. I find that many of Inspire’s students are just looking for an alternative way to work out that doesn’t involve the gym. Some are former dancers interested in strength building, while others have no movement background at all but wanted a fun, challenging workout.

Within the first 15 minutes, we were “learning to fly,” as Dixon said, even if only three feet off the ground. In groups of three, we took turns mimicking Dixon’s moves on the silks. The possibilities of poses are endless. Some are simple, such as holding each tail of the silk in your hand and running into a gliding pose. Others involve some guts, such as the upside down splits or the scorpion that involved flipping upside down and grabbing an opposite foot in hand.

Each of the new poses I perform make me feel a little more confident, and I could tell my classmates feel the same. As the class progresses, they begin taking photos and posing for their cameras.

By the end of the hour-long introduction class, I feet a slight soreness in my abs and arms. The poses had required arm strength to pull into position on the silks, and core strength to move into inverted poses. But I was having so much fun that I hardly noticed my muscles engaging.

Once you complete the intro class, you can sign up for Aerial Hammock, where the knot, the primary place to support your foot while on the silks, is tied farther from the ground. You are higher in the air, and lose the sense of security and more strength is required for poses. From there, students move on to intermediate classes that teach techniques most often seen in aerial performances: climbing, performing complex sequences done from 10 to 15 feet in the air, dropping back down to the floor.

“The wonderful thing about aerial arts is that it’s a form of expression that meets you where you are and gives you a great sense of accomplishment, no matter how often you practice,” Sende tells me. “If someone wanted to pursue this art form and get stronger, I recommend practicing and coming to class at least twice a week.”

As with honing any skill, if your efforts are sporadic, you’ll find yourself having to backtrack until you build up the muscle memory. I haven’t decided if I want to pursue aerial arts or do it as a change of pace from my endurance training. Regardless, next time I see a Cirque performance, I’ll remind myself that they, too, started just a few inches off the ground.

Inspire Aerial Arts
549-5 Amsterdam Ave., 30306
404.465.4139
inspireaerialarts.com

STORY: Alexa Lampasona

Photo: Sara Hanna

TagsAlicia DixonAmsterdam Avenue in MidtownCirque du Soleilgreatest challenge for most people starting aerial artshour-long introduction classInspire Aerial ArtsIntroduction to Aerial DanceKimberly SendeLearning To Fly Atlanta MidtownPHOTO: Sara Hannaset of aerial silkssign up for Aerial HammockSTORY: Alexa Lampasonathe owner of Inspire
Previous Article

Joking Around

Next Article

FREEZE FACTOR

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • HappeningWhat's Going On Around Town

    Reliving Labyrinth

    August 25, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • LivingPeople

    Budding Beauty

    September 29, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • CreatorsCulture

    Coming Up Roses

    January 10, 2019
    By 17thSouth
  • LatestOpenings & Arrivals

    Behind Wearable Design

    July 21, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • EventsHappening

    “Freed Spirits” Exposes The Mysteries Of Historic Oakland Cemetery

    August 25, 2016
    By 17thSouth
  • LatestOpenings & Arrivals

    Ramen is the Nexto Trend

    August 25, 2016
    By 17thSouth

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may also be interested in...

  • Fresh BitesIndulgeNOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018

    Not Just a Pretty Cookie

  • EventsHappening

    Coming up… October 2016 Events

  • Living

    Victorian Revival

Visit Our Sister Publication

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

Follow us

Instagram @17thSouth

Follow on Instagram

Find us on Facebook

logo

17th South:
In the heart of Atlanta,17th South magazine reaches active, exploration-minded residents ages 24-65 who want to experience the best the area has to offer, through stories and features on individuals and businesses they can relate to in their direct communities. We feature of-the-moment and hidden gem restaurants, beautiful private homes, philanthropy, arts and cultural offerings, and the trendsetters and tastemakers who are making it happen!
Valuestream Media Group
simply-buckhead-magazine
17th-south-magazine

Contact Us

  • P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355
  • 404.538.9895
  • advertising@17thsouth.com

Find us on Facebook

Follow us

17th South Instagram

Follow on Instagram
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Pick Up A Copy
© Copyright 17th South. All rights reserved.