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aerial arts and more…
Before I started pole dancing, I had a very limited knowledge of other art forms (such as ropes, silks, lyra, belly dancing, water bowl, certain aspects of rhythmic gymnastics, and many others) compared to what I have since learned and seen. I also didn't realize that so many of the pole dancers I had been watching on YouTube were also proficient in several of these other amazing sports as well, and I would be just dying to learn all of these other things if only I had the time and money to do so (and lived in an area where any of these things were taught)!
How many of you have taken up any of these other activities, and how did you get started? How long have you been working on your other skill(s), and is it more of a hobby or something you train for?
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36 Replies
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I, too, have wondered how to find time, money, or availability of other aerial arts etc. I found a place that teaches lyra and silks, but the place is not widely known in the community unless you specifically search it out. There may be a gem of a place near you that just isn't widely advertised. Even after I discovered that such a place existed, I wasn't sure how to incorporate it into my weekly routine, since I was already spending so much time and money pole dancing. I caught a lucky break when I received a groupon special in my email for aerial yoga which made the classes more than half off. I would recommend signing up on the groupon site if you haven't already. I see lots of deals on a wide variety of fitness activities. As far as the time issue, it turned out that the aerial yoga class didn''t have any heavy attendance requirements except just to reserve a spot when you want to go, which made things pretty easy.
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i discovered hooping/hoopdance via a thread on another pole site. hooping became an obsession ranked right up there with pole. from that obsession, i have become friends with a lot of people that not only hoop, but bellydance, spin poi, spin fire hoops and poi, do aerial hoops and silks, etc. It was/is a whole new world, which i had NO idea about either, and I'm thankful every day to be involved in these flow art forms. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif
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oh, i've been hooping for two years now, and am now spinning poi and mini twins (some). I make my own hoops, and sell them too which is cool to be able to do.
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I hoop also! 😀 I was an active member on hoopcity.ca and came across some hoopers who were into aerial arts. At that time, I had no idea pole dancing was a sport and never thought I would be interested in aerial work since I was a horribly pathetic athlete. I would say I'm mainly a hooper because it's the only art form I have any fluidity with. But I got introduced into trapeze and silks thru hooping and luckily, there are quite a few places in Chicago that teach aerial arts. I would love to become serious with silks because I think they're so pretty, but it takes incredible strength! I incorporate my weekly aerial classes with my pole training, since the pole is essentially an aerial apparatus. I even found a contortion class nearby and I'm probably signing up soon to help with my flexibility.
Hooping though, is great for someone who doesn't have resources. I understand that not everyone lives by a major city. I learned everything from online and it's so PORTABLE! If I'm bored, I can just pick up my hoop and hoop in my room instead of hauling my lazy ass to the gym/studio!
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i have been doing circus since i was about 8 (im almost 22). so i did circus and aerial arts before pole. I only found pole through a friend who had one at her house when there was no silks around. I do silks, hoop, trap, juggling, spanish web, rope, tummbling, rythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, fire juggling and poi, and i have been teaching aerial for almost 6 or 7 years now. so long story short i found pole after aerial arts.
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All the poi, staff, rope dart and hoop lessons you could want are available at http://www.homeofpoi.com and there all free 🙂
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I started with pole and found other aerial arts afterwards. I also do silks, Lyra, Chinese pole and just recently started doing aerial/acro pole.
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I've always wanted to get into circus arts but as others have said the time time/money factors and the fact it can be tricky to find somewhere to learn have meant that I haven't got into any of them yet. I started hooping while I was travelling round Australia with my husband as it was much easier to carry around a hoop than a pole! But now I've stopped that again as I am now living in Sydney and don't have the space to hoop.
When I have got back into poling for a while and got my strength up I am going to emroll in a silks/hoop class and I really can't wait. I love hooping and started poi too a while ago which is also really fun, but none compare to pole, I just love the inversions and the strength it takes.
My friend and I did a skill swap for a while back home – she taught me belly dance and I taught her pole dance, which was really fun.
If I had time and money I would definitely be taking up loads more physical hobbies, but life definitely gets in the way a lot of the time!
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I just recently started Lyra, almost 2 years after I started poling! The Pole Gym (where I started learning pole and still go now!) started offering Lyra classes, and I just couldn't wait! It is so much fun, if you get the opportunity to try it, don't miss out! Another The Pole Gym a bit further away from me has really high ceilings and offer Aerial Silks classes, and I'm hoping to get into that at a later date – it looks so similar to poling (a lot of the moves look the same! Anyone agree), but it's gonna be a challenge to be climbing up a soft, swishy pole!
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I have tried silks once but now they are finally offering an adult acro class at a time I can attend so i will be going on Wednesday nites starting in June. So excited! He has silks, lyra and also pole in his acro classes.
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oh, i wish there was something like that near me! the closest i found was a six (+) hour round trip for a two hour class, once a week. not practical, unfortunately.
and thanks for posting that link, upandover. i've a set of poi that i've been trying to learn to spin but keep walloping myself on the head and getting disheartened by my lack of co-ordination!
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I have done a lyra and silk workshop – there is a studio a few hours drive from me. The hoop was similar to pole in a lot of ways – I found the silks a lot more challenging. I loved them both, but at this stage while there is still the pole to master, I doubt either will replace the pole as my first love – and, of course, while there are no lessons closer…
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I've tried lyra, Chinese pole, silks, and corde lisse. However, I've never done much more than dabble. My biggest hobby is actually yoga, and I feel that it helps with pole. I've done aerial yoga, acro yoga, and hand balancing intensives … as well as all kinds of normal yoga classes.
Personally, I'm glad I haven't found anything I prefer to pole. 🙂 I'm not sure I would have time for two major hobbies while still working a regular job full time. I used to be jealous of women who are accomplished pole dancers, as well as performers on aerial silks and lyra, and also work as figure models, etc (i.e. Jenyne Butterfly) … then I realized that this IS their job. They are professional performers and athletes full time. I'm jealous of that situation, but I'm not jealous about how they find time to fit it in anymore. :p
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I've tried lyra, Chinese pole, silks, and corde lisse. However, I've never done much more than dabble. My biggest hobby is actually yoga… I've done aerial yoga, acro yoga, and hand balancing intensives … as well as all kinds of normal yoga classes.
Personally, I'm glad I haven't found anything I prefer to pole. 🙂 I'm not sure I would have time for two major hobbies while still working a regular job full time. I used to be jealous of women who are accomplished pole dancers, as well as performers on aerial silks and lyra, and also work as figure models, etc (i.e. Jenyne Butterfly) … then I realized that this IS their job. They are professional performers and athletes full time. I'm jealous of that situation, but I'm not jealous about how they find time to fit it in anymore. :p
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After poling for 2 years I took up trapeze at the start of 2010. Since then I've taken up hoop and silks. I recently completed a 12 week course in Circus performance, run by my local circus space. I want to take up rope, but haven't got the time right now!
I absolutely love aerials and performing, so much so that I decided to make it my life.
I'm about to set off to do my first stint as an aerialist at a small touring circus. I'm really excited 😀
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Aerial arts are awesome to watch let alone try! 🙂
I've been poling for 8 months now and I have my first Aerial (a combo of silks/lyra and rope) class tonight. YAY! So stoked to give it a try!
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Circus arts are amazing and they work different muscles than the pole so it really strengthens your body all around. Check out the aerial equipment and information here:
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I pole, & hoop here & there. Hoping to get into lyra & silks soon. I’m lucky there are several places in Los Angeles that offer all sorts of aerial arts. Just need to find the time and $$$ to do it all.
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I've kind of moved away from pole (mostly because of no place to put it) to stay with silk. I started at a school in Tucson a couple of years ago, and have been working at it off and on ever since. I've been slacking some lately, but I'm working back into it.
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I found circus arts first, through the Burning Man festival community, which is a mecca for that. For a year after that I went to a drop-in silks practice and just learned by watching others (some of who were aerials teachers). This place only cost $10 for three hours. I also picked up lyra while I was there. During this time, I took up pole to help me build strength. Of course, I fell in love with pole and it became my main focus. Sadly, just recently that open practice space closed, and my only option now is to take silks and lyra lessons for nearly $30/hr. I'm doing that now, but I really can't afford to continue it. Long story short, my dream now is to go to a year long program at a real circus school and train in Chinese pole, silks, and lyra. If I'm going to spend all that money, I might as well do it the right way and get properly trained. Afterwards, I would teach. It all depends on whether I can raise the money, though.
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@elektro: I have been contempleting to go to China too, I got a yes form the international school of Pekin, did you try to get into it?
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I did about a year of Lyra and I loved it. I did it with my sister to combat my fear of heights. I tried this first and then discovered that a few of the girls who were in my Lyra class also did pole. Pole was something I always wanted to try so I gave that a go and now I am hooked. Lyra is fantastic and very different from pole. I found that in the class that I took we learnt at a much quicker pace than in pole which was a really slow build up to inverting. I guess because in Lyra you have huge crash mats underneath you where in pole there is just the hard floor to catch you !
I wish I could afford to do both but I cant so I am sticking with pole for the time being. Oh I have also been spinning fire poi for about 8 years now and perform at childrens parties and some events here and there.
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@ahlemh – I was thinking of going to the New England Center for Circus Arts in Vermont. I had not even considered going to China- what a wild and wonderful idea! I think you should go!
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I started doing aerial silks about 9 months ago. I had been poling for about 3 years at that time. If I hadn't been doing poling for so long and had the core and upper body strength I would not of progressed so quickly. So much of what I do on pole translates nicely onto the silks. I find I get tired out on the silks quicker than on pole but find learning new advanced pole tricks much more difficult than learning something new on the silks.
My instructor also recommended the New England Center for Circus Arts to me but I haven't had the time or money to do it.
I did purchase a rig for my backyard and when its not so hot outside I practice on it.
I still love pole more than silks though. I did try lyra but didn't like it.
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I started doing silks (and some corde lisse) in 2006, when a music project I was involved with was sharing a space with a circus school. I witnessed one of their classes during my rehearsal and was totally transfixed. So I’ve done silks on and off since then. I tend to be biceps-strong, which is good for silks because you’re always holding on! Pole is my primary apparatus by far, though.
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