Maybe I Should Take A Class?

When I first started aerials, I had the amazing good fortune to stumble on a fabulous teacher. I learned so much (unfortunately fair bit of which I can’t remember), but she also instilled good fundamentals for which I am forever grateful. Unfortunately, my fabulous instructor decided to retire from teaching aerial after I had been studying with her for a couple of years. She referred me to a wonderful protégé of hers, but a year or so later she also stopped teaching (at least for a while) in order to start a family. I was referred again, but that did not pan out. So regular lessons ended.

However, I continued to share studio space with a great group of folks and have learned quite a bit from them informally. I have also done a lot of what I was told to never do – that is, learn things off of You Tube videos. Most importantly, I have continued to practice and improve on what my first two instructors taught me, which has proved to be material enough to digest for a while. Self-study has actually been pretty good since it has taught me to take the initiative for my training, and not rely on an instructor to direct me. (I think that this is actually the way that most aerialists developed until relatively recently when instruction became more commonly available.)

But now, I think that I need some lessons. My vocabulary on hoop is very limited. As far as silks, I have been appropriately reluctant to try drops on my own, but would like to learn more of them in a safe setting. There are also some basic silks skills that would benefit from fine-tuning. I have researched the local scene for instruction, and I think I know what will work best for me in terms of scheduling and transportation. Now, I just need to make the time and the effort. Having my own practice space is kind of spoiling me, because travelling for instruction now seems like an added burden as opposed to being my only access to equipment. Still, I need to overcome the inconvenience and do it. Or else I just won’t grow.