beginning aerial fabric instructional manual

Beginning Aerial Fabric

Instructional Manual

A step-by-step guide for teachers

and students of aerial silks

Rebekah Leach

Photos by Matthew Leach

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Rebekah Leach.

This book may be purchased in bulk quantities with discount rates. Please e-mail [email protected] for information.

When practicing aerial fabric, always do so in the presence of a trained professional, with load-tested fabric hanging from

load-tested rigging, which has been set-up and is inspected frequently by rigging professionals, along with crash pads

underneath the fabric. It is recommended that you check with your doctor or healthcare provider before commencing any

exercise especially a rigorous program such as aerial fabric. Also, please be aware that inverting can be dangerous to certain

persons, especially those with a history of heart conditions. Check with your doctor or healthcare provider before

performing any movement which includes upside-down movement.

Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this material, there is a real chance of injury in execution of the movements

described in this book. The Publishers and all persons involved in the making of this manual will not accept responsibility for

injury to any degree, including death, to any person as a result of participation in the activities described in this manual. Purchase

or use of this document constitutes agreement to this effect. Furthermore, rigging of aerial equipment is not discussed in this

manual. Consult a professional rigger when it comes to the use of any hanging equipment.

Published by Lulu.com

United States of America

ISBN 978-0-557-11080-3

Fourth Edition

Copyright © 2011 Rebekah Leach

This manual series is dedicated to my students in Ojai, CA who brought my teaching spirit alive.

You taught me not only how to teach aerial dance, but also how to teach creativity, in a way that

is invaluable to the human spirit. For this, I thank you.

PREFACE:

―I have zero upper body strength; there‘s no way I could lift myself.‖

I often hear this statement in conversations about aerial dancing. I hear it mainly from women who would

love to try aerial dancing, but believe that it‘s not for them because of their perceived physical limitations.

It is for all women who agree with the above statement that I write the following narrative.

I could not do a pull-up before I started aerial dancing. During high school, I had a friend named Tanya

who could do over twenty pull-ups in a row. She was a circus performer and incredible in her strength

and discipline. I admired her and wanted the pull-up ability to rub off on me, and so I tried and I tried.

She would spot me and encourage me, but to no avail. I left high school without one pull up under my

belt (unless you count the half pull-ups Tanya graciously counted in attempts to help me feel successful).

In college, I started taking dance technique classes for the first time since I was three. My modern dance

instructor at the college said that I had horrible feet and suggested ballet, so I took one year of ballet to

train my toes to point. Despite dance classes, I gained the freshmen fifteen, and was not in great shape. A

pull-up seemed even farther away from possible. But, the summer after my sophomore year, I caught the

aerial bug. I just had to put myself into the air and knew that it was now or never. So, for three straight

months, I visited the gym three times a week, not without fail, but with enough consistency so that by the

end of the summer, I could do one solid pull-up, and my body never felt so good or looked so strong. I

learned a lot about myself that summer and about the power of attitude when you are working towards a

goal. I don‘t always have a good attitude, but I have learned that my best work comes when I believe the

best of myself.

Ironically, once I had the guts to do a fabric class because I could finally do a pull-up, I discovered that

there is actually a lot you can do on fabric even if you can‘t do a pull-up! One of my biggest motivations

for developing a course on the ―knot‖ was to help students who have zero arm strength to dance away in

the air and have fun while gaining arm strength in the process. (While this manual does not cover knot

technique, I have written a course on Aerial Yoga which does. Check it out at AerialDancing.com.)

Although I am proud of my strength-gaining story, the reason I share it with you is in the hope that it

encourages someone who feels like they have don‘t have what it takes. What it really takes is attitude. If

you feel like you are too old, too fat, too weak, too whatever—let it go. Of course, aerial dancing is not for

everyone, but anyone with an interest has potential to be an aerial dancer.

Enjoy strengthening your mind, body, and soul,

~Rebekah Leach

This book is intended for teachers of aerial arts, or students who have taken

aerial classes who would like to review or extend their skills in the presence of

a trained professional. This manual is not intended to act as a substitute for

live instruction. You should always perform these movements under the

guidance of a qualified instructor, with mats underneath you, and on a rig that

has been set up by a qualified rigger.

Any activity that involves height and/or motion can

cause serious injury including death.

Please aerial dance responsibly.

DISCLAIMER

Contents

Introduction i

About Comment Sections iv

Note to Teachers and Spotters vi

Note to Students vii

Terminology and Conventions viii

Move Dependency Chart ix

1) A Few Essentials

Shoulder Positioning 2

The Ball Exercise 4

Straddle Back 5

2) Fabric Fundamentals

Basic Stand 8

Basic Climb 9

Relaxed Descent 10

Russian Climb 11

Footlock 12

‗Round the Back Hold 14

Hip Lock 15

Iron T 19

3) Basic Footlock Moves

Standing Hip Lean 22

Sitting Hip Lean 23

Cocoon 24

Sail 25

Layback Invert/Upside-down Splits 26

Bow & Arrow 27

Arabesque 28

Sideways Middle Splits ver.1 30


Basic Leg Roll Up 32

Backwards Leg Roll Up 34

Clothesline 36

4) Single Footlock Moves

Flamingo 38

Knee Hang 40

Starfish 41

Vertical Hang 42

½ Scorpion 43

Supported Bridge 44

Lotus Hang 45


Arrow 48

‗Round the Back Hold on a Single Ribbon 49

Ankle Hang 50

5) Double Footlock Moves

Double Footlock & Splits 54

Leg Roll in the Splits 56

Resting Position 57

The X 58

Cross Back Straddle 60

6) Bonus Moves

Shoulder Sling 64

Cat‘s Cradle 66

APPENDIX

Article: “A Brief History of Aerial Arts” 70

Article: “Dance vs. Circus” 72

Index of Moves 75

Acknowledgments 76

About the Author 77

The move shown on the cover is the cross back straddle; instructions are located on page 60.

Introduction

Welcome to a grand adventure! This book was written at an exciting time in aerial history, when the art

form of aerial silks was barely making its debut in America. It is one of the younger aerial art forms and

there remains much uncharted territory. Just think, ―What can a mover do with two pieces of fabric hung

from the ceiling?‖ Don‘t feel confined to simply practicing established moves – let them be the seeds of

your journey, let them grow on you, and then expand into discovery of your own unique style, moves,

choreography, etc. Let the joy of expressing yourself lead you into pioneering your own grand adventure.

About the selection of moves

If you are a teacher of the circus arts, you may be surprised by the moves were selected for this beginning

course of fabric. Some moves that may typically be considered basic may be missing from this manual

(and are included in the intermediate manuals instead). This is due to the fact that the beginning student

at a circus school generally has a background in circus, and whose strength is generally above

average. Circus schools often begin their fabric courses with moves that require full grip strength. They

may introduce climbing on day one and quickly progress to moves that require a full straddle back from

one climb on the fabric (which is the prerequisite for the intermediate level in this course). In my personal

experience, this requires more strength than your average person has. While the straddle back exercise is

in this manual, it serves as a goal that students may work up towards rather than something that is

expected to be mastered from the start (and note: even when a student is able to do a straddle back from

the ground, doing it in the air may not come immediately). Occasionally, a student comes into class with

the strength to execute this dividing line move. However, being a teacher that caters to the lowest

common denominator, I appreciate a curriculum that allows students who have little grip strength and

weak upper body muscles to participate in the class and work on these skills in the meantime. Being an

aerial dance class, the focus is on more than just strength, and those students who come in with strength

find that they often have other skills to focus on improving during the beginning curriculum, so that this

course works for students coming from all levels and abilities. The only prerequisite is to be in good

physical condition.

More about the beginning curriculum

As previously noted, this beginning course is designed very carefully to help students gain strength while

simultaneously starting work on the fabric. The majority of moves in this course can be executed a foot off

the ground, allowing a student who is exhausted to be able to step down. Also, the moves wrap you up so

much that minimal grip strength is required. This is perfect for students coming in who have very little

strength in this area.

Although not every may agree with me, I believe one of the finer qualities of this beginning curriculum is

the complex nature of many of the wraps. Even something as "basic" as the footlock is quite confusing

when it is first learned. Nearly every student will begin the wrap in the wrong direction at some point in

time. In another example, students often get completely lost at the end of the leg roll-up, not

understanding how to come back to where they started. New students often step down to the ground and

find they can't take off the footlock because they did not completely reverse all their twists and turns. That

i

moment of confusion is a classic learning moment. A student looks at their foot thinking, "What just

happened? I thought I would be able to take this off like I normally do." The teacher steps in and explains

that they stopped one rotation short. Without elaboration, the student realizes it‘s important to pay closer

attention to wraps so that they can undo it to exit. Then, when they learn the next new movement, they

have a heightened attention to where they are wrapping. They will exit with better success with each new

wrap, being able to follow what they did and adapt the mental skill set to reverse it. What is also great

about this scenario is that a student is so busy moving around in the fabric and trying to figure out how to

wrap that they don‘t even notice how much they are holding on to the fabric and building up their grip

strength. Having a course filled with intricate wraps that are low to ground and require minimal grip

strength is the secret to a successful first course that is adaptable to a wide range of ability levels and

movement backgrounds.

Sequencing the curriculum

There are an infinite number of ways to design a beginning aerial fabric curriculum, but here‘s some

guidelines to help the highest percentage of students be successful in a beginning course:

Always begin with shoulder positioning (chapter one). This should be the most emphasized topic at the

very beginning of the course. While students are practicing taking weight into their hands, this is the time

to do a scan of ability levels. How many of your students can already lift their legs off the ground? If there

are students who cannot lift their legs, then I prefer to refrain from demonstrating the ball and straddle

back exercises until later in the course. Once all of the students can lift their legs off the ground while

holding the fabric in their hands with proper shoulder positioning, that is my cue to introduce the ball and

straddle back exercises (with bent arms and bent legs).

If all of the students are able to hold their weight in their hands in the shoulder positioning exercises, then

I will introduce climbing as described in chapter two. If there is even one student who cannot hold their

weight in their hands yet, I switch up the order of my course and skip over to the footlock. In the lowest-

ability-level case, I like to teach the footlock from the ground, then hop over to a random assortment of

moves such as the standing hip lean, the flamingo, and perhaps the arabesque. Over the next couple

weeks of the course, strength exercises are emphasized in class and encouraged at home. I often

recommend if students do not have a gym membership to go to the nearest park and hang on the monkey

bars. Pull-ups (and even just hanging) are the best exercises to prepare for aerial work. The biggest new

strength a person has to gain (and the first to be lost when you stop aerial work) is grip strength. I find

that a good grip, like any developing muscle, can be gained through weekly discipline.

You can see how the ability level of the students drives the curriculum, but at the same time, there are

necessary landmark moves that must be taught for those students who will be moving on to the

intermediate course. One major example is the hip lock in the air. If there are students who cannot yet

hold their weight in their hands, they will keep working on the hip lock from the ground while the other

students work on the hip lock in the air. The same thing applies to performing a footlock in the air, as

well as iron T. Not everyone will be able to climb, but is important that they are exposed to it by the end of

the course. The full ankle hang may get left out of my beginning course. I will have students practice a

plank position two feet off the ground going towards an ankle hang, but they may not be ready to climb

high enough to execute the full ankle hang. I typically save the cross back straddle for the last move

ii

taught in the course. It is quite challenging, yet most students can invert in cross back straddle with a

spotter‘s help. The sensation of being fully supported at the hips while your arms hang down free makes

some students giggly with delight. The fun nature of this move along with the appropriate challenge helps

to end the course on a positive note.

The names of the moves

You should be aware that more likely than not, the names in this manual will be different than the names

that you currently use in your aerial fabric classes. Feel free to cross out the names in this manual and add

your own! As there become more and more pockets of aerial work, there are more and more names for all

these various movements floating around in the aerial community. This book can help standardize

vocabulary for aerial programs, but even I do not stick to the names of these moves in my own program.

For the majority of movements, I try to have a technical name that describes the movement in such a way

that hopefully any aerialist would be able to tell what move is being described, in addition to a silly name

that can be used during classes. At any rate, names are just names, and this manual is not the last word on

what these moves are called.

The history of the moves

Many people learning aerial fabric today do not realize how new this art form is to the world, and

especially new to America. Aerial fabric is not as well-established as other dance forms such as ballet.

Rope (corde lisse) was used in circus acrobatics long before fabric was used, and many moves easily

transfer from rope to fabric. Many fabric fundamentals such as the hip lock that use the fabric together as

one piece have been inherited from the rope lineage. On the flip side, moves that require the use of the

two separate ribbons were likely created in the last couple decades. Many of these moves are recently

created by people who are still performing and teaching today. It is an important part of a community to

honor those leading the way. Aerialist Rebecca Leonard said, ―I am a strong believer in the tradition of

lineage. As aerial silks is such a new art form we must, as artistic practitioners, honor the pioneers.‖ Many

moves are developing as people get creative and feed off the creative spirit that is taking place on fabric.

One idea inspires another, which inspires another. Let‘s keep the creative process going and thank those

who lead the way!

For more on the history of the aerial arts, turn to the appendix at the back of the book. Steven Santos has

generously contributed an excerpt from his book, The Simply Circus Rigging Textbook, which is a resource

for rigging aerial apparatuses. Check out the excerpt ―A Brief History of Aerial Arts‖ on page 73.

iii

About Comment Sections

Exit Strategies

The ―getting down‖ part of each movement will appear separately from the steps of the movement itself

because movements will eventually flow from one to the next. The exit strategy will tell how to return to a

basic position, such as the basic stand, or a footlock.

Teachers, remind your students to save enough energy for the exit as they practice each movement.

Sometimes, students will become exhausted from working on a new move and they will be tempted to try

a short-cut to come down. In doing so, they risk injury. You can have students pretend that they are high

up in the air, and they must come back to the basic stand or relaxed descent and slide down even if it is

simply one foot off the ground. Encourage beginners to complete movements in the air to help build

stamina. A body is more at risk for injury when the muscles are tired. If a student is stuck, have them take

a moment with a nice deep breath before continuing. This will help bring oxygen to the muscles and

reduce any frustration.

What’s Holding You

For many positions, it will be clear where your weight is, but appearances can sometimes be misleading.

When the weight is somewhere that is not obvious, this extra section will be given to illuminate what you

must be aware of while you are in the position. Sometimes there are options and your weight can be in

different places depending on your strength. This section will highlight those choices.

Variations

All movement is meant to be morphed to your own individual style once you learn the parameters in

which you can safely move. It is unreasonable to list every variation possible for every movement.

(Besides, that is part of the fun of exploration!) Every movement can be changed to be done a little

differently. That is what makes aerial fabric interesting, and writing an instruction manual challenging.

Wherever I thought that there was an ―obvious‖ variation, I took a picture and included it, but please

know that I did not exhaust all possible variations for any movement.

Note: The one exception to the above is that this course covers many variations that stem from the flamingo in order

to teach how to take a base move and expand upon it. This idea can then be applied to any other base movements.

(You’ll learn more about base movements in intermediate course.)

Strengthening Tips

This section describes the strength required to perform the movement at its best. In doing so, it serves a

couple purposes. In the short term, it helps you identify the part of your body that should be warmed up

that day before the move. In the long term, this is the part of your body that you may need to build

strength or flexibility, perhaps even before attempting the move. If you can do the move but you would

like to make it even better, this helps identify what part of your body can be made stronger or where you

can increase your range of motion in order to perform the move at your best.

iv

Teachers & Spotters

This section identifies any ―error pits,‖ which are the errors that students are most likely to fall into. It

highlights the common mistakes that students most often make and how to avoid them.

Spotting on fabric slightly differs from other sports that involve height. Of course a spotter is always there

to help keep a student safe, but in fabric, almost all beginning moves can be done within a foot off the

ground. In certain moves, they could let go and flail but not fall because the fabric has them so well

wrapped. For other apparatuses, trapeze being one for example, this is not the case; losing grip is more

likely to equate to falling off the apparatus.

While falling is a risk on fabric, there is a bigger risk to address: getting caught in a weird wrap. The most

popular ―when things go wrong‖ moments arise from students who wrap themselves incorrectly and, for

example, their foot is caught, or their skin is being pinched uncomfortably, and they don‘t see how to exit

safely. This is why the Teaching & Spotting section has the focus that it has: on where students usually take

wrong turns and how to steer them in the right direction. Some commentary is on the traditional use of

physical spotting, but the general trend is to shift the emphasis to more of a mental and verbal spotting

philosophy. This works especially well with adult students. It requires the spotter to be a very active

observer throughout the progression of each wrap, so that they know how to get a student out of a wrap

at any moment in time. In this way, you avoid having a situation such as an ankle wrapped so tightly that

circulation is being cut off and no one immediately sees how to get the person out of the wrap because no

one was paying attention to how they got there. At the higher level, it prevents accidents where a student

lets go, thinking they wrapped correctly for a drop when they did not. You should always have spotter.

Even professional aerialists use knowledged observers to make sure that they have done wraps correctly

for falls, etc.

A good spotter is…someone who knows the move so well that they can

immediately tell whether or not the student is doing or has done the

wrap correctly. The most important role of a spotter is to watch the

student on the fabric and verbally direct them to the correct move if

they are headed in the wrong direction. Motto for spotters: You want to

help students get mentally unstuck before they get physically stuck.

v

Note to Teachers and Spotters

My hope is that you are teaching because you have a love for helping others. I know that I do, and it is

with great joy that I speak to others who are doing the same. Since you are interested in teaching, you

probably know a lot about the fundamentals of fabric already. I hope that the information presented here

strikes a good chord and only encourages what you are already doing. I would appreciate your feedback

to help improve this book so it can be as helpful as possible to aerial dance teachers everywhere. Here are

a couple notes I wanted to address as fundamentals to teaching aerial dance:

Include a ground warm-up prior to any aerial practice, workout, or performance. A good warm-up

promotes joint mobility. At least five minutes of non-impact movement is a great way to start.

Include movement of all joints with extra focus on the shoulder joints to prevent injury in aerial

work. This also promotes focus, which is your number one safety tool.

Continue to emphasize injury prevention exercises throughout the entirety of a beginning course

so that the students will have a strong body supporting them in the air.

Keep a focused environment throughout the entire practice, workout, etc. Make sure that students

on the fabric can always clearly be heard and communicate to a spotter nearby and vice versa. To

promote focus, start all movements very slowly with a gradual progression in each step. Students

can speed up movements as they progress, but make sure to start slow. This also teaches patience.

Use progressive training methods, so that students are working at the appropriate strength level at

all times. Do not allow a student to work on a movement before they have the strength to not only

do the movement, but can also spend time on the fabric figuring it out.

Teach modifications, and make sure that students are placed in a class that is level-appropriate. At

the same time, make sure that students are being appropriately challenged and that they are given

options to vary movements to express their own creativity.

Encourage balance. The moves in this manual have been taught on only one side of the body, but

that does not imply that you should only do one side! Substitute left for right, and right for left,

and practice the movements on the other side of the body. Especially when developing muscle,

you want to establish balance during the habit-forming stages to prevent injury later on. (When

students are learning new material, sometimes it can be confusing to do both sides, so feel free to

come back to it as an exercise once the move is more established.)

Encourage students to help each other. It helps establish a community. Given the complexities of

aerial fabric, it is a wonderful exercise in verbal communication skills for one student to explain

steps to another. (Of course, eavesdrop to make sure they aren‘t getting someone stuck!) I find that

it also encourages students to think more heavily about what is being said to them because they do

not trust their fellow students as much as they trust their instructor. And they shouldn‘t! But, they

should always second guess an instruction—no matter where it comes from—because anyone can

make a mistake, and students need to always intertwine good judgment with instruction.

vi

Note to Students

While working with the moves in this book in conjunction with a fabric instructor, here are some general

ideas to keep in mind:

The more movement experience you can have prior to learning aerial fabric, the better. Many

principles of other disciplines will transfer well when you start working with fabric. It would be

overwhelming to be developing muscle control, breathing, concentration, fluidity, balance,

coordination, and brain-muscle connections all at once. You do not have to be an expert in all these

areas, but the more experience you have with movement, the easier the transition will be to

working on aerial apparatuses.

Each move should be executed slowly, with maximal focus and control. Do not rush or make

guesses. Mentally double-check every movement to ensure that it has been done correctly. As you

progress in height on the fabric, a mistake could cost you your neck (literally!) so you want to

develop the habit of focus as early as possible.

Don‘t sit down during class. (It is one of my personal pet peeves.) When you sit down, your energy

drains and your muscles aren‘t as prepared as they could be to get back on the apparatus. The

secret to flexibility and agile strength is to use your training time wisely. When you are taking a

break between turns in the air, do ballistic stretching. Or cross-train! After all that pulling action,

do some push-ups to help maintain muscular balance. Stay in training mode every second of every

class and you will see results!

A beginning course is generally where you will find the highest concentration of strength-building

tips available to you. As you progress to more advanced levels, it is expected that you know

enough to do your own strength-maintaining exercises, as well as design your own warm-up to

suit your body‘s particular needs. Take advantage of the time when it is first taught to you to soak

up all the best habits so that you can prevent injury as you progress in the aerial arts.

Listen to your teacher when she says ―Keep your shoulders down.‖ What this means is to bring

them away from your ears and into a neutral, seated position in your back. Pay careful attention to

this to build injury-preventing habits, as well as a beautifully strong back.

It is beyond the scope of this manual to include every detail about proper form but that makes it no

less important. On the contrary, it is of utmost importance, and you should always be mindful of

where your body is in space and what it looks like. Working with video of yourself can be an

excellent teaching tool. Ask your aerial fabric instructor if you may take videos of yourself during

a convenient time, and then watch it with someone who can critique your lines and positions. This

is one of the best ways to improve your spatial intelligence; it helps you to understand the

difference between what you think you look like and what you actually look like. When you

understand those differences, then you can correct yourself so you can look how you want to look.

vii

Terminology and Conventions

Writing about a visual art form such as dance is hard enough, but there are added elements with dancing

in the air such as being upside-down and all around 3-D space. So, let‘s establish a few guidelines right

from the start to help make our communication a little easier:

By default, all instructions in this manual are described on the right side. The purpose of choosing

right and left is for the sake of writing consistent instructions. You are encouraged to practice all

moves on both sides of the body.

En dedans [ahn duh-DAHN] and en dehors [ahn duh-AWR] are movement vocabulary borrowed

from ballet. It is helpful to use these terms to explain the direction of the rotation of the leg in the

hip socket. Become so familiar with these terms that you can do them upside-down when you feel

slightly disoriented with direction. En dedans is the term most frequently used in these

instructions and we will define it as follows: To perform an en dedans movement with the leg, you

take your foot behind you and circle to the outside the body to draw the leg forward. If you are

using your right foot, this is a counterclockwise motion. En dehors is in the opposite direction:

Take the leg forward and draw along the arc of a circle towards the back. If you are using your

right foot, it is clockwise.

The phrase ―pole of the fabric‖ or sometimes ―pole‖ for short is used to describe the part of the

fabric above the holding point. It is always taut with the weight of the body at the holding point.

The ―tail of the fabric‖ or ―tail‖ is used to refer to the fabric that is loose below the weighted point.

To refer to the ―ribbons” means that the fabric has been separated and you wish to refer to the

strands of the fabric. So, there are right and left ribbons, or the fabric. This will help clarify

statements such as ―hold on to the fabrics with both hands.‖ If we mean a separated fabric, it will

read ―hold on to the ribbons with both hands.‖ This terminology was chosen due to the fact that

the fabric is thinner when separated into its two parts, and looks more like ribbon. However, when

the context is clear, one strand may still be referred to as fabric.

A ―safety‖ is something that adds another layer of protection against falling out of the move. For

example, an extra wrap may be added as a ―safety.‖ It may or may not be a necessary part of the

move, but it is recommended so that if you slip, it can be an extra back-up to catch you. However,

do not rely on a safety for safety. The best safety precautions you can take are (1) to work with a

trained instructor so that you do moves correctly, (2) understand the required strength and form

for each move, and (3) work with a spotter and mat underneath you at all times.

viii

Move Dependency Chart

The move dependency chart will help you identify what moves you need to master in order to learn other

moves, as well as how moves are interrelated to each other. The only move covered in this manual that

you will not see on this chart is the hip-lock. This is because there are no prerequisites (besides knowing

the crucial information about shoulder positioning that is prerequisite to all the movements). There are

also no moves that build upon the hiplock in this manual. (There are a multitude of moves that build upon

the hiplock, but they will be covered in subsequent courses.)

To ―crochet‖ [kroh-shey] your legs, you will need to know the straddle back exercise; however, this move

is not built upon in this manual. Again, it is a basis for many moves which will be seen in the coming

manuals.

En Dedans and en dehors are also used throughout the book. While they are not listed on the move

dependency chart, they are defined on the previous page. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with

these terms, as you will see them often. NOTE: you may be interested to know that I do not often use en

dedan and enhors with live instruction. They are simply used to clarify what movement is taking place as

I put these moves in the written word, where I can‘t say ―like this‖ and show you.

ix

Move Dependency Chart

x

A Few Essentials

Shoulder Positioning ♦ The Ball Exercise ♦ Straddle Back

It is critical to know how to position your shoulders correctly to help prevent

injury to your body. This is the one implied prerequisite to all other movement in this

course. The other two exercises in this opening chapter are for you to work on at your

own progression throughout the beginning course. They are demonstrated full out so

you know what you are working up towards during your beginning course. Once you

have these exercises mastered, you are ready for the intermediate course.

2 A Few Essentials

Shoulder Positioning

Everyone comes into aerial work with different

movement backgrounds. As an instructor, it is

your job to lead students from their current

strength level to where they need to be to begin

aerial work. For students, it is your job to find

someone who can help you accomplish this.

There is no strength-building program that

works for everyone, and it is beyond the scope of

this manual to cover all the various methods of

building strength in the shoulders and arms. This

manual only includes an introduction to

fundamental fabric exercises.

A Note about Injury Prevention

You might already be aware that the most

frequently injured body part for ballet dancers is

the ankle, and so you can probably guess what

the most injured body part is for aerialists: the

shoulder. As this is the case, it is of utmost

importance to learn how to prevent injury in the

shoulder region. Injury prevention always begins

with one thing: proper form. Then, build strength

by performing exercises with the proper form, in

tandem with stretches that increase your range of

motion.

Please note: Always include a floor warm-up

prior to performing any exercise in this manual.

The Hang with Straight Arms This is an excellent exercise to include in every warm-

up before working on the fabric.

Step 1: Hold the ribbons with both hands above

your head. Allow your hands to be slightly in

front of you and your shoulders pressed down

away from the ears.

Step 2: Gradually transfer weight into your

hands. Think of having a long neck to prevent

the shoulders coming up to the ears. If you feel

that you cannot take any more weight in your

hands with shoulders anchored, then do not

proceed into a full hang.

Step 3: Tuck your pelvic girdle slightly under

and engage your abdominal muscles. Bend your

knees, and pull your knees up towards your chin

in a tuck. Progress to straight leg holds and leg

lifts in your workouts.

A Few Essentials 3

The Hang with Bent Arms

Step 1: Hold the ribbons with at about shoulder

height with your hands on the outside of your

shoulders and your elbows pointed to the

ground.

Step 2: Keep your arms wide, and build strength

by holding this position, gradually transferring

weight from your feet into your hands. There

will be a tendency for your hands to squeeze in

towards each other as you take weight. Prevent

this by keeping your arms wide and keeping the

shoulders in their neutral position.

Step 3: Hold for at least ten seconds and then

replace your feet on the ground. Repeat and

progress to include leg holds and leg lifts.

Incorrect Shoulder Positioning

The three pictures above are examples of

incorrect shoulder positioning. The first picture

on the left depicts the tendency of rolled

shoulders when students first hold their weight

on the fabric with bent arms.

Since most people are already stronger in the

front of their body as opposed to their back,

typically students pull forward instead of back.

However, be aware that overachievers may be

susceptible to pulling back too far if the

instructor always says “Pull your shoulders

back” as part of their proper form reminders.

Neither extreme is desirable. You want the

shoulders in a neutral position, and all

surrounding muscles working to support the

neutral position.

The picture on the right above is an example of a

popular incorrect form when hanging on any

aerial apparatus. The shoulders need to be pulled

down, away from the ears. This incorrect

position puts you at risk for injury because when

your shoulders are up, you cannot engage the

surrounding muscles properly to support the

weight of the body nor properly engage the core.

4 A Few Essentials

The Ball

Do not go upside-down on your first attempt of the Ball exercise unless you have prior

experience in acrobatic movement. For general beginners, start with a modified movement of lifting your

knees as high as you can, beginning to lift the pelvis up towards the hands, as shown in step 2. None of

the moves in this manual will require mastery of this exercise, but subsequent manuals will. This exercise

is designed to be a part of fabric warm-ups and designed to help aerialists gain core strength as you work

towards mastery of this exercise.

Step 1: Hold on to the

ribbons, one hand on each

ribbon, with slightly bent

arms. Stand tall with your

shoulders pulled back, (but

not too far back). As you

tighten the muscles of the

body to prepare for this

exercise, contract the

abdominal muscles to raise

your legs towards your chin.

Step 2: Lift your pelvis up

so that you pass through a

position where your body

is parallel to the floor with

your arms bent.

Step 3: From here, rotate

your body around the

elbows, straightening your

arms and inverting. Keep

your chin towards your

chest during this movement.

Exit Strategy

Step 4: As you come up, think of

coming “up and over.” Aim for

bringing your chest between your

hands, reversing the process. After

you have rotated up, untuck the

legs.

Step 5: After a brief, controlled

pause, holding with bent arms,

straighten your arms in a reverse

pull-up motion to return to the

ground. (Helps build arm strength.)

Teachers & Spotters

With one person on each side of the student, the

spotters can hold underneath the pelvis at the

top of the buttocks as the person is traveling into

the tuck, then switch grip to the shoulders and

support the shoulders gently towards the ceiling.

As the student comes up, help them to get all the

way up to the bent arm position by holding at

the hips and at the top of the back. Help the

student hold the tuck for a moment before

descending.

Remind students to use their breath while

executing this move. Encourage a deep exhale

going into the movement. If their face is red at

the end of the move, that can be an indicator that

they were not utilizing their breath properly.

A Few Essentials 5

Straddle Back

Step 1: Hold the fabric with both

hands and put the tail to one

side of the body. Pick up your

feet to the side with your knees

as wide apart as you can. As

with every exercise in aerial

work, keep the proper shoulder

positioning in mind.

Step 2: Just like in the ball exercise, tilt back

keeping your elbows tight

in to your sides, keeping

the abdominals engaged to

support the lifting of the

pelvis. Keep your chin

tucked in towards your

chest.

Step 3: Lengthen your legs

and point your toes as you

invert. Because your hands are stacked one on

top of the other, typically the top arm will be

straight with the bottom arm bent. Repeat this

exercise with your hands reversed to build

strength on both sides of the body.

Exit Strategy

Step 4: As you come up, think of

coming up and over (just like you

did with the ball exercise).

Step 5: Keep your legs straight and

as wide as you can until your torso

is completely upright, then close

your legs and return to the ground.

Progression

Keep your legs straight for both the going up and

coming down. Then, go up with bent arms and

down with straight arms. Then go both up and

down with straight arms (very advanced).

Then, as you progress, try the straddle back from

the basic stand position (coming up in the next

chapter). Make sure to swing your legs around

the fabric so that the fabric never goes between

your legs as you invert. You always want the tail

on one side of the body or the other.

Spotters: This is something to keep your eye out

for—the fabric always needs to be on the side of

the body (as opposed to between the legs),

especially when performed in the air.

Variation

Another version of the straddle back exercise can

be done by holding on to the ribbons on either

side of the body.

6 A Few Essentials

Teachers & Spotters: Straddle Back

Spotters can spot the student in the same way as

the ball, but you’ll want to watch the student’s

legs so as not to get hit in the head.

Also like the ball exercise, make sure that

students are using their breath as they execute

this exercise. Encourage an audible exhale as

they go up and over. Help students progress to

pushing off the ground less and less so that they

do not become dependent on the ground, and

can eventually do this exercise to and from the

basic stand position in the air.

Make sure that the tail is next to the side of the

body as the student inverts. Many students make

the mistake of having the fabric between their

legs, especially if they are progressing to doing

the exercise from a basic stand on the fabric.

Strengthening Tip for both the Ball and

Straddle Back

The ball utilizes the entire body, but especially

targets the following areas: your grip, your arm-

core connection, your hip flexors and the deep

abdominal muscles. Anything you can do to

improve those areas will help you execute a

better ball and straddle back.

Do not give up if you can’t do it on the first try.

Just keep working on it in the presence of a

trained instructor who can help you avoid

positioning errors. The extra lift from a spotter is

helpful so that you do not overly exert weaker

arm muscles. In the early stages of learning, you

want to form proper positioning habits right

from the start.

7

Fabric Fundamentals

Basic Stand ♦ Basic Climb ♦ Relaxed Descent ♦ Russian Climb ♦

Footlock ♦ „Round the Back Hold ♦ Hip Lock ♦ Iron T

Get ready to learn fabric fundamentals such as how to climb the fabric. Make

sure you learn how to descend before you climb so you don‟t find yourself at the top

wondering how to get down! Even if you don‟t have the strength to climb the fabric, you

can learn the footlock, „round the back hold, hip lock and iron T from the ground. If you

have the strength, you can take these to the air as well.

8 Fabric Fundamentals

Basic Stand

Prerequisite: en dedans

Step 1: Wrap your right leg en dedans

around the fabric.

(Hint: Think of making half of a

hugging motion with your leg from

the outside in.)

Step 2: After you have

wrapped once, flex your foot

to create a secure platform

for your left foot to stand on.

Step 3: Holding your weight

in your hands, pick up your

left leg and step on top of the

right foot. Keep your right

foot (the base foot) flexed

and square, and turn the top

foot in, slightly sickled.

Step 4: Press your feet together

tightly and stand.

Variations

Try “holding” on with one or two

elbow(s), with your weight in your

feet. This is a nice rest for the

hands.


You can squeeze tightly enough to have all your

weight in the legs. However, for balance reasons,

you cannot let go with your hands. If you do not

have the strength in your legs built up enough

yet, then some of your weight will remain in

your hands.

Strengthening Tip

This movement will quickly put your grip

strength to the test. When you are first

beginning to work on fabric, your hands need to

grow accustomed to holding on with a vertical

grip. Unfortunately, working on fabric is the best

thing for strengthening the vertical grip.

However, you can improve your overall grip

strength by doing pull-ups. Pull-ups are strongly

recommended as a conditioning exercise no

matter what level you are at on fabric.

Teachers & Spotters

If a student cannot perform a basic stand, that is

an indicator that they are not ready for aerial

fabric at this level, and they need to spend time

conditioning before moving on. This may take a

month or two in a conditioning class and/or

working in the knot or hammock; then have

them re-try this basic move as a test of readiness.

Fabric Fundamentals 9

Basic Climb

Prerequisite: basic stand

Step 1: Start in a basic stand.

Step 2: Straighten your arms above

your head, and

hold on. Bend

your knees and

re-wrap your feet

in the basic stand

position getting

your feet as high as you can in

order to gain new height.

Alternative step 2: You can let the

fabric slide between your feet as you tuck your feet

underneath you and then reclose your feet as you pull

them up higher to another basic stand position. This

works well with bent or straight arms.

Step 3: Use your leg power equally

with your arms to re-stand and repeat.

(While using arms and legs equally is

suggested, you can modify to any

degree to favor use of the arms/legs.)

Exit Strategy

The Descent: Gently release tension with your

feet and walk your hands down the fabric, being

careful with your pacing to avoid getting burned

by sliding too fast on the fabric.

Variations

Add a pull-up in between the climbs to get more

height through fewer climbs.

Strengthening Tip

The basic climb requires that you hold your body

weight with your hands. A pull-up is not

necessarily required but it is extremely helpful

for building grip strength.

When those hands start feeling sore, ice your

hands after your workout. Be sure to use proper

techniques to avoid frostbite. One suggestion is to

put your hands into a bowl of icy water for up to

30 seconds. Dry off your hands, return to normal

blood flow, and repeat a couple times. The reason

ice is recommended here instead of heat is due to

the fact that the tendons are getting inflamed in

your hands. This is different than muscle

soreness. For muscle soreness, warmth is better

because it helps bring in the blood flow. Ice

reduces blood flood, shrinking the inflammation.

Teachers & Spotters

Use progressive training methods for this

movement and all movements in this manual.

Have students get just a couple feet off the

ground on their first try so that they can be

comfortable with the climb and descent before

taking it higher. Also, watch for shoulders that

crunch up to the ears and put a stop to it before a

bad habit develops! Shoulders should be pulled

down away from the ears.

If you slide too fast on the fabric, you

will get burned (much like a rug burn).

Either avoid sliding altogether or when

sliding, go slow to avoid a burn.


Relaxed Descent


No matter how you gained height on the fabric, this is

an energy-saving way to descend.

Step 1: Start in the basic stand

position.

Step 2: Separate the

ribbons. Put one arm in

between the ribbons and

then bring the rest of

your torso through.

Step 3: If you can

squeeze your feet

together tightly enough

to hold your weight, then

fold over, bending at the

crease of your body. Take

a nice deep breath and

exhale, letting the top of

the body relax.

Step 4: After your recovery breaths in the

forward fold position, replace a hand on one of

the fabrics as you gradually release tension

between your feet to slide down.


The tension of the fabric between your feet is

holding you as you descend. The hand on the

fabric above you is acting as a safety in case you

lose grip with your feet. Be ready to grab at any

moment with that hand.

Teachers & Spotters

Always tell your students to keep a reserve of

energy to use for the exit or descent. Never use

up your strength to the point where you want to

drop off the fabric. Remind students to breathe

throughout every movement to give the muscles

and brain plenty of oxygen to stay in peak

working condition.


Russian Climb


Step 1: Facing the fabric, place your

right shin up against the fabric.

Step 2: With your left foot, scoop up

the fabric underneath

your right foot; then

step on your right foot

with the fabric. Keep

the knees on either side

of the fabric.

Step 3: Use your quadriceps or

arms to stand. Holding your

weight in your straight or bent

arms, redo the wrap

by sliding your

right foot up the

fabric, and scooping

with your left foot.

Keep repeating to

climb the fabric.

Exit Strategy

It is difficult if not impossible to slide down with

your feet in the Russian climb, so it is

recommended that instead, hold on with your

hands and switch your feet back to the basic stand

to slide down while walking hand under hand

and going slow to avoid a fabric burn. Also, see

relaxed descent.

Variations

Take a seat if you wish to take a little break

between climbs. You can hold on with your

elbows and hang out to catch your breath. Just

make sure to keep those feet tightly squeezed

with the fabric between them.

Teachers & Spotters

Teachers can often forget that when a student is

just beginning, the basic wrap can easily be

forgotten! Students may scurry up the fabric with

this climb, and then forget how to re-wrap to

come down. In doing so they may be tempted to

drop down. Instead, encourage students to do

two climbs, re-wrap to the relaxed descent and

come down. That way when they do climb up

higher the muscle memory is there for them to

come down easily and safely.


Footlock

Prerequisites: en dedans, basic stand

This footlock method is also known as a figure 8

footlock. Other footlock methods are covered in the

intermediate manuals.

From the ground

Step 1: Hold on to the fabric and wrap your right

ankle en dedans around the fabric (from the

outside in). Put this leg slightly in front of you.

Step 2: With the pinky side of your left hand

(pretend it‟s your left foot), push the fabric out to

the left side, letting some slack slide from your

right ankle.

Step 3: Look at the fabric between your left hand

and the fabric over your ankle. Your right foot

will travel underneath that fabric, then over it in

order to stand in the footlock. Do this without

letting the fabric that is already on your ankle

slip off. Flex the ankle to help accomplish this.

Step 4: Check to make sure you

have done the footlock

correctly. The pole of the fabric

should be traveling underneath

the arch of your foot and up the

inside of the leg.

Exit Strategy

Using your hand, push off the

fabric from underneath your

foot (you‟ll have to pick up

your foot to help accomplish this); then point

your toe towards the ground to let the rest of the

fabric unwrap and fall off your foot.


In the air

Step 1: Begin in a basic stand position on the

fabric. Squeeze your feet together as you lean

back, straightening your arms and bending at the

hips. Think of creating a triangle with your body

as two sides, and the fabric is the third side.

Step 2: Use the inside of your left foot to push

out some slack from above the wrap on your

right ankle. Keep your toes high so that the fabric

does not fall off your right foot.

Step 3: With your left foot, keep pushing the

fabric out of the way as you take your right foot

under and over the pole of the fabric to step into

the footlock. (Examine the following pictures to

help you understand the direction of this wrap.)

Step 4: Again, check that you performed the

correct wrap by making sure the pole of the

fabric travels up the inside of the leg. Do not stay

in the footlock for extended periods of time, as

the fabric can cut off circulation to the foot.

Exit Strategy

Put all your weight in your hands. Then, with the

side of your left foot, push the fabric above your

right foot until the loop comes off. Then, point

your right toe towards the ground to let the

remaining fabric fall off. Re-wrap your feet in

the basic stand position.

Strengthening Tip

This move requires grip strength and tough feet.

If you are tender under the arch of your foot, try

rolling your foot over a tennis ball, gradually

increasing the pressure until you can

comfortably stand on the tennis ball. Then, try

the footlock again after a week or so.


„Round the Back Hold

Prerequisite: none

Step 1: While standing on the

ground, wrap the fabric

around your lower back. One

hand should be holding the

fabric above you with the

fabric passing under your

arm, and one hand is holding

the fabric slightly below you.

Step 2: Pull up the

slack in your bottom

hand, holding on

directly in front of your

hip. Gradually put

your weight into the

hold, letting your legs

off the ground.

Teachers & Spotters

Help students to position their arm so that the

pole of the fabric passes under their arm and the

integrity of the shoulder muscles is maintained.

Adding On

You can let go of the fabric with your top hand

making sure the pole stays under your armpit,

and holding tightly with your lower hand. While

holding on, you can also pull your legs up off the

floor and take yourself for a spin.

Does this move seem random? The reason this move is included here is because

it is a simple move to teach and a simple move to

learn. Improvisational time on the fabric is

something that I value for bringing out creativity

in students. I like to start doing improv time

when a student has just a few moves under their

belt because it gives them a fair opportunity at

discovery. Not everyone has the pioneering spirit

in them, but for those who have it, it gives them a

chance to explore before having pre-conceived

notions about what you‟re “supposed” to do on

fabric, which sometimes get in the way of

creativity later on. For others, improv time gives

them a deeper appreciation of moves that others

have created for them because they are like, “I‟m

lost at what to do with this thing – please give

me ideas.” The „round the back hold is just one of

the many ideas to build off of.


Hip Lock (a.k.a. hip key)


The hip lock is not a prerequisite for any other move in

this manual; however, it is a necessary starting point

for many moves in subsequent courses. It is an

important movement to work on and master before

advancing on fabric.

From the Ground

Step 1: Hold the fabric with your

right hand and reach underneath

your right leg with your left arm

to grab onto the fabric.

Step 2: Step down on

your right foot, and

pick up your left knee,

letting the fabric drape over the top

of your left thigh.

Step 3: Keep your left leg high so that

the fabric does not fall off your leg. Pass the pole

of the fabric in front of your

body as you tilt over to your

right side, keeping your left hip

lifted. If necessary, push the tail

of the fabric over your left hip

so that it is draped around your

back and then bring your hands

back onto the pole.

Step 4: Keep leaning until the

pole of the fabric is across

your stomach, next to your

left hip. Pull your top leg

close to your body to help

secure the lock as you pick

up your bottom leg.

Step 5: If you feel secure, let go with your hands.

What’s Holding You The friction of the fabric going through your legs

and around your waist creates the hold. That‟s

why the squeezing of the fabric in the crease of

your body is important to stay secure. You may

notice how just a slight opening of the hips will

allow you to slide when you are in the hip lock.

You must carefully monitor your weight shifting

in order to stay securely in the hip lock. If you

are having trouble feeling secure, squeeze your

bent left leg closer towards your upper body, and

push your right leg away.


In the air

Step 1: From the basic stand, hold all your

weight in your hands so that your legs are

hanging free. In one full sweeping motion, send

your left leg behind you to the right of the fabric,

and your right leg in front to the left of the fabric.

Think of your legs as a pair of scissors, cutting

the fabric. You want to get the fabric between

your legs as high as you can next to the inner

thighs. At the very least, the fabric must get over

your knees in order for the rest of the move to

work. If you get the fabric just over the knees, tilt

back and open the legs extra wide to help the

fabric fall into the inner thighs.

Step 2: Once the fabric is between your thighs,

rotate or switch your legs, depending on how

you like to think about it. The important part is

that you rotate your pelvis so that the pole of the

fabric passes in front of your body as you

continue to rotate over towards the right.

Step 3: After the rotation into the hip lock, adjust

your legs so that you feel secure. If you feel like

you are slipping, bring your top leg forward and

your bottom leg back for the most secure

position. Hold on to your knee for more security

instead of fully letting go with the hands.

Exit Strategy from either ground or air

Re-grab the pole of the fabric with your hands.

Put your weight back into your hands as you

rotate your body back towards the left, letting

the fabric fall out from underneath you and

rewrap your legs in basic stand. To build

strength, exit slowly with control. Remember to

repeat on the other side of your body to maintain

a well-balanced muscular structure.


Strengthening Tip

Besides the arm strength needed to hold you on

the fabric, this move requires a strong core. There

are many different exercises that can help

strengthen these muscles. One example is to

perform the initial step of the hip lock (the part

when you swing your legs up). Focus on this one

step, making the legs swing up as high as they

can while maintaining control to target the

required muscles groups. You can also place

your legs on a chair and practice holding up your

body sideways and then twisting while your

body is at an angle.

Teachers & Spotters

Occasionally, you will get students who do not

feel the security of the hold right away. They will

keep slipping out of the position. Look for the

following things to help them find security:

Look at their hips. They might not have

tilted the top hip far enough over. Remind

them that their hip needs to meet the pole

of the fabric and to keep lifting from the top

hip. Possible imagery: Imagine a string is

attached to the hip pulling up towards the

ceiling.

Look at the crease of their body. The torso

needs be leaning forward and the lower

part of the torso needs to be as close as

possible to the top of the top thigh.

Look at the legs. The top leg can always be

pulled in tighter towards the nose, and the

bottom leg can always be pushed away

from the nose to tighten the hold. You can

actually loosen the hip lock by pulling the

back leg in, so do the opposite to tighten it.

Occasionally, you‟ll have a student with the

wiggles slipping out of the position because

they are not holding still. Encourage them

to calm their center to stay in control of the

friction.


The “Energy Saving” Hip Lock

(a.k.a. the lazy hip lock)

This section was borrowed from the intermediate manual part 1. I felt that while it is important for beginners to learn

a hip lock properly to build good habits, it is nice to have a plan B to fall back on when you‟re running out of strength

and energy. So, here‟s the lazy man‟s hip lock, but promise me you won‟t do it every time!

To hip lock on your right side, bring your right foot

around the left side of the fabric, bend it, and bring it

in front of the fabric.

Note ► A hip lock on your right side means

that your right side is facing the ground once

you are in the hip lock. ◄

Continue bringing this (right) foot around the fabric so

that you can lift it up. Swing your other (left) leg

underneath the lifted fabric.

Bring the leg that is sweeping underneath (the left leg)

up so that it bends as the leg that was bent (the right

leg) straightens. Then rotate with the top leg bent. This

is extra energy-efficient.

End in a hip lock. Exit to a bent or straight

arm hold.

1

2 2

3

4

2

3

1

4


Iron T

Prerequisites: basic stand, en dehors, relaxed descent

From the ground

Step 1: Wrap your arms once

around the fabric (en dehors).

Step 2: Straighten your

arms and grab on to the

fabric.

Step 3: Gradually put your weight into your

arms, keeping them straight. The fabric can pull

your shoulders forward, and you have to press

them down and back.

Variations

Stag the legs. This is

also a great way to

strengthen your air

splits by lifting your

legs towards the sky.

Try both straight and

bent legs for exercise.

Strengthening Tip

This position can tweak your wrists if you don‟t

exert enough strength to resist the twist of the

fabric around your arm. Always perform this

position with warmed-up wrists, and strengthen

your wrists with exercises such as wrist curls.

Use tools such as a hand gripper to strengthen

your forearm muscles, which in turn will help

you stay in control of your wrist. Another muscle

that aids this position is the triceps, which can be

made stronger through exercises such as push-

ups with your elbows close to your body.

In the Air

Step 1: From the basic stand,

separate the fabrics and put your

body through (similar to the

relaxed decent).

Step 2: Keeping the fabric

behind your armpits, create a

space between your hips and

the fabric by shifting your

weight to the back.

Step 3: Take your arms en

dehors around and through

the fabrics so that you can

grab the fabric with

straight arms. The poles of

the fabric should be

traveling by the pinky side

of your hands and under

your arms.


Step 4: Keep your wrists pulling towards a

“handlebar position” (as if you were holding the

handlebars of a bike) as you remove your legs

from the fabric, taking your weight in your

hands and arms.

Open up those arms towards a “T” position with

the body. Point your toes.

Notice the word “towards.” Do not go all the way to a

T position on your first couple tries. Keep a low V

position until you gain more strength.

Exit Strategy

Step 5: Close your arms,

wrap one leg around the

fabric, then wrap the other

into the basic stand position,

returning the way you came.

Step 6: From there, you can exit

with the relaxed descent.

Teachers & Spotters

The most common error comes from students

who do not straighten their arms all the way

before putting weight into their hands. Have

students first practice the position from the

ground to make sure that the wrists get

positioned correctly while the arms stay straight.

Often times, you‟ll see the wrists start to turn as

the fabric pulls them. This is a sign of weak

wrists, and you should recommend that a

student does more strengthening exercises before

putting their weight into their arms.

21

Basic Footlock Moves

Standing Hip Lean ♦ Sitting Hip Lean ♦ Cocoon ♦ Sail ♦

Layback Invert/Upside-down Splits ♦ Bow & Arrow ♦ Arabesque ♦

Sideways Middle Splits ver.1 ♦ Sideways Middle Splits ver.2 ♦

Basic Leg Roll Up ♦ Backwards Leg Roll Up ♦ Clothesline

What a great way to start exploring movement on fabric. Even if you don’t have

the strength to climb the fabric yet, you can get into a footlock from the ground and start

exploring movement. Then, while exploring, you will naturally start building up your grip

strength. Use your own creativity by building sequences once you get a few moves down.

Note: the moves in this chapter and subsequent ones are footlock-intensive. Your foot is

probably not used to being squeezed so much, and it might take a few weeks on the fabric

before you notice your foot toughening up, but it will happen. During class, make sure that

you keep alternating feet to not only build a balanced body, but also to give each foot a rest as

you switch back and forth. One thing you can do at home is to roll your foot over a tennis ball

or similar object to massage your arches, getting your foot ready for pressure there. You can

also get ready for pressure at the top of the thigh by rolling on a foam roller.

22 Basic Footlock Moves

Standing Hip Lean

Prerequisite: footlock

Step 1: From a basic footlock on

your right foot, bend your left

knee and place your left foot on

the pole of the fabric.

Step 2: Make sure that

the fabric stays in the

crease of your left hip as

you lean over to your

right.

Step 3: Release your

bottom hand, while

keeping the top hand on

the pole. Lengthen both

arms.

Exit Strategy

Reach up the fabric with your hands and pull

yourself back up to standing in the basic

footlock.

Adding On

Once you are secure

with your position,

you may gradually let

go with both hands.

Variations

The bent leg does not have to be bent. With great

control you can learn to straighten the free leg,

and take it into various positions. Stay mindful

that your thigh is still holding your weight.

Where’s Your Weight?

By leaning over, you will feel your weight on the

inside of your left thigh. You need to keep your

right leg straight and let your right leg also take

the weight, even though it is indirectly.

Teachers & Spotters

If students are rotated too much towards the

ceiling, they will fall out of this position.

Encourage students to bend in their torso

towards their knee with their “knee towards

their nose.” Also, sometimes students have a

hard time hooking their inner leg to take the

weight. Help them find the right position with

their foot to press into the fabric next to the knee

of their standing leg. Turning the foot slightly in

on the fabric may help.

One modification that students should learn is to

hold on to their knee until they feel comfortable

in this position. Practice planks in warm-up to

help ready the core muscles for holding the body

in this challenging sideways position. Help

students find the correct alignment of the spine,

with the neck right in line with the spine.

Basic Footlock Moves 23

Sitting Hip Lean


Step 1: From a basic footlock on

your right foot, squat down on

your foot, making sure the fabric

stays between your legs.

Step 2: Holding on with your right

hand, lean over to your left,

hooking the pole on the inside of

your right leg. Lean over until your

right arm is straight.

Step 3: Let go with your

bottom arm.

Exit Strategy

Use your arms to pull back into the seated

position on the footlock.

Adding On

You can let go with

your right hand by

slowly transferring

weight solely into

your thigh and ankle.


This move puts a lot of pressure on the inside of

your right thigh. If you would like to lessen the

amount of pressure to the inside of the leg, take

your hand higher on the fabric, and let it be an

active grip, holding some of the weight of the

body.

Strengthening Tip

While the pressure is on the inner thigh, this is

not so much a strength issue than it is a pressure

issue. A good idea is to use foam rollers to

prepare various parts of your body such as the

inner thigh for pressure.

One muscle you can strengthen for this move is

the abdominals, and especially the oblique

muscles (the side abdominal muscles). This will

help you keep your spine in a nice straight line.

Teachers & Spotters

Before a student attempts to take all their weight

into their inner thigh, have them self-spot by

placing their opposite hand on the bent knee.

Then, gradually let go with the top hand

gradually to let the body adjust to the full weight

in the inner thigh. Be nearby, ready to assist their

upper body back to the fabric if needed.


Cocoon


Step 1: From a footlock, separate the

ribbons and spread open one of the

ribbons. Try to find the end of the

spread fabric, and place your

forearm in to help it open.

Step 2: Put your body, back-

side first, into the fabric and sit

down in it.

Exit Strategy

Reach up to the opposite fabric to help you

restand, and come back to the basic footlock.

Adding On

By reaching underneath and

picking up the tail, you can

helicopter the tail underneath

you to create a spin. You can

also pull the tail completely

inside for a nice effect, and

you may even want to open

up the other ribbon and totally hide.

Another move you can easily add on to the

cocoon is called The Fan. Basically, you do just

what it sounds like—you fan out the fabric.

Here’s how:

From sitting in the cocoon, hold on to the pole of

the ribbon that you are not sitting on. Pull

yourself up to standing but stay leaned back into

the open fabric. Switch your grip to the edges of

the open fabric, keeping your palms facing away

from you, thumbs up to the ceiling. Then, pull

your body forward. Use your free leg to push

into the open ribbon behind you. Reverse back

into the cocoon to exit.

Strengthening Tip

This move puts a lot of pressure on the ankle in

the footlock as you sit in this cocoon. Practice

ankle strengthening exercises and make sure that

you don’t spend too much time in this position.

You can slowly work your ankle up to a higher

tolerance to the pressure, but come down before

you feel circulation is being cut off to your toes.

Teachers & Spotters

Some students get awkwardly into the cocoon at

first. Help them to make a smooth transition by

emphasizing how to grab onto the side of the

fabric, lean out and then roll the backside into the

fabric. Sometimes students try to step into the

cocoon in a way that risks unlocking their

footlock. Keep an eye out for this.

Spotlight on a

Pioneer

The cocoon always

reminds me of Fred

Deb, a world-

renowned fabric

artist. She often

incorporates the

cocoon in creative

ways into her

choreography.


Sail

Prerequisites: footlock, cocoon

Step 1: From the basic footlock

on your right foot, separate the

fabrics and open up the left

ribbon, doing your best to find

an edge.

Step 2: Grab around eye level

on the edge of the opening

ribbon. Lean back and

spread open the ribbon to

make it look like a sail.

Adding On

From step 2, twirl your right shoulder in towards

the sail and aim for getting your backside in the

middle of the open fabric. Sit as soon as you get

in, and land in the cocoon.

Variation

You can also perform a sail

position by going forwards

through the separated

fabrics, arching the back

and holding the fabric over

your head. For this

variation, your back must

be strong and flexible. You

can take the arms lower for

more of an arch.

Strengthening Tip

Strengthen your grip to be able to hold on to the

edge of the fabric. Wait until your ankle is strong

and accustomed to the pressure of footlocks

before attempting the twist to cocoon, as this can

add extra strain on the ankle.

Teachers and Spotters

Adding on the twist into the cocoon may be

somewhat of a challenge for some students.

Many students try to pull up towards their hands

with their chest instead of focusing on the twist

that needs to happen in the body. Sometimes

they lean too far out on the fabric (which

happens often if you are trying the move from

the ground). Other times they are not out far

enough and although they twirl, they are unable

to fit their backside into the fabric because it is

not spread out enough. Help students find the

happy medium between these extremes in order

to successfully twirl into the cocoon.


Layback Invert/Upside-down Splits


Step 1: From the basic footlock,

separate the ribbons and step

through. Slide your hands down

so that you are holding on at

about belly-button level.

Step 2: Lay back

to invert until

your footlocked

leg is parallel

with the floor.

Step 3: Keep

the footlocked

leg straight,

and you can

either bend or

straighten

your front leg.

(Note: You do

not have to have full splits to make this look good. Feel

free to modify to your own level of flexibility.)

Exit Strategy

Come up from the invert.

You may find it easier to

return into a sitting

position by bending your

footlocked leg as you

come up.

Variations

You can vary the style of the free leg. You can

keep it in the stag position, or flex the foot, or put

it at a 90 degree angle towards the ceiling.

Strengthening Tip

Stretch those splits! Prop your front let up on a

mat (when you’re on the ground), and get

comfortable for quality stretching time. This

move also relies heavily on your grip strength. It

is actually harder to hold on than in the free

upside-down splits without the footlock, so make

sure to warm-up your grip and perform grip-

strengthening exercises to prepare for this move.

Teachers & Spotters

Help identify if a student needs to put their

hands lower or higher. If they have their hands

too low, they will not be able to straighten their

footlocked leg parallel to the floor as they invert.

If their hands are too high, they will not be able

to lay all the way back.

Also, make sure that as they go back they do not

tilt too far. It can be a little precarious to feel the

extra tip of going too far. As the instructor, you

may consider demonstrating what happens if

you tip too far so that students are aware of the

hazard. Encourage students to go slow,

maintaining focus and control as they tilt

backwards.


Bow & Arrow


Step 1: From a right

footlock, separate the

ribbons and step

through them. Lift

your left leg up,

positioning the pole

of the ribbon at the

bottom of the

buttocks.

Step 2: Lean your

torso over towards

the right fabric,

lifting your left

leg as high as

you can behind

you. Push out

the right fabric

with your right

hand and hold on to the back

ribbon with your left. Straighten both arms.

Exit Strategy

Come back up to standing, hold your weight in

your hands as you exit the footlock and come

back to a basic stand.

Variations

You might try pushing out with both hands in

front of you. (See picture.)

Strengthening Tip

This movement requires a decent arabesque and

a fair amount of balance. Both can be practiced

on the ground before taking this shape to the air.

Practice holding your body parallel to the floor

while standing on one leg. The key to stability is

core control. Any exercise that is plank-like in

nature can help strengthen the core muscles

needed for this movement.

Teachers & Spotters

A beginning student may find this move

awkward at first. The positioning can be a little

tricky to find. The secret is in the lift of the hips

before settling back into the ribbon. Set the sit

bone of the top hip on the fabric.

Another weak point for beginners is sometimes

balance. You will notice because they will start to

get wobbly as they hold this position. A good

ground preparation is simply holding this

position on the ground to strengthen this

position in the air. (If you are familiar with yoga,

practice Warrior III.)


Arabesque

Prerequisites: footlock, flamenco grip (see box below)

Step 1: From a footlock on your right foot, hold

on to the pole of the fabric

above your head with your left

hand. Point your right arm

underneath your left arm on

the left side of the fabric.

Follow your

arm with

your torso

around the pole, making sure

that your right hip stays next

to the pole of the fabric.

Step 2: Twist your body all

the way around to the front

of the pole until you can tilt

your head back with the pole

next to your left shoulder.

Step 3: Reach your right arm up to

the pole above your head and hold

on momentarily as you change the

grip of your left hand with the

flamenco grip.

Step 4: Continue leaning your

body over to the left until you

are able to get your left elbow

on the backside of the pole.

Step 5: Make sure your

standing

leg is

straight

and push

it in front of your body.

Allow your hips to rotate

open. Let your left hip

open up towards the

ceiling and maneuver the

pole deep in your left armpit. When you feel

comfortable you can let go with your hands.

This grip is used often when the aerialist needs to shift around

the fabric without changing their grip. The name comes from

the way flamenco dancers use their hands.

Practice from the ground at first.

Step 1: With your back to the fabric, put the back of your

palm near your forehead and then reach your hand over

your head with so that your thumb rotates towards the

ceiling as you grab the fabric.

Flamenco Grip


Exit Strategy This exit can be a little tricky to make it smooth, so

give it lots of practice.

Step 6: Regrab the pole with

your top arm. Close your hips by

bringing your knees together and

turning towards the ground so

that the pole comes in front of

your right hip again. Let your

left shoulder come around to the

other side of the pole.

Step 7: Reach your right arm above your head.

(See left picture below)

Step 8: Let go with your top hand and bring it

across your body to grab the pole of the fabric

under your armpit. (See middle picture below.)

Step 9: Continue untwisting until you come back

to the basic footlock. (See right picture below.)

Strengthening Tip

This move requires a high range of torso

flexibility to maneuver your body around the

pole of the fabric. Practicing stretches that twist

your torso will help improve your mobility in

this move.

Teachers & Spotters

There are two trouble spots in this move for

beginners. The first is getting the elbow all the

way around the pole and the second is opening

up the hips in order to feel comfortable in this

position.

Sometimes students get the fabric stuck on their

hip as they twist their torso around the pole of

the fabric, and then they have trouble getting the

elbow around. Encourage students to lean out to

their right in order to get their arm around

(instead of twisting, which can be straining).

If they have their arm around already but look or

feel awkward in the position, encourage the

opening of the hips, taking the left hip up

towards the ceiling and positioning the standing

leg in front of the body.


Sideways Middle Splits ver.1

Prerequisite: footlock, straddle back, arabesque

Step 1: Start in the

arabesque.

Step 2: Hold both

arms on the top

fabric and go into

straddle back.

Step 3: Rotate your

body about your

center so that your free

leg lands on the pole

of the fabric.

Step 4: You may slightly

sickle the foot so that the

fabric is passing under the

arch of your foot. Bring the

bottom arm down to the

lower part of the pole of

the fabric.

Step 5: If you have the

core strength, carefully let

go with your hands.

Square your shoulders

and send out a long neck

in line with the spine.

Have someone check to

make sure you find the

correct position. (This is

where videoing yourself might

come in handy so you can see the

difference between where you think

you are in space and where you

really are.)

Exit Strategy

Hold both hands above your waist on the fabric.

Release the top leg into the arabesque you started

with. Proceed to exit from the arabesque as

usual.

Variations

When you are at step 2 going into the straddle

back, close your legs and you can hang out in a

pike position. Then, move your free leg up the

pole of the fabric to continue into the sideways

straddle splits.



Prerequisites: footlock, straddle back

Step 1: From a footlock on your right

foot, separate the ribbons, and put

your right hip between the ribbons,

leaning your buttocks on the right

ribbon. Grab on to the left ribbon with

both hands.

Step 2: Reach with your left

arm up above your head and

begin twisting your body

towards the ceiling, opening

up your hips. The right

ribbon should now be around

the small of your back.

Step 3: Even out your hands

on each ribbon and go into a

straddle back position.

Check that the ribbon is

coming from your ankle

directly to going around the

small of your back.

Step 4: Tilt around the axis of

your belly button so that the

free leg lands on the pole of

the fabric or slightly in the

back of it, so that the pole is

on the inside of your ankle.

Step 5: Grab on to your ankle with your hand

(the hand closest to your ankle). With proper

form and core strength, you can remove this

hand from your ankle. Point your toe.

Exit Strategy

Step 6: Grab the free ribbon with

both hands. Bend your bottom

knee, making sure that the knee

bends over the toes and the

fabric is on the inside of the

knee. Grab high on the opposite

ribbon with your top hand. With

your lower hand, push the slack

away from your body. Prepare

the top hand to hold your

weight.

Step 7: Remove your free leg

from the ribbon and bend your

knees, bringing the free leg

inside the ribbons, underneath

your arms. Come to a seated

position, and proceed to exit the

footlock as usual.


Basic Leg Roll Up


Step 1: From a

footlock on your

right foot, separate

the ribbons, hold on

to the right ribbon

with both hands,

and think of going

forward through the

fabrics, although

your body will be

rotating to the side.

(You will be rotating around the fabric you

currently have in your hands.)

Step 2: Lean your body

out until your arms are

straight. This motion

will naturally twist

your body towards the

ribbon. Now, pick up

your left foot, put it

between the fabrics, and push on the fabric

farthest from you with your toes pointing

between the ribbons.

Step 3: Rotate your body

around this right fabric (or

think of putting your body

between the ribbons), using

your free foot to push the

opposite fabric to your ankle

as you rotate. (This prevents

the fabric from wrapping

above the calf, which strains

the knee.) Keep your standing

leg straight.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3, rotating around the

same fabric two or, as you progress, three times.

After the rotations, you should be able to

comfortably let go with your free leg and arms.

Exit Strategy

Reverse the direction of your rotations to come

out. You are likely to get a little spin which you

can increase by riding the momentum and

pulling your body in as you come back to

standing between the fabrics in the basic

footlock.

Variations

One position you might try is similar to the

standing hip lean: Take your torso off the ribbon

and put the weight into your inner thigh to

balance.

For a dazzling exit, try a straight leg that kicks up

to the sky as you twirl out of the basic leg roll up.


Once you feel comfortable with the pressure

around your ankle and you can easily do three

rotations without feeling too much pressure on

your back, you might try the splits. It works best

if your wrapped leg is parallel to the floor, so

you may possibly need a fourth wrap, but

usually three is plenty. Grab on to the bottom of

the free foot with the opposite hand and extend.

Teachers & Spotters

This one is particularly harsh to those ankles. The

fabric will pull any unsuspecting ankle into a

sickled position. Make sure that students “lead

with their toes” as they do the rotations into the

basic leg roll up. What this means is that the first

thing to rotate is the footlocked-foot, and the

body follows in each rotation. Unaware students

will rotate their body and leave their foot behind,

horribly twisting their ankles. Remind them

constantly to have “strong flexed ankles.” While

it is not necessary to have flexed ankles, the

phrase (and position) is helpful to remind them

of the proper alignment of the foot to the leg.

Also, remind students to keep their standing leg

straight. If it gets bent, they will have a hard time

rotating, and will need to exert much more arm

strength than is required for the move.

Another note for the rotations is that it is not vital

that the fabric be pushed to the ankle on the first

rotation. Sometimes, a student mistakenly thinks

they are missing something and will cover-

compensate by pushing the fabric off their ankle

during the first rotation. But when they

absolutely need to slide the fabric to the ankle on

the later rotations, give your students the helpful

instruction of turning their free foot “in” (as

opposed to turned-out, as in ballet) between the

ribbons as they push (as opposed to pushing

with their heels and then having to switch their

position to rotate into the fabric). The toes of this

foot should point in the direction their body is

about to travel. This helps to smooth out the

transition and allow for a continuous movement.


Backwards Leg Roll Up

Prerequisites: footlock, ‘round the back hold, basic leg roll up

Step 1: From a right footlock,

separate the ribbons and hold on

to the right ribbon. Lean your

body to the side so your body

leans out behind the right fabric.

(Tilt in the opposite direction

from the basic leg roll up. Think

of going back instead of

forward.) Pay close attention to

the position of the left leg in the

picture. It is reaching back

between the fabrics from the

front. Double check that you are

headed in the correct direction.

Step 2: After putting your left

foot between the ribbons from

the front of the ribbons,

straighten your leg.

Step 3: Push your hips forward

towards your toe. Continue

following that toe with your

body. The hips especially lead

this movement.

Step 4: After rotating around the

ribbon you are holding on to,

repeat steps 1-3, adding on a

push of the foot so that the

fabric wraps at your ankle.

Step 5: After at most three

rotations, position your

body so that you are in a

‘round the back hold with

hips open, and one arm on

either side of the body

holding on to the ribbon.

Step 6: Keeping the top

hand on the ribbon, lean

back and reach out with

the other arm.

Exit Strategy

After one small fancy step (see step 7), this exit is the

same as the basic leg roll up exit.

Step 7: Holding all your weight in your hands,

lift the center of your body off the ribbon, around

to the right side and underneath the ribbon until

the ribbon passes on the inside of that knee.


Step 8: Follow your knee with your body in

between the

ribbons and exit

as you would

from the basic

leg roll up.

(Lean towards

your free leg.)

Variations

Grab the top of your foot with your hand.

Adding On

You can (with great care) balance with the

weight of your legs and torso in order to let go

with your hands.

Teachers & Spotters

This can be a tricky move to execute with the

weight shifting. Students may awkwardly twist

their torso when first learning this move, so

make sure to warm up the torso at the beginning

of practice. One thing you can do is remind

students to keep their weight towards the right

fabric even as they go between the fabrics.

Pressing their weight on that fabric will help

smooth out the rotating process. “Follow your

foot with your body” is a phrase that can remind

students how to go between the ribbons.

The other place where students could sometimes

use extra help is at the end pose where they need

to open their hips to get the fabric into a

comfortable position for the back balance. The

trick to this is to open the hips after the fabric has

already slid up past the buttocks on the last

rotation.


Clothesline


Step 1: From a right footlock, place

your left leg on the right side of the

pole of the fabric and then back

around the other side, bending your

knee.

Step 2: Squeeze your left

knee on the pole as you

start to lean away from

the fabric.

Step 3: Reach behind your back to grab on to

your left foot with your

left hand. Keep your

right leg straight.

Step 4: Gradually

slide your right arms

down the pole until

you let go and reach

for the ground. Do

not let go of your

foot.

Do not let go of the foot

until the free arm has

returned to the fabric.

Exit Strategy

Use your stomach muscles to lift your right hand

back to the fabric. You can reach for the part of

the fabric between your knee and the footlock,

but make sure that you pull all the way up and

squeeze your knee until you have control with

your grip in your right hand. If you release the

knee prematurely, you risk sliding down.

Variations

Try different positions

of the arm.

Strengthening Tip

This movement will be more secure with

stronger hamstring muscles (the muscles on the

back of the thigh that help squeeze your knee

into a bent position). Warm up the legs to reduce

risk of knee injury. You will also want to stretch

the quadriceps in warm-up as a preparation for

this movement.

Teachers & Spotters

When a student is first trying this move, a spotter

can have their hands underneath the shoulders,

especially when the student is ready to exit the

position. If the student has trouble pulling up, a

spotter can give a helping push on the upper

back to help them return to the fabric.

Single Footlock Moves

Flamingo ♦ Knee Hang ♦ Starfish ♦

Vertical Hang ♦ ½ Scorpion ♦ Supported Bridge ♦

Lotus Hang ♦ Sideways Middle Splits ver.3 ♦ Arrow ♦

„Round the Back Hold on a Single Ribbon ♦ Ankle Hang

With one foot in a footlock on a single ribbon, the second ribbon is

free to help you move into all sorts of various positions in the air. Many of them are

very secure, but it is easy to get so well-wrapped that you get stuck! This is yet

another reason to always practice fabric in the presence of trained professionals, who

can help students set the right course for these moves.

Note: do not let the complexity of some of these moves discourage you. This chapter is

designed for you get a little tangled so that you can grow your spatial awareness. If

you are not a kinesthetic learner, and all the wraps confuse you, stick with it! You

have the biggest pay-off of all because you are getting brain-expanding exercises you

can‟t get anywhere else. Upon conquering these moves, you will find that you are

better able to “read” movements on the fabric. You will be much quicker at picking up

new movements and you will be able to orient yourself in space like a pro.

38 Single Footlock Moves

Flamingo (a.k.a. Arabesque with a Waist Hitch)

Prerequisite: en dedans, footlock

This move has a technical name that will be more understood when you have the intermediate course. In the

meantime, feel free to use whatever quick, easy, fun name you like! I like to use “flamingo” because the flamingo also

likes to stand on one leg.

Step 1: Start with a footlock on the

right ribbon. Hold the pole of the

ribbon with both hands, making sure

that the free fabric is on the inside of

the left elbow.

Step 2: With your right hand,

reach behind your back

and find the tail of the

left ribbon. Bring it

around your back. This

ribbon should be

passing underneath your

left armpit.

Step 3: Bend your left knee and

place the tail of the free fabric over

this knee. Next, grab the pole with

your right hand, and grab the left

tail beside your hip with your left

hand. Lean back so that the fabric

supports your weight. Hold on to

the fabric behind your hip.

Step 4: Lean back until you can

reach your free leg around the

ribbon closest to you. Crochet

your left leg by wrapping it en

dedans, (from the outside in)

around the left ribbon. Wrap

your straight leg all the way to

your ankle.

Step 5: Pull yourself up while you rotate your

hips towards the ground until you are standing

on the footlock with your left leg supported

behind you.

Exit Strategy

Holding on to the pole of the footlocked ribbon

with both hands, lean back so that you can lift

your free leg between the ribbons to undo the

crochet. Once your leg is out, pull your body

upright and the rest of the fabric will just fall off. (You may have to wiggle it off until you get used to the motion.)

Single Footlock Moves 39

Variations

The Splits w/ a waist hitch is designed to show

off that incredible flexibility. (If you don‟t have

great splits, keep stretching and then come back

to this move.) All you need to do is slightly sickle

your foot when you

initially crochet your

leg, and keep that

extra wrap as you

bring your hips up

and over towards the

arabesque position.

Your leg will end up

a little higher than

before. Square those

hips to the best of

your ability.

You can keep the

back leg bent and still

have a beautiful position in the air.

Teachers & Spotters

Often, students are unsure which fabric to wrap

their leg around in the initial entrance into the

flamingo (or in technical terms, arabesque with a

waist hitch). Make sure that it gets wrapped en

dedans around the fabric on their left, around the

fabric closest to their nose (it should be the fabric

closest to their nose if they are leaning correctly).

If the knee bends the wrap will slide down.

Always keep the standing leg straight.

As the student goes into the arabesque position,

encourage them to keep their leg as high as they

can as they rotate their knee towards the ground.

This will help keep the fabric wrapped around

the leg to support it. Simultaneously, caution

students to pay attention to how their leg is

rotating in the hip socket to prevent injury. If you

rotate the leg without lifting the hips “up and

over,” you can pull a muscle here. So, be careful!

Spotlight on a Pioneer

This move is a more recent addition to

the history of fabric. It was created and

popularized by Rebecca Leonard, who

has been performing, choreographing,

and teaching since 1997. She is the

founder of A Girl in the Sky Productions,

and currently lives in Toronto, Canada.


Knee Hang

Prerequisites: flamingo

Step 1: From the flamingo on your right leg,

continue your body

between the two

ribbons, holding on to

the pole of the right

ribbon with both hands,

closing the legs towards

each other.

Step 2: Rotate your body towards the sky and

bend your right knee over the pole of the far

ribbon. (If you

bend your knee,

it should just

naturally bend

over the pole

without any

extra effort.)

Step 3: Let yourself slide down with your left leg

either straight or bent under the right knee.

Gradually release the hands and reach towards

the ground.

Exit Strategy

To get out you must pull yourself up the pole of

the ribbon to standing, then proceed back

between the ribbons, then proceed to exit as you

would from the arabesque, by taking out the leg

and restanding on the single footlock.

Variations on the Exit

Exiting this position can lead to some other

poses. Below are a few examples.


Starfish


Step 1: From the flamingo arabesque (although

you don‟t have to actually hit the arabesque

position) on your right leg, continue your body

through the two

ribbons holding on to

the right ribbon. Start

to close your legs

behind you, but do

not close them

completely.

Step 2: Tilt your body into a star-like position

where your right leg goes up towards the ceiling,

and your left leg

down. Hold on with

your right hand and

let go with the left

arm if you feel

secure.


What is great about this position is that it gets

you so wrapped up that it is hard to fall out. The

flip-side is that it is easier to get stuck and find

yourself in a tangled mess. You will feel the

fabric tightening around your hips and legs.

Make sure to keep your standing leg straight for

the duration of the movement. Keep your

muscles firm throughout the entire body. Do not

relax into the position for fear of the fabric

tightening too much. If the wrap feels too tight at

any point, come out, rest, and restart.

Variations

Place your elbow around the fabric at the place

where the ribbon crosses over the other. It‟s

almost like a shelf was made just for your elbow.

Another variation you can try is pictured below.

To perform this move, grab the tail under your

top foot (similar to the method in the ½ Scorpion),

bring it to the closest pole and hold on with the

fabric in your hand. This requires a strong grip.

Slide your other hand down the fabric and hold

it out in front of you.

Spotlight on a

Pioneer

This movement was

created by Gianna

Bortoli, who is a very

creative student of

aerial fabric. She

popularized the

version pictured to the

left, with the elbow

hooked in the fabric.


Vertical Hang

Prerequisites: flamingo, starfish, en dehors

An Important Warning: This may be a student‟s

first time upside-down in the beginning course. As

this is the case, it is important to preface this move by

a brief warning about upside-down movement.

Because the head is going below the heart and you

may hang out for more than just a brief second, your

blood will travel into the head more than normal.

There are many medical conditions where this can be

dangerous. Make sure the student has a thumbs up

from their doctor that inverting is okay if they have

any medical condition whatsoever or if they are on

any medication for anything or have any concerns at

all. Also, make sure to always come up slowly from an

inversion as coming up too quickly can cause a person

to be light-headed or dizzy.

Step 1: From a right

flamingo, go into a

modified starfish

position, keeping both

hands on the ribbon

and legs closer

together.

Step 2: While keeping your right leg on the

opposite side of the pole away from your body,

bring your left leg all the way towards the sky,

between the ribbons and then back around the

far fabric with your toes. This should feel quite

secure. (If the fabric is so secure that it is cutting

off circulation, exit and try again later.

Step 3: After

you hook

your foot,

slowly release

your hands so

that your

body is

completely

upside-down.

Exit Strategy

Regrab the nearest ribbon and unhook your foot.

Pull yourself up to standing on your footlocked

foot. You‟ll have to give a good push into your

standing leg to accomplish this. Send your body

between the ribbons and remove your leg, letting

the free ribbon fall off your body to return to the

single footlock.


½ Scorpion


Step 1: Send your

body between the

fabrics from the

flamingo arabesque

position. (This is the

same as the start of

the starfish.)

Step 2: Reach around

behind your back with your

left hand all the way to the

tail hanging from your

right foot. Hold on as you

arch your back and extend

your left leg into space.

Step 3: Pull your

right arm over

your head behind

you. As you feel

comfortable, let

go with your left

hand. When done

quickly, it can

have a mini-drop

effect.

Exit Strategy

Regrab the pole of the ribbon closest to your

body as you start to sit up. Pull yourself up and

push out your footlocked foot to stand on it.

Rotate back between the ribbons; remove your

leg to return to the single footlock.

Teachers & Spotters

In the last couple moves, including this one, the

fabric can get in some fairly complicated wraps.

Make sure the spotters stay actively engaged.

Never just be a casual observer. Always be ready

to instruct a student on how to exit this move,

which can often be the trickiest part.


One day during class, Suzanne Richardson

said to me, “What about this?” I loved it! It has

become one of my favorite moves. It is another

reminder to me of the creativity that students

will find given the right environment in which

to grow and explore. “What about this?” has

become one of my favorite phrases to hear

during creative play time.


Supported Bridge


Step 1: Set-up for the

flamingo but stop before you

crochet your leg. (You

should have the fabric

wrapped around your back

and over your knee, holding

the tail in your left hand as

you lean back.)

Step 2: Continue to lean

back and allow the fabric to

slide through your hand at a

comfortable pace. Keep your

hand behind your hip as you

continue to descend.

Step 3: Continue to descend

until you are hanging mostly

from your ankle with some

of the friction from the fabric

around your back.

Step 4: Enjoy a nice stretch

for your spine as you invert

into a bridge. You may let go

of the tail if you are

comfortable with where

your weight is being held.

Exit Strategy

Come up to come down. Climb the free ribbon,

and let the fabric fall off your ankle to return to

the single footlock.


Your ankle will be holding a lot of the weight

unless you have a high amount of friction from

the fabric wrapped around your back. If you

would like to add more friction to help remove

weight from the ankle, add an extra wrap around

your back & stomach to help take some of the

weight.

Variations

You can place an extra wrap around your waist.

This helps take some of the weight from your

ankle, and you can release your hand, as long as

you keep the fabric squeezed in your armpit.

regular ankle hang.


This move is really just a variation I found while playing with

Rebecca‟s flamingo arabesque, but I use it as an established

move because it is a wonderful precursor to a full ankle hang.

It puts less pressure on your ankle, so I often used this move

in place of the regular ankle hang.


Lotus Hang

Prerequisites: footlock


separate the fabrics and

footlock on your right foot

on one ribbon, then sit so

that the fabric stays in

between your legs. As you

sit, cross your left leg over

your right knee.

Step 2: Grab on to the free

ribbon with both hands and

lean back. As you descend to

invert, make sure that the

top of your left calf—directly

below the knee—presses

against the pole of the fabric,

and use your stomach

muscles to lower your torso

upside-down, relying on

your hands as little as

possible.

Step 3: Maintain awareness

of your footlocked foot, and

if you feel your ankle

tweaking too much,

immediately pull yourself

out of the position. If you

feel comfortable with the

positioning of your ankle

underneath you, as well as

the position of the pole on

your leg to hold you in this

position, then you can let go

with both hands

Exit Strategy

Change your grip in order to grab on to the free

fabric and use it to assist your climb back up to

the seated position on your footlock.

Variations

Open up the free fabric and keep it open or wrap

it around you. You can also explore other ideas

for the free fabric, including the helicopter to

spin.

Teachers & Spotters

The first time a student tries this move, he/she

should stay holding on to their left foot as a

safety from falling. Students have fallen out of

this move before from letting their top leg relax

out of position. This position may look relaxing

because the face and torso are relaxed, but the

legs, ankles, and feet are hard at work holding

this position.

You also want to look out for the twisting of the

ankle in the footlock. Usually a person forgets

about this ankle until later when it starts to hurt.

Spotters can watch the ankle to make sure that it

stays in a neutral position and does not become

overly sickled.



Prerequisite: footlock, arabesque, straddle back

This move can be done on the fabric as you saw in the Basic Footlocks chapter. In this version, the fabric is separated

so you have a second ribbon for support, which can make the move quicker and/or easier to exit.

Step 1: From the basic stand, separate the fabrics

and footlock your right foot on one ribbon.

Steps 2-4 describe how to perform the

arabesque move on the ribbon you are

standing on, using the second fabric to

help you along.

Step 2: Stay holding on with your

left arm to the left ribbon as you

reach your right arm between

your body and the fabric.

Follow with your torso,

twisting until you can put

your head on the other side of

the ribbon. Remember to keep

the pole in front of your hip at

this step.

Step 3: Grab the free fabric with your right hand

so that you can let go with your left hand. Then,

with a flamenco grip, grab hold of the pole of the

ribbon above your head.

Step 4: Lean towards the

free ribbon until you can

fully grasp the pole with

your left arm. Keep

leaning to the side until

you can bring your left

elbow around the pole.

Step 5: Release the ribbon

from your hip and bend

your left arm so that the

pole of the ribbon passes

underneath your left arm.

Step 6: With both hands

holding the ribbons at equal height, go into

straddle back with

the tail of the free

fabric staying on the

inside of the leg as

you invert.

Step 7: Rotate your

body around your

pelvis as the axis of

rotation. Aim the arch

of your foot onto the

pole of the ribbon.

Step 8: Transfer your hand

so that both are on the free

fabric. Sink your weight

into your pelvis to prevent

the pole from slipping over

the buttocks.


Exit Strategy

A good way of exiting this movement is the

arrow (see next move). Before you have learned

the arrow, you should simply reverse your

motions to exit this

move. Here are steps

to do that: Regrab the

pole of the ribbon

with your left hand.

Lean back and push

the pole away from

your body to oppose

the weight that will be released when you

remove your top foot from the pole of the ribbon.

Lower your leg as your torso comes up. You can

use your right hand to take some of your weight

as you release your left hand and untwist your

torso back to standing in the single footlock.

Variations

Check out the variations from the other sideways

middle splits (pages 30 and 31) and modify them

to fit this version.


Arrow

Prerequisites: sideways middle splits ver.3

Step 1: From the sideways

straddle splits with your

right foot footlocked, bend

your right knee making sure

that your knee is on the

same side of the pole as your

toes.

Step 2: Continue bending to

slide down the fabric,

maintaining the position of the

top foot on the pole of the

ribbon. At this point, you

should feel secure enough to

let go. Gradually release the

hands if desired.

These next couple steps require a high level of control. It can be

done at varying speeds and made to look like a flip. While it is

easier to go with the momentum of the movement, it is

recommended that you first master a slow, controlled twirl.

Step 3: Hold on to the free

fabric with both hands and

lift your weight into your

hands and footlocked foot so

that your straight leg can

release from the fabric.

Step 4: Maintaining control,

rotate your left leg towards

the ground. If you bend the

leg, it will be easier to

maintain slow-motion

control.

Step 5: Continue your rotation of

the torso past the pole of the

ribbon and straighten the legs,

lying back in a body arch with the

head released back.

To Exit

If necessary, climb a little higher on the ribbon

you are holding onto. Crease the body and grab

for the pole of the opposite ribbon, pulling

yourself into a seated position over your

footlock.


„Round the Back Hold on a Single Ribbon

Prerequisite: footlock, ‘round the back hold

Step 1: Start in a seated position on

a single right footlock on your right

foot. The free fabric should be on

the inside of your left elbow.

Step 2: Reach around your back

with your right hand to grab the

tail. Make sure that the fabric is

passing underneath your left

armpit.

Step 3: Once the tail is

around your back and under

both arm pits, hold on to the

tail with your right hand just

as you would in the „round

the back hold, making sure to

press the fabric in front of

you and hold tightly. Begin to

transfer weight into your arms.

Step 4: Straighten your

legs and extend the

body into a side-plank

position. Align the

head with a straight

spine.

Exit Strategy

Crease the body, bend your knees and return to a

seated position over your footlocked foot.

Variations

If you work with weight shifting, you can vary

this movement in many ways. One way is to turn

your body towards the sky so that you can press

your right hand towards the ceiling, let go with

your left hand, and

stabilize your core in

a plank position

towards the sky. You

can also play with

different positions of

the free leg such as

the one pictured here.

Teachers & Spotters

The hardest part of this movement can be the

exit. For this reason, it is good to practice this

movement from the ground many times with

success before giving it any height. Here‟s what

you must look out for: if the top hand in the

„round the back hold is somewhat low, then it‟s

hard to get up and over the foot to return to the

seated position. In order to overcome this, the

student may need to let go with the bottom hand

to reach for the pole of the fabric, and a student

at the beginning level may not have enough

strength to hold on with one hand, even

momentarily, while this switch takes place. If

they are close to the ground, then they can

simply put a foot on the ground, stand, and re-

try the movement, building up their strength in

one arm while doing so. They need to realize

where their weakness lies, and work on building

their strength to an adequate level before giving

the move height or adding on.


Ankle Hang

Prerequisite: ‘round the back hold on a single ribbon

Step 1: From the „round the

back hold, let your hands

carefully release tension

from the ribbon so that you

slide down the ribbon, but

maintain control at all

times. The key to this

movement is properly flexing the foot and

catching it at just the right spot so that it will

hold you without tweaking your ankle. The

fabric should pass on the outside of your foot.

Step 2: Slide down as far as

you feel comfortable, the

maximum being all the way

upside-down with all your

weight in your ankle. You

can spread out the extra

fabric behind you or go into

other variations such as

those pictured below.

Exit Strategy

Switch your grip on the free ribbon so that you

can climb up the free fabric, hand over hand,

pressing your weight into the footlock as soon as

possible, and either coming back to the sit, or

climbing all the way to stand in the footlock.

Alternative Entry into Ankle Hang

Step 1: Begin sitting on a

single right footlock and then

wrap the fabric around your

waist, and hold on to this tail

with your right hand as you

hold the pole of the fabric.

Lean back into this position.

This requires a strong grip.

Step 2: Straighten your legs.

Step 3: Grab the pole of the

ribbon with your free hand,

and wrap your free leg around

the ribbon closest to your

head.

Step 4: You can crochet your

leg to help take some weight

from your ankle as you

descend into the position of

your choosing.


Strengthening Tip

This move requires strong climbing muscles to

exit the move. Make sure that you do not attempt

this move until you have the strength to exit the

move, as is true for any move. To build strength,

the best thing you can do is pull-ups. This move

also puts a lot of pressure on your ankle. You

should gradually accustom your body to this

pressure, as well as strengthen the ankles to

prepare for this move.

Teachers & Spotters

Students need to have the strength to climb up

the fabric before attempting this move. Note that

it is harder to exit this move than it is to get into

it! A good strength prerequisite is the „round the

back hold on a single ribbon. A student should first

try this move close enough to the ground to be

able to step down if they find they cannot climb

back up. However, encourage them to pretend

the floor is not there!

53

Double Footlock Moves

Double Footlocks ♦ Splits ♦ Leg Roll in the Splits ♦

Resting Position ♦ The X ♦ Cross Back Straddle

Look forward to a fantastic stretch with the splits in the air. Learn

your first application of the basic leg roll up with the leg roll in the splits. If

you run out of breath trying the X, take a rest in the resting position. The

cross back straddle can be a very challenging move to accomplish with proper

straight-leg form. Work on getting a strong straddle back exercise from a basic

stand to help prepare the body for this move.

54 Double Footlock Moves

Double Footlocks & Splits



separate the ribbons and hang with

either straight or bent arms.

Step 2: Perform a single

footlock on one ribbon.

Tying a second footlock

Step 3: Standing on your right

footlock, wrap your left leg en

dedans around the left ribbon and

position your leg slightly in front

of you.

Step 4: Let the slack slide over

your ankle as you pull your left

arm to the side of the body.

(Adjust as necessary to get the

right amount of slack.) Make sure

that your left foot maintains its

position in front of the body as

you pull this slack.

Step 5: Lift your knee towards your

chest and then loop the slack

underneath your foot by reaching

out away from your body with your

left hand as you sweep across the

front until your hand comes in front

of you. Try to keep the ribbon taut

the entire time in relation to your

ankle, even while there is a dip of

slack in the ribbon.

Step 6: If done correctly, you should

be able to step into the second

footlock. If it is too high, redo with

more slack (pull your arm farther

away from your body). If it is too

low, do not pull as much slack.

Step 7: You should now have

both feet tied in and you are

ready to proceed to your splits!

Step 8: Then, turn your

body towards one of the

fabrics to square your hips,

and sink as far as you can

into the splits while

keeping your hips square.

Double Footlock Moves 55

If you are not flexible enough to go all the way into the

splits, do not be discouraged. Take this opportunity to

stretch your legs. You risk pulling muscles if you

force the splits; only go as far as you can until you feel

a gentle stretch. Let this encourage you to stretch this

area on a regular basis so that you will improve this

move on fabric.

Exit Strategy

One possible exit is to stand with your weight on

just one ribbon while removing the second

footlock using your hand. Remember to push off

the fabric from underneath your foot, and then

let the rest fall off as you point your foot towards

the ground. Then holding on to both ribbons, use

your free foot to help push off the remaining

footlock.

Another possibility is to hold the weight of your

body with both arms while you use each foot in

turn to push the pole of the fabric off the

opposite foot. When both feet are free, rewrap

over the fabric to the basic stand.

Variations

Instead of using your hands to help you wrap the

second footlock, you can perform both footlocks

with your feet while holding your weight in your

bent arms. The ribbons can get in the way of each

other during this method, so it’s helpful to hold

with wide bent arms and then, while the second

foot is wrapping, hold extra wide with your arms

to push the second ribbon out of the way.

(Warning: this takes advanced strength, so you

should work up to it.) When you exit, use your

feet to remove the footlocks on each ribbon.

Teachers & Spotters The most important thing you can do to help

prevent injury in this move is to make sure that

the student is properly warmed-up before

attempting this move. Do not just stretch this

position and call it a warm-up. Make sure to get

the body moving and blood flowing so that the

inner groin muscles have the blood flow and

activity required for a healthy stretch.

A good warm-up is crucial for

injury prevention before

practicing moves which involve a

high level of flexibility such as

this move and moves that follow.


Leg Roll in the Splits

Prerequisite: double footlocks, splits

This movement can be likened to doing the basic leg

roll up with double footlocks.

Step 1: From the double

footlocks, turn towards your

split. Grab on to the front

ribbon.

Step 2: Rotate your front

leg over your back leg by

rotating to the back wall

behind you.

Note: You should feel the

ribbon rotating around your

back ankle, getting tighter as

you rotate. This is a check that

you are rotating in the correct

direction. Rotating the wrong

way will cause you to fall out of the footlock.

Step 3: Rotate into the splits.

Step 4: Repeat this rotation process one more

time to loop the fabric over the thigh of the back

leg. Square your hips.

Exit Strategy

Reverse your direction to exit the move. Hold on

to the slack as your front foot rotates around.

(Too much slack may cause the footlock to come

loose around your foot.)

Teachers & Spotters

Sometimes students have trouble figuring out

which direction to turn into the rotation. One

phrase that helps is: “lean the pelvis to the side of

your back leg (example: if you are in your left

splits, your right leg is back, so lean to your

right) and close the legs behind you.” As the

student rotates both in and out of the pose, watch

to make sure they are keeping the ribbon taut

between their front foot and hand. Also, make

sure that the fabric is wrapping over the ankle.

Sometimes students will push the back ribbon

towards their ankle (relating it to the basic leg

roll), but they push too far and will push the

fabric over their ankle, creating a mess to get out

off. Try to prevent that by explaining how to lean

out with the body so that the ribbon

automatically wraps at the ankle with no need

for an extra push.


Resting Position

Prerequisite: double footlocks

It’s always good to know how to take a break. This is a

nice rest position when your hands need a break

and/or you just need to catch your breath.

Step 1: From the double footlocks,

turn to face one ribbon. Grab on to

that fabric with both hands or put

a hand over your head to grab on

to the fabric behind you.

Step 2: Take

your back leg around the

front ribbon, while keeping

the back ribbon behind your

back and buttocks.

Step 3: Recline your

body back into the

fabric. If you feel

secure, slowly let go

with your hands.

Variations

You can open up the

back ribbon to recline in

a hammock, similar to

the cocoon.

Teachers & Spotters

While this is a great position to go into when

students need a rest, make sure that they are also

getting sufficient rest-time out of the footlocks.

The ankles and feet will need recuperation time,

as the body may still be adjusting to the pressure

around the ankles. Students may get so involved

in their excitement of learning the movements

that they can often forget to listen to the needs of

their body. You can help remind them to tune in.


My guess is that Debbie Park is an innovator of

this move (and many more). However, when I

ask Debbie Park about her movement, she has

the philosophy that moves come from the

creative flow, not from particular individuals.

So, while it will remain a mystery which moves

she personally innovated herself, there is no

doubt that she has popularized many moves,

including this restful position.

Debbie Park is the artistic director of Aerial

Experience. She is a world-renowned artist with

many talents, and has been working with aerial

dance in one form or another since the 1970s.


The X

Prerequisites: double footlocks

Step 1: Put your feet into two footlocks.

Stand between them and hold on up

above your head. Push your shoulders

forward through the ribbons. (It does

not matter whether you change your

grip or not.)

Step 2: Take your right arm behind

the right ribbon and grab on to the

left ribbon.

Step 3: Take your left hand in the

shortest path to the right ribbon.

Make sure you stay in front of the

left ribbon.

Step 4: Squeeze your feet

together and push your pelvis

forward.

Step 5: Separate the

ribbons behind you

and place your shoulders between

the ribbons. (Hint: This can be a difficult

step. Your instructor can show you

alternative methods of getting into this

move if this is too challenging at first.)

Step 6: Bring your arms

around the ribbons so that

they are now passing under

your armpits. Open the legs

so that the ribbons cross at

the lower back.

Step 7: Let go with your arms and make an “X”

with your arms and legs.

Exit Strategy

One way to exit is to reverse the motions you did

to get into the movement. However, uncrossing

the fabrics in this manner tends to be awkward,

precarious, and hair can get caught in the

crossing. So, the following exit is offered as an

alternative:


Step 8: Bend your left leg, putting your weight

into your right leg. This creates the slack to

comfortably release your right arm from the X.

Step 9: Twist your body and bring your foot

around so that you can grab the newly-freed

ribbon with your right hand. Proceed to grab this

same ribbon with your left hand. Then situate

your hands so that you are back to the double

footlock position.

Teachers & Spotters

If a student is having trouble getting their

shoulders through, remind them of these

elements: The buttocks needs to get out of the

way of the crossing fabric so that the point of

crossing can get as low as possible in order to

make it easier to open the ribbons for the

shoulders to enter between. The key to this is

squeezing the feet together and pushing the

pelvis forward.

If it is still challenging, you can have them open

the fabrics enough to get the back of the head in;

then they can reach up to get the arms through

and follow with the shoulders.

To make the exit smoother, really bend the left

leg as you take out the right arm, putting the

weight of the body in the right leg. This prevents

the right arm from “popping” off, and allows the

person in the air stay in control of their

movements. You want to avoid any sudden

movements (or surprises) on the fabric in order

to stay safe.


Cross Back Straddle

Prerequisites: the X, straddle back

Step 1: Start in the X and

grab on to the poles of the

fabric above your head.

Step 2: With a mini pull-up, you should create

just enough slack to lift your legs up with a

straddle back motion. Contract your abs and tuck

your pelvis as you lift “up to go back.” (This is a

difficult move at first. Make sure to have a

spotter nearby to assist.)

Step 3: To get the fabric in a comfortable position

do an extra little push of the hips before sinking

into the full

straddle back. This

push is not

necessary but can

help you find a

comfortable

placement of the

fabric on the hips.

Step 3: The fabric should be passing over your

legs in the crease of your body and not around

the stomach. If you feel comfortable with the

position of the fabric over your hips, you can let

go with the hands and hang.

Notice the position of the fabric below the hips. This is

much more comfortable than having the fabric around your

stomach. Plus, it’s a great foundation for partnering work.

Exit Strategy

Regrab the pole of the fabrics, and contract your

stomach muscles as you rotate back up to the X

with control. Exit the X by your chosen method

(see exit strategy for the X on page 58).

Variation

When initially grabbing the ribbons to go into the

X, grab with thumbs up so that you can get your

shoulders through and invert in one continuous

movement without having to change your grip.

Teachers & Spotters

A student who can do the straddle back exercise

may still have trouble inverting in this

movement. You can spot their feet and help them

to invert on the first couple attempts. If you do

this, make sure that they take the opportunity to


build strength and muscle memory by exiting the

position slowly, feeling the entire core, arms and

legs working to support the inversion process,

even in reverse.

One phrase that you may like to use is “stay

contracted” as the student inverts. Sometimes, a

student will be trying so hard to invert that they

will arch their back like they are going to do a

back flip, and lose the contraction in their

stomach. This puts strain on the back. To avoid

this, a student must be flexible enough to open

their hips and allow the fabric to wrap around

the lower back just above the tailbone, and

around the hips, in the crease of the body,

instead of the soft part of the stomach. Just make

sure not to push the hips all the way through.

Exit No.2 This is more of a transition than it is an exit, but it is

a good one to have in your toolbox:

Prerequisite: Sideways Middle Splits ver.3

All Steps: From the straddle back, take out your

left foot from the footlock. (Anticipate the weight

in the opposite foot and hold strong.) Then, place

your newly-freed foot on the pole of the fabric,

rotating the body into the sideways straddle

splits position. Bring the freed ribbon around

your body and hold on to it with both hands.

(See the pictures at the right.)

To exit from the Sideways Middle Splits ver.3,

see page 46.

Note that if you chose the opposite foot to remove from

the footlock, the fabric will get stuck behind your back.

If you want to remove the right foot instead of the left,

then cross the fabrics in the opposite manner as

described in the beginning of the steps into the X.

Bonus Moves*

Shoulder Sling ♦ Cat’s Cradle

These moves are great additions to a beginner’s course. The shoulder

sling is a favorite of aerialists of all levels as a relaxing position to

occasionally hang out in during warm-ups, or put into shows. The cat’s

cradle builds off the single footlock moves you learned back in chapter four.

*The Bonus Moves Chapter marks the second edition of this manual. After completing the intermediate fabric manuals, I realized

that these two moves needed to be in the beginning manual. That is why you have this extra chapter. These moves are moves that

I do not normally teach in my beginner’s course simply for the sake of time, but if you have time, they are wonderful sequences

that will help teach unique ways of using the fabric.

Bonus Moves 64

Shoulder Sling

Prerequisite: flamingo

Step 1: Start in the first few steps

of the flamingo by performing a

single footlock and bring the

fabric around your back and over

your knee. Make sure to

remember to keep the fabric

under your arm that is holding

the pole as you bring the fabric

around with the other arm.

Step 2: Assuming you’re

footlocked on your right foot,

switch your hands so that the

tail is now in your left hand.

Bring the tail over your head,

across your torso.

Step 3: Bring the tail around the fabrics, around

the front side and over to your free leg. Complete

a second footlock on the tail with your free leg.

Optional: In step 3, you could have wrapped the fabric

much higher. You can do this by wrapping above your

hand, and using your holding hand to help hold the

knot higher up. This can sometimes create a more

comfortable sling for many students. It is up to you!

Step 4: Sink your weight into the sling to see how

it holds you. You can open your legs into a

straddle, or the splits. If you bring your legs

together, you can also lean back for a nice back

stretch (or you can keep your legs separate and

lean back as well).

Bonus Moves 65

Exit Strategy

To exit, it is imperative that you remove the most

recently locked foot. If you forget which foot to

take off first, try to remember which foot you

footlocked in the very beginning of this

movement – you want to end this movement on

that same foot, so remove the other one. Another

way to tell is to try to follow the fabric. The fabric

that should be removed is the one that is slung

around your back. If you can follow that part of

the fabric to the tail that it leads to, then remove

that foot.

After removing your footlock, then reverse the

direction of the tail around your head to remove

the sling. Alternatively, you can also slide your

shoulders out of the sling if it is wide enough. If

you created the knot above your head in step 3,

then it is more likely that you will have the space

to slide your shoulders out of the loop. Once

your shoulders and head are clear, you can pull

on the tail and it should fall free.

Bonus Moves 66

Cat’s Cradle

Prerequisite: flamingo arabesque

Step 1: Start in the

first few steps of the

flamingo arabesque

where you wrap the

fabric around your

back and over your

knee. Switch your

hands so that you are

holding the fabric

next to your hip and

then lean back. Make sure that the knee of your

free leg passes on the outside of the fabric. Hold

tight to the fabric as you do this.

Step 2: (This step is completely optional. Feel free to

proceed directly to step 3.) Extend your free leg and

rotate your hips into a straddle position.

Step 3: Bend your free leg over the left fabric

(assuming you footlocked

on your right to begin

with). Make sure that the

leg passed on the outside

of the fabric prior to

hooking inwards on the

fabric.

Step 4: Start to

climb up and over

your bent knee. It

helps to have plenty

of slack for

performing this next

step. If you do not have

enough, feel free to reach

under your leg and pull a

bit more slack. Then,

resume climbing above

your knee.

Step 5: This next step might just be the trickiest

move you’ve encountered yet. You must lift your

hips up and over in the opposite direction that

you would go into the flamingo arabesque. Push

your knee forward and follow your knee. Make

sure to keep squeezing the fabric in your knee

during this step.

Bonus Moves 67

The first time you perform this movement, it is a good

idea to stop here. To exit, reverse the last movement

you did and then remove the extra wrap to return to

the footlock position. After you have steps 1-5

conquered, then add on the additional sequence.

Step 6: With your right hand, grab the tail in

your hand and bring it behind your body. You

may have to harvest the tail to get the entire tail

through, but make sure that the entire tail passes

over your back leg (the leg that is straight), in

between your body and the fabric.

Step 7: Your next task is to remove the footlock

from your foot. If you can situate your weight in

your bent leg and hand, then you can bring your

foot up to your hand and use your hand to

remove the footlock. Another option is to lift up

and work out the footlock while you are

momentarily suspended.

Step 8: Once your right foot is free, then allow

your pelvis to sink toward the ground. Continue

to squeeze with your left knee on the fabric. You

can lean back for a nice inverted position (as long

as your body is okay with inversions).

Step 9: Hold on to the right fabric with both

hands (i.e. the fabric that does not have a knee

hooked on it). Lean back and remove your bent

leg. Pull your weight into your hands

momentarily as you come up and proceed in

between the fabrics with your torso. Come

through until the left fabric passes across your

back. Then, allow your weight to sink back

down. It can be comfortable to cross your legs

during this transition.

Bonus Moves 68

Step 10: Your weight is now on the knot pictured

to the right. It depends on the weight of the body

to keep it in place. It can slide and you must be

careful when working in this position. Working

near the ground is best, especially when you are

ready to exit. You can simply walk off if you are

close enough to the ground. Otherwise, you can

climb the fabric above the knot as long as you do

not stand on the knot.

Please NOTE: It you were to climb down and

pull the fabric apart from below the knot, it

would simply raise the knot. When you remove

the knot, you must do so from above the knot.

This move is named after the game “cat’s

cradle,” which is played with a bit of string

wound around your fingers.

APPENDIX

Article: “A Brief History of Aerial Arts” ♦ Article: “Dance vs. Circus”

Have you ever wondered how aerial silks first got started? Or

what’s the difference between aerial dance and circus arts? Read the coming pages to find your answers!

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A Brief History of the Aerial Arts

By Steven Santos

Many of today‟s modern aerial arts originated as rituals in ancient cultures. The most well documented ancient ritual to be turned into an aerial art is the Gkol ritual that is performed in the Pentecost Island in the Pacific Archipelago of Vanuatu. As the story goes, a man called Tamalie from the village Bunlap had a quarrel with his wife. She ran away and climbed a Banyan tree where she wrapped her ankles with liana vines, and waited for her husband. When Tamalie came up to her, the woman jumped from the tree and so did her husband – who did not know what his wife had done. Tamalie did not survive the fall, but his wife was uninjured. The men of Bunlap were very impressed by this performance and they began to practice such jumps. This practice eventually transformed into a ritual for the yam harvest and also as a coming of age ritual for young meant to prove their manhood. In 1979, a group of students from Oxford University‟s Dangerous Sport Club viewed a film about the Pentecost Island vine jumpers, and created a jump using modern materials. Bungee jumping was born.

The origins of Spanish web are not nearly as well documented as Bungee Jumping, but this art is believed to be the oldest of the traditional circus aerial arts. Spanish Web can be traced back at least as far as 971AD, where a log entry from a Roman merchant ship described a game his sailors were playing, climbing up a rope, tangling themselves in the rope and then descending to the deck of the ship. It is likely that this game was already well established when this log entry was written.

Aerial straps first appeared in the early part of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) in China. During this period, circus and variety arts were so popular that artists needed to constantly develop new and innovative routines in order to attract an audience. The early rigging for leather straps consisted of a bamboo frame, in the shape of a tepee, from which leather straps were hung. The artist would jump up and grab the straps, in the same manner that one would take hold of Roman rings. The straps would then be wound around the wrists and a series of physical feats would be executed at various speeds.

Roman Rings were introduced to the world of Gymnastics by Adolf Spieß in the mid 1800‟s as a swinging apparatus, which he called “Ringeschwebel“, however the origins of the art form are far more ancient. Roman Rings are believed to have been around since the times of the Roman Empire, and was a popular game in Rome for a large part of history. Indeed, it was only after Adolf Spieß took a trip to Rome that he introduced Rings to the world of Gymnastics.

Compared with some of the other aerial arts we have talked about, Trapeze is a fairly young art. The earliest known use of a trapeze (then known as a Triangle because the cables met at the top) was for women's ground stretching exercises in the 1820s. In the summer of 1856, a young Frenchman named Jules Leotard rigged a trapeze over the pool of his parents‟ gymnasium. Already being an accomplished gymnast, Leotard came up with and performed all manner of tricks. By the summer of 1859, Leotard had added a second trapeze bar to his act, and was performing what we now know as the flying trapeze.

The first record we have been able to find of the Lyra was an advertisement in an 1893 New York Clipper featuring a “lyric hoop" act, as performed by someone called "Caedo". A little more digging turned up a letter hinting that this first aerial hoop may have been one of the first aerial apparatus built by the legendary rigger and equipment builder Edward Van Wyck.

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The last aerial art we will cover are 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. Over time, the tail from the knot used to secure the fabric became a second leg, and modern silks were born. While silks have existed since that faithful 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.

This brief history of aerial arts is an excerpt from the Simply Circus Aerial Rigging Textbook by Steven Santos.

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Article: “Dance vs. Circus”

When assessing the content of this manual, it is important to keep in mind that I am writing from the perspective of an aerial dancer and my own teaching experiences. This book includes what I typically cover in a beginning 6-8 week aerial fabric course meeting once a week. The rest of the course is filled out with important elements that lay the groundwork for moves to be brought in. Each beginning course contains three essential components: conditioning for injury prevention (includes strengthening the upper body, with an emphasis on understanding the rotator cuff and surrounding shoulder muscles), building movement vocabulary, and putting moves together with various dance aesthetics. Conditioning is vitally important for injury prevention as part of a beginning course on aerial fabric, and I know that both aerial dance studios and circus schools alike are becoming better and better at teaching injury prevention to aerialists. The second component, the movement vocabulary, is often the same at aerial dance studios and circus schools, even when they call positions by different names. The third component, putting the moves together, is how aerial dance practitioners and circus schools tend to make their break away from each other. By the time you insert the end result into a show, the differences stand out more than the similarities. Before I give a more formal definition of the two extremes, I want to give you my own personal reason for preferring to label myself as an aerial dancer as opposed to a circus performer. It is because I was a dancer long before I started doing aerial work and I feel like I am dancing in the air as I utilize an apparatus as my dance partner. I have never had an interest in “circus” in the traditional sense of the word. My parents took me to see the circus when I was a little girl. The circus in my memory is circus in the old fashioned sense with live animals, clowns, jugglers, tight-rope walkers, and other stunt performers who were not dancing; they were showing amazing feats of dare, strength, flexibility, and out-of-the ordinary showcase events like Siamese twins, etc. After I was immersed in aerial dance, people would mention Cirque du Soleil, well-known for their “circus” performances. I had never seen a show, but since everyone kept mentioning them, I thought I had better educate myself, so I sat down to watch their performances on video. (I still have yet to see a cirque show live.) What I saw was a much different circus than what I had in my memory. I saw the lines of circus crossing with those of dance and theater. It‟s no wonder that what‟s circus and what‟s dance is a little blurry these days. To get a little more formal about the different qualities between aerial dance and circus, let‟s start with a quote from Terry Sendgraff, one of the most influential aerial dance pioneers: “My bare bones definition of aerial dance is currently a movement and performance art form that utilizes suspended apparatus for performance in the air.” This is a broad definition, which is nice because I am sure aerial dancers do not want to feel boxed in by a narrow definition. London-based aerial dancer, Lindsay Butcher, puts it this way: “I'd say that my work is very much grounded in applying a dance aesthetic to aerial and suspension techniques; using the skills and techniques of one to inform, influence and progress the movement, expressive and spatial vocabulary of the other. If I had to define it then its aerial dance but I think we have a tendency to get too hung up on labels and then feel bound by them.” Generalizations about circus and aerial dance performers should be taken with a grain of salt. One must understand that labels hold most of the time, but not all of the time. No one wants to worry about terms and definitions when they are exploring movement. However, it is helpful for critics and the general public to have labels so that they have a basis for comparison. If I said, “Let‟s go to an aerial dance show,”

you should have a different expectation than if I said, “Let‟s go. The circus is in town,” versus “Let‟s go

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to the ballet.” At the same time, we must recognize that different groups have helped change the general expectations of each genre, and I think it‟s important to allow for evolution and cross-pollination to occur. Now let‟s talk about what generalizations can be made. To a circus performer, moves are more likely to be viewed as “tricks” and they may be performed for the feat in and of itself. For example, if the splits are performed, they demonstrate a high level of strength and flexibility. This could be a stand alone moment in a circus act because circus acts are designed to show off human abilities at their peak fitness level as well as stretched to their limits (literally speaking!). Traditionally, circus arts have focused on tricks, and the transition to a trick may not be hidden, but exposed to grow anticipation for a “wow” moment. In many cases, you actually want the audience to see how hard or daring the move is (or at least be under the impression that it is dangerous). Another example is a contortion act that will be featured as part of a circus show for the purpose of displaying flexibility. While dance elements are involved, they are secondary to the skills set on display. In aerial dance, the goal is to make each individual move look effortless so that they are not distractions to the overall picture that is evolving on stage. In a dance piece, moves are not tricks, but rather seen as a skill, much like a pas de bourrée in ballet, which help to build a vocabulary of movement. Each skill is like a word which builds sentences to tell a movement story. Even though strength and flexibility are present in dance, they play more supporting roles rather than leading roles. In both disciplines, the building blocks are very much the same. Just as ballet training can be a foundation for many types of dance, the basic moves on a particular circus apparatus can be the building blocks for both circus aerial arts and aerial dance repertoires. The movements in this manual are a foundation for both. It‟s where you go from here and how to add your own style that ultimately makes it what it is. It is a reflection of personal tastes, interests, and influence. The real difference between what makes it dance and what makes it circus… is essentially up to you.

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Index of Moves

Ankle Hang 50

Arabesque 28

Arrow 48

Backwards Leg Roll Up 34

Ball, the 4

Basic Climb 9

Basic Leg Roll Up 32

Basic Stand 8

Bow & Arrow 27

Cat‟s Cradle 66

Clothesline 36

Cocoon 24

Cross Back Straddle 60

Double Foot Lock 54

Fan, the 24

Flamenco Grip 28

Flamingo 38

Footlock 12

Hip Lock 15

Hip Lock – energy saving way 18

Iron T 19

Knee Hang from Flamingo 40

Layback Invert/Upside-down Splits 26

Leg Roll in the Splits 56

Lotus Hang 45

Relaxed Descent 10

Resting Position 57

Reverse Straddle 5

„Round the Back Hold 14

„Round the Back Hold on Single Ribbon 49

Russian Climb 11

Sail 25

Sail to Cocoon 25

Shoulder Sling 64




Single Leg Roll (in the splits) 56

Sitting Hip Lean 23

Splits 54

Standing Hip Lean 22

Starfish 41

Supported Bridge 44

Vertical Hang 42

X, the 58

½ Scorpion 43

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Acknowledgements

First of all, thank you to Fred Deb, who is my teacher of aerial fabric. I would not be an aerial fabric dancer today had I not seen her perform with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 2005. I‟m grateful for the Aerial Dance Festival in Boulder, CO for bringing her and other amazing teachers into one place. Two women were major catalysts in my career as an aerial dance teacher: Laurie Hobbs of Fluid Luminescence and Linda Camplese of Echo Artspace in Grover Beach, CA. These are two women I am always inspired to be around. David Running also helped in every way imaginable to get everything going. I appreciate the community of aerialists in San Luis Obispo who continue to be supportive of my journey. Thank you for letting me experiment with all my teaching methods on you. I want to recognize my students in Ojai who have done so much to inspire me to be the best teacher I can be. You have really brought out a creative spirit in me and in yourselves. I would like to thank Gianna Bortoli for showing me the starfish and many other moves. Thanks to Suzanne Richardson for showing me the ½ Scorpion, which is generally referred to as “The Suzanne” in my classes. Thank you to all of the following students for always being on the edge of discovery and creativity: Galen Coburn-Amadio, Joanne Terry, Claire Cleary, Amanda Belden, Marissa Luboff, Stella Slaughter, Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer, Amadea Bortoli, Monica Brupbacher, Suzanne Richardson, Devon Bell, Gianna Bortoli, Ella Furguiel, Serra Benson, and Jessica Sapinoso. These students were the ones who put together an unforgettable show at the closing of my studio. More than anything, I appreciate your hearts, your attitude, your love for learning and for being an integral part of such a strong community (physically and in other ways). In terms of manual labor in putting this book together, my husband takes the cake. Matthew diligently took over 4000 pictures of me in the middle of a hot California desert summer in my grandparents tiny garage with eight foot ceilings. Thank you to my grandparents, John and Bobbie Ruffo for letting us take over their garage for that summer. Thank you to Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion, who helped further advance my knowledge of proper shoulder techniques at their injury prevention workshop at the Aerial Dance Festival in Boulder, CO. Thank you for all of your help both to me and to other aerialists. Many thanks to those who have put out web lists of vocabulary to help the community along in knowing what other aerial groups call things, etc. Among this group is Beverly Sobelman of Versatile Arts, and David Covin of Silkworms, whose glossary can be found at: www.antepenultimate.org/mediawiki/index.php/Glossary. Thank you for contributing and taking the time to share your skills. Every aerialist I have ever met has always taught me something new, whether it be a new move altogether, a new way to stylize an old move, or a way of grace that inspires a way to dance. Thank you for your inspiration.

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About the Author

While pursuing a dance minor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,

Rebekah Leach became more and more interested in the idea

of combining her love for dance with any apparatus that

would take her off the ground. After traveling out to

Boulder, Colorado for workshops at the Aerial Dance

Festival, Rebekah returned to San Luis Obispo, hung up her

fabric in trees and let the creative juice flow. It sparked an

unexpected journey into performing which has taken her all

over the country and as far as Russia; performing in aerial

dance companies such as Daughter of Zion Aerial Dance

Company; performing at everything from high school dance

shows, to benefits and symphony orchestras with Aerial

Experience, and her favorite, to simply using aerial dance as

a way to worship God.

Performing led to teaching which eventually led to the

opening of her aerial dance studio in Ojai, California. Out of

her love for creative movement, Rebekah developed and

implemented a unique curriculum designed for all ages, but

with an emphasis on adults, to explore dance in the air. She

has inspired aerialists in disciplines including fabric, trapeze,

Spanish web, hoop, cloud swing, aerial yoga, rope &

harness, bungee and other random, or invented apparatuses.

While the studio in Ojai is now closed, and Rebekah is on the

move across the country, she looks forward to the day when

she again has an aerial dance studio in which to inspire kids

and adults in the creative arts. In the meantime, Rebekah

and her husband, Matthew, enjoy indoor skydiving, yet

another form of aerial dance.

You may contact Rebekah Leach with any questions or comments through

e-mail at [email protected]. You can learn more about her aerial

adventures at www.rebekahleach.com.

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Aerial Manuals by Rebekah Leach

Beginning Aerial Fabric Instructional Manual

Intermediate Aerial Fabric Instructional Manual Part 1

Intermediate Aerial Fabric Instructional Manual Part 2

The Aerial Yoga Manual Volume 1

The Aerial Yoga Manual Volume 2

And more coming soon!

beginning aerial fabric instructional manual

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