Download - 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
Sideways Middle Splits ver.2 31
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
Sideways Middle Splits ver.3 46
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.
What’s Holding You
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.
10 Fabric Fundamentals
Relaxed Descent
Prerequisite: basic stand
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.
What’s Holding You
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.
Fabric Fundamentals 11
Russian Climb
Prerequisite: basic stand
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.
12 Fabric Fundamentals
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.
Fabric Fundamentals 13
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.
14 Fabric Fundamentals
„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.
Fabric Fundamentals 15
Hip Lock (a.k.a. hip key)
Prerequisite: basic stand
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.
16 Fabric Fundamentals
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.
Fabric Fundamentals 17
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.
18 Fabric Fundamentals
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
Fabric Fundamentals 19
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.
20 Fabric Fundamentals
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
Prerequisite: footlock
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.
What’s Holding You
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.
24 Basic Footlock Moves
Cocoon
Prerequisite: footlock
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.
Basic Footlock Moves 25
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.
26 Basic Footlock Moves
Layback Invert/Upside-down Splits
Prerequisite: footlock
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.
Basic Footlock Moves 27
Bow & Arrow
Prerequisite: footlock
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.)
28 Basic Footlock Moves
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
Basic Footlock Moves 29
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.
30 Basic Footlock Moves
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.
Basic Footlock Moves 31
Sideways Middle Splits ver.2
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.
32 Basic Footlock Moves
Basic Leg Roll Up
Prerequisite: footlock
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.
Basic Footlock Moves 33
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.
34 Basic Footlock Moves
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.
Basic Footlock Moves 35
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.
36 Basic Footlock Moves
Clothesline
Prerequisite: footlock
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.
40 Single Footlock Moves
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.
Single Footlock Moves 41
Starfish
Prerequisites: flamingo
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’s Holding You
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.
42 Single Footlock Moves
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.
Single Footlock Moves 43
½ Scorpion
Prerequisites: flamingo
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.
Spotlight on a Pioneer
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.
44 Single Footlock Moves
Supported Bridge
Prerequisites: flamingo
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.
What’s Holding You
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.
Spotlight on a Pioneer
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.
Single Footlock Moves 45
Lotus Hang
Prerequisites: footlock
Step 1: From the basic stand,
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.
46 Single Footlock Moves
Sideways Middle Splits ver.3
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.
Single Footlock Moves 47
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.
48 Single Footlock Moves
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.
Single Footlock Moves 49
„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.
50 Single Footlock Moves
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.
Single Footlock Moves 51
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!
52 Single Footlock Moves
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
Prerequisite: footlock
Step 1: From the basic stand,
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.
56 Double Footlock Moves
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.
Double Footlock Moves 57
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.
Spotlight on a Pioneer
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.
58 Double Footlock Moves
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:
Double Footlock Moves 59
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.
60 Double Footlock Moves
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
Double Footlock Moves 61
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.
62 Double Footlock Moves
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
Sideways Middle Splits ver.1 30
Sideways Middle Splits ver.2 31
Sideways Middle Splits ver.3 46
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!
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