Wakeful Ascent Aerial Arts

If you’ve ever searched for aerial silks tutorials online, you’ve probably noticed: they’re not all created equal . Some are beautiful to watch but hard to follow. Others skip crucial steps, leaving you guessing (or worse, doing something unsafe). Some showcase cool tricks but poor form and engagement. Some straight out provide incorrect instruction. Many of them simply lack details. The problem is that anybody with iphone and a silks rig can start making "tutorials." It's i

True story—I genuinely believed I’d never create an original silks sequence.Why?Because my spatial reasoning felt... non-existent. I couldn't visualize wraps. I couldn’t explain why anything worked. I’d follow my teacher’s cues, perform the sequence, and have no idea how I pulled it off. (Assembling furniture? Also a disaster. So I figured silks theory would be out of reach too.) I assumed that anyone who created original sequences must be some kind of wrap-savvy genius. I

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen tutorials for your aerial silks single footlock from the floor that glossed over all the details. The truth is, regardless of how "beginner" or "basic" it might seem, this skill requires precision and has a lot of pitfalls. It's not just "pull slack to your ribs and wrap over your foot." This isn’t simply a demo, but a full lesson and a training  that explains what's really going on with this wrap.I promise you’ll walk away with

Choreography is such a fun and rewarding part of aerial silks - there's nothing quite like creating an original act and sharing it, fully embodying yourself as an aerialist and an artist.  Let's look at three common mistakes to avoid as you set out to create choreography and perform: 1. Too many tricks, not enough transition You've packed your routine with epic tricks, drops, and poses, but now you're rushing from one to the next. Allow room for your act to breathe - create a

Let's look at some aerial silks strength drills! These are three powerful moves that bring detailed awareness to technique at the same time that they build strength. If you're serious about training and progressing, be sure to check out my SilkFIT program to cut to the chase and get the results you're looking for. Comes with 6 weeks of direct coaching access! Skin the Cat Planks A lot of aerialists work extensively with shoulder flexion, so this extension is a really nice c

Every aerialist approaches learning differently, and understanding your learning style can help you progress faster, overcome challenges, and make training more fun. Most people are a mix of styles but tend to lean toward one dominant way of processing information. Let’s explore the main learning styles in aerial silks and how they impact your training. Before we begin - studies show that the idea of learning styles doesn't really work how we think! Research shows that learn

Aerial silks classes offer absolutely essential opportunities for instruction, community, and safe training. They are foundational and should not be skipped by any aerialist. But in what ways could they be limiting? Could some solo training be the key to your next breakthrough? Performance anxiety Being watched can make you feel self-conscious, especially if you're highly sensitive or empathetic. This self-consciousness often leads to overthinking what the observer might be

Where to begin? A common question I get from my students is, “Do you start creating an aerial choreography  by choosing a song first or writing out the sequence of skills and poses first?” It depends! For example, you might have fallen in love with a song, and have no vision of your act or simply KNOW you want to do a splits and an angel drop in an act but you have no idea what the music will be. There is no right or wrong–start with what you do have and work from there.  Ch

Is aerial silks safe? What are the risks, and how do you mitigate them? How do you evaluate the safety of a studio or other setting?

Keep up your aerial strength with floor exercises!

Common knowledge in aerial silks is that to get into hip key, you tilt to the side to get the fabric between your thighs. The more you tilt, the higher the tail goes, which is good, because then the tail will land on your back not your butt. This is true, but it is not the most efficient way to get that tail where you want it. Tilting to the side is considerable energy expenditure and it can be replaced with a different technique. Instead of tilting a bunch, try making a re

DROPS – so bold and exhilarating! Why would you ever want to slow them down? Oh, for the challenge, of course. And the body awareness. And the gratification. And the skill. Having the ability to slow down a drop as an aerialist is a fundamental skill that will make you better at drops overall. So how do you do it? 1. Know the Pathway To move with control, you must first know where you’re going. Being familiar with the pathway of your star drop is crucial for executing a smoo

Creature is a skill that really highlights the importance of muscle engagement in aerial silks. Many people get the false impression that they need to be really bendy to unlock creature. You do need some hip, shoulder, and spinal flexibility, but certainly not at a contortion level. The key to creature is actually keeping your fabric very taught and engaging your legs powerfully. The most common mistake I see is people sliding their hands down the tails so that there is not m

Training aerial requires a lot of physical and mental effort. With so many skills to work on, it is no surprise that so many aerialists share the sense of feeling overwhelmed. Let’s look at few ways that you can create clarity and efficacy in your training sessions over the short and long term. Watch the FREE video Know Your WHY: At the core of every successful aerialist or pole dancer lies a powerful “WHY” – a driving force that fuels their passion and determination. Take a

These tips can help you to find and refine your flow as an aerialist. In aerial arts, learning to flow and refining your flow can be a deeply rewarding process. Flow brings us into a closer connection with the apparatus. It can help cultivate our intuition in our movement. With enough study and practice, you can unlock this wonderful aspect of aerial arts, and realize how GOOD it feels! Any aerialist can steadily develop grace and fluidity in the air…so let’s look at a few co

The hip key rollup is a fun dynamic skill that highly depends on good technique. It's extremely common for aerialists to get stuck on this skill, but often it just takes a deeper understanding of the body position. INJURY PREVENTION: First we need to ask - is flexibility an issue? Make sure that you can reach your arms up by your ears, ideally slightly past. If you can't, this skill could be inaccessible to you or could cause injury if you try to force your shoulder past it

How does theory support your journey as an aerialist? As aerialists, we have the opportunity to learn not only by following directions, but by asking questions. Inquiries lead us into deeper knowledge and empowerment as aerialists, and if you ask me, make everything way more fun and exciting. Theory offers us a foundation to draw from as we learn and innovate skills, supporting us in many many ways! 1. Enhance Safety  By developing an understanding of how aerial silks works,