When you’re a student of aerial you probably love all of the amazing aerial skills you learn in class. I remember in our first classes I was so focused on learning as many skills as possible. I loved the feeling and sense of accomplishment when I could do seemingly impossible-looking skills. And how frustrated I would be when something that looked so simple was out of reach. It wasn’t until I got more experience, that I started noticing all of the things that were happening in a class. What I only realized once I started teaching was just how busy aerial teachers actually are, because we’re not just teaching skills! We are managing intellects, emotions, group dynamics and so much more. Let’s dive into the work of an aerial teacher.
The foundation for any aerial teacher is of course a great knowledge of aerial and a great understanding of body mechanics. Teachers need to know how and why skills work, how and why they can fail (and what happens if they do!), and how the skills can be adapted for different bodies. This is why at our studio we only hire aerial teachers with a solid background of aerial. Skill level is less important than consistency and curiosity with the practice. Someone who’s just beginning to explore the depths of aerial needs a lot more time to develop their own practice before teaching others.
And, of course, keeping our students (and ourselves) safe is our highest priority. But you knew that already.
There are so many reasons to go deep into an aerial practice. Some people love the challenge it provides, some love the creativity, some love the exploration of physics, some love the adrenaline boost. Teachers need to define their own purpose and teach in a way that inspires their students, and attracts students that mesh with that purpose.
For example, when teaching silks and sling I love to dive into fabric theory. And that informs my teaching. Every skill I teach is taught from a place of fabric theory, so students can learn to identify, feel, and explore their supports. Students who want less thinking may drift off to work with different instructors, but students who want to truly understand how silks work become lifelong students and are truly a joy to work with.
Here are some nerdy examples of how I like to dive into fabric theory:
Unless you’re teaching a private class to one student at a time, there’s a good chance that you’re always working on class management as you teach. That means finding ways to meet each student where they are, and progress them a little bit further each class. All while managing different personalities, different goals, different energies in the class.
How do you handle it when a student has a breakdown in class? What do you do when a student is truly not mentally present that day? How about when most of the class wants to do one thing, but some of the class wants to do a different thing? The psychology of class management is a huge topic that we’ll dive into more in depth in a separate article. It’s a huge part of what teachers are doing when they teach.
Whether you think about physics or not, it informs everything we do in aerial. Why do some bodies have an easier/harder time with certain skills? Physics. As an example, long bodies will rotate more slowly than short bodies. Lever length can make a huge difference in the difficulty level of a skill. We may not be talking about physics in scientific terms, but it is there in a teachers mind when teaching different bodies.
Aerial is inherently a creative art form. But often aerial students come to the practice because it’s a great way to get in better shape. Teachers sometimes need to figure out ways to sneak creativity exercises into a class. That’s not to say that everyone needs to be creative, but one of the joys of aerial is moving your own unique body in a unique way in the air. Teaching creativity is at least a small part of every aerial teacher’s job whether you think of it that way or not.
Aerial uses the body in a way that is so different from most people’s normal life. Aerial teachers are not just teaching aerial skills, they’re teaching students how to use their body in the most efficient way possible. This is a huge part of teaching and the benefits can carry over outside of the aerial studio. It’s the part that often makes the biggest difference in a students life.
Aerial can be scary! Some students are fearful just being one foot off the ground, other might only face fear when they advanced into drops and dives. In any case facing fears in a safe and supportive environment is another of the major benefits of aerial. This is a huge topic that we’ll dive into in more depth in another article. For now, remember that aerial teachers need to help students feel safe and in control so they can face their fears in a healthy and productive way.
Aerial requires trust! Our students lives are literally in our hands, and teachers must trust their students as much as students must trust their teachers. Developing trust is a long-term process and it’s why teaching is so rewarding with those students who return again and again over the years.
This is only scraping the surface of what aerial teachers are actually teaching in their classes. What have we missed? Talk to us in the comments!
