Experience 1: Progression
I started doing aerial when I was ten years old, the summer before fifth grade. I was always a "climby" kid so it fit me perfectly. My first apparatus was lyra (hoop) but it soon evolved into silks, then into rope, and I am intending to explore straps soon. Learning different apparatuses was incredibly important in switching things up. There are a lot of translatable skills between them and it was fascinating to find the subtle differences and similarities between each. Not only with how it feels to be on them, but also the difference of common tricks and tonality.
^ 2019 - partner acro ^
(rehersal before a holiday performance)
^ 2016 - silks ^
^ 2018 mini-ropes ^
(this was a one time thing)
As time progressed and I got more serious about the whole thing, I ended up going about five days a week, exploring floor acrobatics, and even teaching classes. I joined a team with my studio along with three other girls with whom I took classes, trained, and performed. I learned to trust them... mainly because I needed to, to not fall. We were planning on attending a competition in Canada, but unfortunately, it was canceled due to COVID. Still, I learned many things from them and was able to teach them some things as well. I think that working with these girls in a setting that we all loved, doing an activity that we all had a pretty equal understanding of was very beneficial in helping me reach out, ask for help, and collaborate which has stayed with me even after not seeing them for a while.