BROOKINGS High-flying displays of carefully choreographed agility are no longer restricted to circuses. Monarch Aerial Arts at 415 Red Twig Drive is certified to train anyone in the art of aerial acrobatics.
Weve done classes in our new studio since April, but our ribbon-cutting ceremony is 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, Joscelyne Larson, founder and lead instructor, said. We have 30 or 35 students. Our youngest students are six years old. I have ladies who have trained with us for four years now and are in their 40s and 50s.
Aerial arts involves participants spiraling, swinging and striking poses while suspended from a metal hoop or special fabrics called silks.
It combines a little bit of gymnastics and dance, Larson said. You dont need to have done dance or gymnastics in order to be successful at aerial arts, though. Its just a combination of those.
Once viewed as a circus skill, aerial arts are now practiced as a physical workout.
Most people have seen aerial arts at the circus where you have performers on silks hanging, doing poses or drops, Larson said. But its a great activity for kids and adults alike to build strength, coordination, confidence and flexibility.
Larson has been practicing for a decade.
I first started when I went to a free, introductory class, she said. I loved it and wanted to learn more. I became a certified instructor from the Circus Arts Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. Ive done lots of workshops, teacher trainings and I continue to be a student myself. It was falling in love with something so unique. It was finding my niche.
She said getting certified was a lengthy process.
There are just three or four schools recognized in the United States, Larson said. You need a couple years of experience under your belt, attend these trainings and then pass a certification test which is rigorous. Currently in South Dakota, there are I believe only three of us who are certified.
While mastering the aerial arts is challenging, she said getting started is simple.
Give it a try, and you wont regret it, Larson said. This is a unique skill set. You see that increase in strength and flexibility happen quite fast. Within a month youll say, wow I can do a pull-up, I can use my core, I can get a little closer to doing splits. It also helps develop body awareness and coordination.
She said its perfectly safe.
When youre a beginner, everything is done seriously one or two feet off the ground, Larson said. We start you off very close to the ground and with movements where youre able to control your body so falls will not happen. If they do happen, we have 10 inch mats. We have a state of the art facility which is safe. It is not dangerous until you get to a very high, professional level of advancement and even then, you practice with somebody else and you practice skills you really know.
Shes seen students develop mentally as well as physically.
Confidence really increases, Larson said. Its seen as this art form thats unattainable, right? We see it in Cirque du Soleil. But when you come to class, you discover you really can do this if you practice. You can do this and do it well. Youre increasing strength and flexibility, and then your confidence soars when you see what you can do.
Prospective participants can learn more at the ribbon-cutting or by attending student performances.
Weve been operating for four years, but we finally now have this new studio, Larson said. In the past though, weve put on student recitals we call them showcases once or twice a year. Weve performed at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, weve performed at McCrory Gardens and during the summer we regularly perform at Good Roots Farm.
Class sign-up is available at monarch-aerialarts.com. Beginners are required to take an introduction class first.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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