Category Archives: Aerial Essentials

Christmas For Your Aerialist

Can you believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow?? I sure as heck can not!! But if you’re like me and haven’t even begun to think about Christmas, have no fear! I’m going to further procrastinate getting started on my list by helping YOU shop for the aerialist on yours!

#1 The Gift of Aerial Essentials

Aerial Essentials is a valued and trusted small business, owned and run by aerialists, so your order here will not only result in a perfect gift for your aerialist, but support their friends in the industry as well. They are located in Vegas, and are extraordinarily prompt with orders, so most packages will get to you (in the US) in just 2-3 days! PLUS you can get a discount on your order of any of the items below by using the code BRANDON at checkout.

Aerial Necklace – $ 

If you’re on a budget, but still want a special aerial-related gift, one of these aerial necklaces would be perfect! With silk/rope, hammock, lyra, and trapeze styles, each available in several colors, this present is both unique and special option, as well as easy on the wallet!

Giftcard – $$ 

If you want to spend a bit more, but don’t have any idea what what kind of equipment your aerialist might need/want, Aerial Essentials has gift certificates just for you! This will allow you the sentiment of funding their passion, without the risk of getting something they don’t need, or already have. Bonus: get this gift INSTANTLY online, no wait or shipping required!

Equipment – $$$

For this biggest impact this Christmas, perhaps you want to get your aerialist their own equipment! If this is you, but you are unsure about what exactly to get, you can email me HERE and I will help you with any questions in deciding on what just might be the best gift ever! However, be aware that Aerial Essentials tends to get extremely busy around Christmas Time, so you’ll want to get this ball rolling ASAP to make sure it all ships out with time to spare.

(PS unsure if it’s the right time to get your aerialist their first apparatus? Read my blog post here to find out!)

#2 The Gift of Massage

Every aerialist is in need of consistent bodywork to insure they are in top shape for their passion, so use Christmas as an opportunity to help your aerialist take care of themselves! They (and their muscles) will thank you for your thoughtfulness!

Deep Blue Rub: $

A bottle of Deep Blue transitions flawlessly from the perfect stocking-stuffer, to a live-saving training-bag stuffer for your aerialist! Get it fast with Amazon Prime’s 2-day shipping, or for the small business route, order it from your Doterra-distributing family-member, or friend!

Foam Roller: $-$$

For a bit more substantial massage experience, give the gift of a foam roller to you aerialist! You can’t really go wrong with a Trigger Point massage roller. Personally, I’d recommend a roller that is dense with actual trigger points (the bumps that run down the sides) which can get a lot deeper into the muscles when you’re aerialist is warming up or sore from training. For a bit cheaper option, these massage balls are also excellent, and great for traveling!

Massage Session: $$$

The very best gifts aren’t things, but experiences! So if you’ve got the budget for it, get your aerialist a session of bodywork. Odds are they already have someone that they go to regularly, so the best way to do this is to give them a card with cash, and an explicit message to “use this for a massage!” As an LMT myself, you can also get your aerialist a massage with me (if they are in Salt Lake, or planning a traincation here soon!) by emailing me HERE. 

#3 The Gift of Brandon’s Favorite Things

Back Warmer: $$ 

A back-warmer is a wonderful christmas gift for your aerialist, especially for the winter season! And there are none better than these luxurious velvet ones from my good friend and aerial dancer Holly Jarvis. I got my own recently and it’s honestly my new favorite training-wear. This gift will help keep your aerialist warm and safe even on the coldest days of the year, and have the added benefit of supporting a small business! Holly even gave me a discount code to pass along to you: use “Brandon10” at checkout!

Everstretch Strap – $$

And now for my personal favorite training item, we have this phenomenal strap from Everstretch. This strap is perfect for warming up the shoulders (an aerialist’s most prized possession)  as well as conditioning and stretching the rest of the body. You can order their original strap here, or enter to win one of their BRAND NEW straps with loops by sharing this blog post from my facebook page!

Proximal: An Introduction to Aerial Theory from Aerial Design – $$$

Finally to end, we have a gift very close to my heart. Dara Minkin is one of the leading aerialists in our field for Aerial Theory, and her brand new book is sure to be a gamechanger for both the beginner, and the coach, as well as an absolute knockout gift for your aerialist! When you preorder before Nov. 30th, you’ll get 25% off (orders in the US will ship and arrive before Christmas). Your order here will benefit an inspiring individual in the industry, and give your giftee plenty of ideas for New Year’s Resolutions!

I hope you and the aerialist in your life have a very merry and memorable Christmas this year!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me here!

 

5 Signs it’s Time to Buy Your Own Aerial Apparatus

So you’ve been taking aerial classes for a while, you’re completely in love (as we all are!), and you’re thinking about getting yourself an apparatus to call your own. Well, here are 5 Signs that it’s the right time for you to get your own silks, straps, or lyra!

You have a safe place to rig

Of course, your absolute first priority when it comes to Aerial must be safety. And coming up soon after is the question of where your apparatus will hang. You don’t want to order a full set of silks and hardware just to have it sit in a jumbled heap in your closet!

Some examples of safe places to rig:

  • The studio you train at
  • A free-standing rig
  • A point okayed by a structural engineer/rigger familiar with aerial

Because free-standing rigs can be a bit pricey, and other points can be hard to gage for safety (if you have a question about a possible point, or how to find a rigger in your area, I’d recommend this Facebook group), the most accessible, and generally best option to begin with is the studio you train at! While they most likely have apparatus for you to use in-house, having your own apparatus to train on can be a great source of pride and motivation.

To avoid disrupting class, bring your apparatus in to train on during open gym. As long as there is a semi-efficient way of rigging in the space, this shouldn’t be a problem (though many studios like to inspect outside equipment before it’s put up). Some studios require you to have a certain level of proficiency in aerial before self-training in open gym, which brings us to the next point…

You’re an intermediate level student, or above

Aerial is so easy to become infatuated with. Especially at the beginning! Trust me I know, it only took one class for me to drop out of college in pursuit of aerial professionally. However, a deep love for the art doesn’t a safe situation make. Wait until you reach at least an intermediate level before celebrating with your own equipment.

Now, each studio is going to have their own definition of what constitutes makes an aerialist intermediate, but the main idea is that you should have a good foundation of skill and technique to draw from while you are self-training. And if you are comfortable enough to self-train safely, you can consider getting some equipment to call your own.

You want access to an apparatus that is currently unavailable

You’ve just gone on traincation, and had the opportunity to take private lesson on straps for the first time! But while you’d love to take those skills you learned and keep working on them at home, your studio unfortunately doesn’t have any straps available to work on.

This would be another situation where you should consider getting an apparatus. And in this case, sooner than later! Waiting to get those straps shipped will cost you a lot, in terms of remembering the techniques you learned while with an instructor, and being able to train and progress safely on them once they are delivered. Speaking of cost…

You are ready to make a bigger investment in your aerial journey

Training aerial isn’t the cheapest hobby, as you’re well aware. $20 a pop on drop-ins at most studios can quickly add up. But the cost is well worth it for the gigantic benefits of aerial training, especially with a good coach. This is no different when you’re looking to purchase some equipment of your own.

Here’s what you can expect to lay down for some basic aerial setups:

  • Hammock: $100-$150
  • Silks: $200-300
  • Rope: $250-400
  • Lyra: $300-400
  • Straps: $400-500

Prices will vary by supplier, but my recommendation is to purchase your equipment from Aerial Essentials. AE has great prices, fast shipping (2-3 days within the US, plus international!), and superb customer service. But even better, their employees are all aerialists themselves!

Working at Aerial Essentials was a big part of how I made ends meet living in Las Vegas. And though I don’t live there anymore, I am still a part of the team! You can message me with any questions you have about equipment, and also take advantage of my personal discount by using the code BRANDON at checkout!

Something else to keep in mind is that the prices above all include full sets of hardware (carabiners, swivels, shackles, spansets, aerial 8s, etc), but once your have these on hand, buying just the apparatus a la carte will be a lot cheaper. Consider your first purchase a true investment into your aerial career, which brings me to my last point:

You are starting to work freelance

If the 4 other points are reasons to buy your ticket, this last one is getting on the plane and heading to your destination.

By the time that you are ready to begin performing for payment, especially if your goal is to become professional, you SHOULD have your own apparatus, full stop! During the beginning of your career while you’re part of a troupe or entertainment company which provides the things you need to perform, consider saving at least part of your performing income to invest in your own costuming, insurance, and equipment.

If you’re getting your first apparatus at this point, you may want to think about which setups will adapt to the most kinds of gigs you’ll have.

If you do silks, but don’t have a specific act, White and Red probably the most versatile colors, especially in corporate settings. Additionally you’ll want to get your fabric at a good length to fit in a variety of theaters and performance spaces.

For lyra, you may want to get a tabless lyra to start out, which can be rigged in many configurations depending on what skills you’d like to include in your performance.

And don’t forget, you’ll want to start gathering a collection of spansets, and other rigging equipment, so you can make as many situations as safe and workable as possible.

BONUS SIGN: You are training on fabric that’s rigged directly to your support beam

This is a pretty common phenomenon, especially in Central and South America, where fabric has boomed in popularity over the last few days, but hardware can be hard to find. 

If this is you, and you are train and especially if you are teaching on fabric like this, get hardware!! Even if it is only one set of carabiners-swivel-aerial 8-spanset, this will give you and your students the ability to practice true spinning, one of the greatest parts of aerial. 

Aerial Essentials ships worldwide in record time, put in your order now (and don’t forget your discount with the code BRANDON)!

Thanks for reading my latest blog post! And again, if you have any questions about equipment or ordering from Aerial Essentials, feel free to send me a message!