Open Practice is a time to work on class material, conditioning, flexibility and act development. Instructors will assist with rigging and supervise, but will not teach. Students are not permitted to teach others or work on skills they have not already been taught. Crash mats are mandatory. If the supervising instructor feels that your activities are not safe for you or others, you will be asked to stop.
In a space as small as SLAC, students must share equipment and mats. Please do not request more than one apparatus at a time.
Non-Member cost: $18
Member cost: see various discount rates
Duration: 1:20
Age limit: 16 and up or with instructor permission
Rules of Open Practice
Open practice is for students ages 16 and up. Those under 16 must have instructor permission.
A crash mat must be used at all times unless you are doing low floor work or conditioning. The crash mats are the 8″ thick mats used in classes. Panel mats, other thin mats in the studio, and the carpeted foam floor do not qualify as crash mats.
Absolutely no training under the influence of drugs (legal or otherwise) or alcohol is allowed. If your instructor suspects that you may be compromised in this or some other way (i.e. injury, illness, or severe sleep deprivation) you will be asked to sit out and you will not be issued a makeup or refund.
With barefoot students out on the floor, glass or ceramic containers are not worth the risk. Please bring water in other kinds of containers.
Only water is allowed in the practice area. No other drinks, food or gum allowed.
Do not attempt to rig any equipment, unless you’ve been given permission AND instruction on rigging your own apparatus. Please ask a staff member if you need equipment adjusted for any reason.
St. Louis Aerial Collective allows students to bring and use their own aerial apparatus during open practice. To do this, you must get approval from the studio rigger in advance. This is to ensure that all apparatuses and hardware used in the space are legitimately manufactured and appropriately rated for aerial use. Learn more.
No photography or video recording is allowed without the express permission of the person being photographed or filmed. Videos of other students and videos of instructors may NOT be posted online.
- Be respectful and kind to the instructors, employees, your fellow students, the studio, and yourself.
- No shoes on the mats or apparatus.
- Please be considerate with cell phone use.
- In a space with shared apparatuses and training space, it is important that all students practice good hygiene. We request that everyone avoid heavy fragrances and lotions.
- Do not walk under apparatuses while they are in use.
- In a space as small as SLAC, students must share equipment and mats. Please do not request more than one apparatus at a time.
If you are an established aerialist visiting St. Louis from out of town and you would like to attend an open practice, please feel free to sign up! You’ll need to abide by all the rules of open practice, including working only on material you’ve personally learned from an aerial instructor.
If you are self-taught via experimentation or online videos, you’ll need to seek formal instruction before you can join us for open practice.
Everyone must sign a waiver before attending class, training, or engaging in any activity at SLAC.
Open practice is for people who have at least a rudimentary knowledge of aerial arts and who can work on their material without instruction. It is not a playground. If you have no aerial experience, please sign up for a trial or drop in class or an intro series to build your foundation in aerial arts, then come practice what you are learning at open studio.
Open practice is for you to practice what you learn in class; do not attempt to execute new moves or to teach other students. The safest way to learn any aerial or circus skill is with a qualified instructor. We do not recommend ANY other method of learning aerial or circus skills.
Sign Up
Open practice slots do not appear on the calendar until 7 days before their scheduled date.