Welcome! We’re glad to have you join us at SLAC.
If you are looking to learn an aerial apparatus, the main ones we teach are hoop, silks, slings and trapeze (dance and static).
Adult Students (ages 15+)
To get started, you can sign up for Beginner Trial Class to see if you like aerial. Beginner trial class is an hour and 20 minute class where you can try silks and either dance trapeze or hoop to see what you think. We offer a few of these classes before each new session starts.
Beginner trial class is not required. If you already know what you want, you can skip the trial class and sign up for a series:
- You can sign up for Intro to Vertical, where you will learn silks and a little bit of rope.
- Or you can sign up for Intro to Horizontal, where you will learn hoop, slings and dance trapeze.
Levels above intro have prerequisites listed, which are skills you will need to attain before you move up to that level. It is very common for students to repeat a level several times before they move up. Classes are usually a mix of brand new students and students who are taking the level again.
Youth Students (ages 6-18)
We divide our youth students into two different age groups, 6-10 and 11-18. We offer a few classes for youth.
- Kids ages 6-10 may enroll in the Kids’ Aerial series, which is an hour-long class where students work on silks and slings material.
- Youth ages 11-18 may choose between a silks or slings series, and there is a Beginning and Intermediate level for each. These classes are an hour and 20 minutes long.
We do allow ages 15 and up in adult classes. If you’re ages 15-18, you can choose a youth class if you’re looking to spend time with other students your age, or you can choose an adult class if you are serious about leveling up your skills. Youth students must meet the prerequisites for adult classes above intro.
New Student Guide
Classes may have as few as two or as many as eight students. We do our best to maintain a 2:1 student to apparatus ratio. You will probably be sharing apparatuses with other students.
We usually have two classes happening in the space at any given time.
Aerial apparatus classes are taught in 6-8 week sessions. If you sign up for an aerial series class, you’ll pay for the entire series of classes in advance, and then you’ll attend that class once a week at the same time each week for 6-8 weeks (depending on the length of that session). Check the calendar for information about when each series begins and ends.
We have fitness and conditioning classes that you can take as a series, or you can sign up for them individually.
Aerial classes are 80 minutes each, fitness classes are 60-80 minutes each depending on subject matter, and classes for kids aged 6-10 are 60 minutes.
Everyone is welcome at SLAC; there are no prerequisites to taking an introductory aerial class. We do not have weight limits, and we do not expect students at intro levels to be strong or fit in any specific way.
Adult classes are for ages 15 and up, youth classes have age limits stated in the class descriptions.
We recommend taking a beginner trial class to start off. This 80-minute class lets you try out silks and trapeze (or hoop) to see what you like best.
After that, we recommend taking a 6-8 week series class: Intro to Horizontal or Intro to Vertical. There are no prerequisites for these classes, so you don’t need to have taken beginner trial class to sign up.
Please sign up online in advance for all classes, workshops and open practices that we offer. We do not have a dedicated front desk staff to assist walk-in students, and online signup makes it easy to sign the waiver online and get reminders about classes.
If you’d prefer to pay by check or cash, please email us at info@stlaerial.org to arrange a time to come in and pay in advance. We cannot hold spots for students who have not yet paid.
Everyone must sign a waiver before attending class, training, or engaging in any activity at SLAC.
Dress appropriately for your apparatus. For most aerial apparatuses, proper attire means close-fitting stretchy/workout clothes that cover the legs, underarms and waist. Sliding on fabric or rope with bare skin can lead to burns!
Do not wear jewelry, grommets, zippers, or any other objects that can snag or damage the equipment, yourself, your fellow students, and/or your instructor.
We work in socks or bare feet, so be prepared to take off your shoes.
Make sure to come hydrated and bring a water bottle.