Bored of your gym routine? Try Aerial Silks. Here’s why you should give this fitness-cum-art form a chance
Seeing images or videos of one performing Aerial Silks — contorting the body gracefully at a height using a suspended fabric — most people find it intimidating and think it’s not their cup of tea. However, one needs to overcome this fear to realise how empowering this fitness-cum-art form can be. So, if you’re bored of the mundane gym sessions, and are on the lookout for a jaw-dropping, sophisticated way of keeping fit, then Aerial Silks is your answer. We spoke to three Aerial Silks experts in the city on what’s unique about it and why it’s beneficial to do so...
Aditi Deshpande
Alongside being the daughter of Mallakhamb maestro Uday Deshpande and a national champion in Rope Mallkhamb, Aditi Deshpande has trained in Aerial Silks in San Francisco, US. Recently, she acquired an international certification from Aerial Art America. She continues to learn and update herself on this fitness-cum-art form. Her celebrity clientele include Sushmita Sen, Sonali Kulkarni, Amruta Khanvilkar, Esha Amiin (stylist), to name a few.
Around five years ago, Aditi started teaching Aerial Silks in Mumbai. Intially, she had people with a background in dance and yoga come to her and gradually had college students and working professionals as well. She also started Fly High Aerial Art Academy, conducting Aerial Silks sessions across the city. Besides Mumbai, Aditi has also conducted workshops in Bengaluru and Pune, and abroad in New Jersey, US as well.
Lara Saluja
Lara Saluja has been teaching Aerial Silks for almost three years and Aerial Hoop for a year now. Her celebrity clients include Pooja Bedi, Jacqueline Fernandez and Lekha Washington to name a few. Besides teaching Aerial Silks, Anti-gravity yoga and Aerial Hoop at Tangerine Arts Studio and The Space, she also conducts private classes.
“The basics of Aerial Silks involve a performer who climbs up a suspended fabric anywhere from 15 to 50 feet high, and uses the fabric to wrap, fall, spiral, swing, and contort their body. Various tricks such as drops, upside-down splits, and flips make for an exciting demonstration of human strength and agility. Due to the twisting and contorting nature of sport, no safety lines or harnesses can be used. Beginners are encouraged to practice on extra long fabrics that run closer to the ground, where the risks of injury from falling are greatly lessened. More experienced performers will use shorter fabrics that climb higher up off the ground, to show their expertise and skill,” explains Saluja. She adds that although some men do participate, Aerial Silks classes tend to predominantly draw women, particularly those wanting a fun alternative to doing chin-ups and push-ups to gain upper-body strength.
Why should you do it?
“Aerial Silks is a fitness form which entails an entire body workout. It helps in strengthening, toning, flexibility and is also a confidence booster. It also helps lose weight,” says Aditi who has trained over 300 individuals in the city, ranging from the age group of five to 85. Anybody can do Aerial Silks, even those who are overweight, it takes getting used to. Even those with back spasms problem can do it as it helps, like in the case of Sushmita Sen. Initially, everyone seems intimidated but gradually they get confident. There’s different levels taught at Fly High Aerial Art: Basic 1 and 2, Intermediate 1 and 2, and Advanced.
Shruti Jasani
Earlier Shruti Jasani was a dance choreographer who later underwent training for Aerial Silks from New York. She began teaching Aerial Silks in Mumbai around seven years ago and has taught several hundreds over the years, including celebrities like Sonam Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Deepika Padukone (for the song Manva Lage from Happy New Year), Sushmita Sen and celebrity kids as well. Besides Aerial Silks, Jasani also conducts classes in Aerial Ring, Aerial Hammock, Trapeze, and Strength and flexibility class as well. Currently, around 400 students are being trained across all batches at The Wooden Stage in Vile Parle.
Jasani too, conducts three levels of Aerial Silks — Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. At the Beginner’s level, there’s supervision and how to activate and strengthen the muscle is taught, and students get a feel of the cloth. The Intermediate level is where people can practice for a longer duration and can do it without supervision. For the Advanced level, it’s the dancers and those with a background in yoga who opt for it.
Where you can do Aerial Silks in Mumbai
You can contact Aditi Deshpande on: 9833699965. Fly High Aerial Art classes are conducted at these places:
- Kinspire - Link Plaza, Link Road Extension, Oshiwara, Andheri (W)
- Sitara Studio - Garage Galli, near Congress Bhavan, opp IndiaBulls Finance Centre, Lower Parel
- Studio 23 - Tulsiani Chambers, ground floor, Free Press Journal road, Nariman Point
- PSDG - 207, Owners Industrial Estate, near Rizvi Heights, Mahim
- Shree Samartha Vyavam Mandir - Shivaji Park, Dadar
- Arts in Motion - 39/44, TV Chidambaram Marg, Sion (E)
- Arts in Motion - Near ‘W’ showroom, Linking Road, Khar (W)
- Allrounders - Shop no 2 and 3, Jayant Sapphire, Sayani Road, Prabhadevi
- Shruti Jasani’s classes are conducted at: The Wooden Stage - 705 D-square building, Dadabhai Road, Vile Parle (W), call: 98920 77468.
- Lara Saluja’s classes are conducted at Tangerine Arts Studio - Pali Danda Rd, Danda, Khar (W), connect on Instagram: @tangerineartsstudio;
The Space - AB Nair Road, Juhu, connect on Instagram: @thespace.juhu
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Aerial Silks")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}