3.5 star review for Aerial Arts NYC. If I were reviewing this a year ago, I'd probably give this a few more stars. That is BECAUSE I was pole-ing back then and I was much stronger and in good aerial condition. Unfortunately, I tore my shoulder from pole so I took a year off and I'm back to one.
I would say, per Susie E and others here, that AA is not friendly for beginners. They do not do a good job of directing new people where to go or which class is taking place on the mat. This is pretty true of the aerial culture in general though.
There's a certain elitism that accompanies all aerials because of their strength and ability. Still, there is something more...welcoming about pole. Pole is about the camaraderie and self journey and I didn't really get that from any of the instructors here. They were for the most part patient... and thorough in explanation, just not warm? Of the two instructors I had - Josh and Kristin O, I preferred Josh. Josh was warmer and more patient; Kristin was good too but it's a matter of your personal vibe with them. They both taught pretty challenging beginner moves. You start class by stretching, then you learn 1-3 moves and then you do some aerial conditioning. One major pro is that they keep it very small-- only 5-6 people in a class.
I took 3 classes (b/c I bought the LivingSocial deal for 3 classes for $50). Cons on this deal was that they were going to expire by 2/20 so they had to be used before then and unfortunately, all the classes (nearly all) are booked solid so I don't know how anyone's supposed to make classes. Book way in advance if you want to start going. Still, I got a good deal considering one class is $35 and their packages don't lower the price too drastically. They have the most classes out of all the aerial studios in NYC (most apparatus, most instructors, most times, etc)
I started out with Lyra/Hammock which I thought was the easiest and painless of my classes. I'd try these again. We learned how to get on the appartus, sit, stand (for hammock) and do little wraps and easy poses. This was taught by Josh.
The next class I took was silks/rope, taught by Kristin. This was harder; we started with the climb, did an ankle hang and other poses that could have been built upon with other skill level. Kristin did a good job trying to explain the hand wraps and what not but boy, I don't know how people remember that! You get used to it, I guess. The one bad thing was that I didn't spend that much time on the rope.. presumably because it's the hardest but I wish we'd divided our time between the two. We learned most of the stuff on the silks, and then Kristin just asked me to replicate on the rope.. which I couldn't do. I needed tons of support (her holding the apparti still, i.e...both her and Josh were generally good about that and spotting).
The last class I took was static trapeze. This is a bit easier to book because I think it's the least favored appartus. I can see why because it hurt like a motherfucker. Twisting with that bar all up in you was simply not fun and I just wouldn't do it again. In this class, taught by Josh, I didn't think he was as forgiving or patient with newbies- esp. newbies like me that have a low pain tolerance. I had the most difficulty with trap- I couldn't even really mound the thing on my own. I have really short arms compared with my body so it was hard for me to invert into the swing... which was a problem with me and pole too.
I'd say you'd need to have some kind of fitness level before doing these classes. I'm very fit and strong, and an ex pole dancer but aerial is another beast all together. If you're flexible and a pro at inversions (handstands, headstands- which I'm not because it's really a balancing act that I've never been able to achieve), you'll be good.
All in all, I'd consider going back for lyra and hammock if I don't like a more affordable studio. After all, they have a plethora of classes and the location is convenient. read more