Absolutely killer aerial/dance/pole fitness studio. Huge instructor team for constantly-rotating classes, some of the owners are even instructors, and there are multiple rooms for concurrent classes. I really love it here.
My suggestion if you're brand new? Try to enroll in an enrollment course for something that piques your interest. If you're curious about aerial apparatuses but scared about the idea of being in a studio and learning it, sign up for a dance choreography class for the first time. It'll get you familiar with the studio, the instructors, and the process, and you'll likely find yourself comfortable enough to sign up for your apparatus class the next month!
PROS:
-Multiple rooms means multiple concurrent classes pretty much from 5PM to 9PM most evenings. There's a dedicated room full of silks/hammock, a room full of lyras, a dance/hardwood floor room, and a room full of poles. Each room is separate so you can really focus on what you're doing.
-They have one-time classes (they call them "enhancement") and series classes spread out over a full month (they call them 'enrollment'). This gives you price options and time commitment options.
-Such a ridiculously welcoming atmosphere. As a plus-size woman with no aerial background, I was worried, but everybody is extremely welcoming. There are thinner-bodied humans and thicker-bodied humans. The majority of the attendees seem to be femme-presenting, but there are some masculine-presenting people who are super welcome too.
-Such a gigantic class list of options to choose from. There's belly dance, yoga, cardio dance classes, aerial apparatus classes (pole, lyra, hammock, silks), choreography classes, and more. Really, there are so many options that things can feel overwhelming sometimes.
-Lots of unique workshops too for one-off learning of advanced concepts or digging into the magic of choreography creation. There are also regular showcases for students to show off what they've been learning if you're curious about the studio and want to take a tour and see what type of stuff happens for yourself.
-Instructors are so friendly. They're always happy to answer questions, and if I'm having trouble with something, they usually have advice or modifications.
CONS:
-Almost all of the studio membership options give you a free "learn how to do X" class series each month. This means that a lot of the students have dabbled in various aerials - or are absolutely amazing at them. This means that the one-time, "all levels welcome!" classes regularly include moves that are beyond the brand-new beginner level. I've popped into haute hammock classes where ALL of the apparatus choreography was outside of my abilities - and sassy silks classes where 50% of the choreo was beyond my abilities. This isn't necessarily a reason to avoid the studio, but you might want to know that some of the one-off/enhancement classes (Sassy Silks, Lyra Lux, Sassy Silks, Poleography) may use a few (or more) moves that will be hard for a brand-new beginner to use. If you see everybody else catching onto the moves really quickly, remember that a lot of people have familiarity with the apparatus or might even regularly be doing tricks that are 4x as hard. I know I've used these choreography classes as a way to "try" a new aerial apparatus, but if you do the same, don't let it discourage you if you're unable to do most of the things. It's totally normal for some of the choreo to be beyond a newbie's capabilities. (I wish there was a way for Femme Fatale to really earmark which individual classes each week were beginner-friendly and which weren't.)
-Because the membership options offer unlimited one-time/"enhancement" class enrollments for members, enhancement classes fill up really far ahead of time - but there's a gigantic turn-over near the day of the class. So if you're on a waitlist, don't fret! It's likely that you'll make it in day-of. My plan-ahead ass hates the uncertainty, though. If you want the best likelihood to be on the class list (and not the waitlist), sign up exactly two weeks ahead of time when the class registration opens. read more
