4 | Academy flying high in Chch Aerial Academy currently has 14 teachers offering 40 classes, with more to come. T T from page 3 Aerial Academy REGIONAL 03 343-5061 | 027 433 9450 Residential expertise offering a total package including lighting design “Affordable Excel lence” COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL • STRUCTURAL STEELWORK • ARCHITECTURALMETALWORK • CERTIFIEDWELDING ben@colemanstructural.co.nz ARCHITECTURAL & STRUCTURAL FABRICATION COLEMAN STRUCTURAL S O S L U T I O N “It snowballed into us creating this huge facility with four studios where you can run multiple classes at the same time, which means there’s room for the business to grow.” Studio 1 doubles as a theatre for Aerial Academy’s own shows and for others needing its highly specialised facilities. With acoustic panels, theatre lights and curtains, and retractable seating, it can be transformed into a performance space with 205 seats that come out of the wall at the push of a button. Studio 2 is a similar size to Studio 1, with one wall mirrored to 7.8 metres, almost as high as the rigging points, and designed to allow people to see what they are doing when they are practising. Studio 3 is smaller and set up as more of a dance studio with a sprung wooden floor. “It’s ideal for dance, and especially for people practising more complex aerials,” says Lydia. With15 rigging points, floor lights and ceiling spots, it’s easy to create an ambience and ideal for hosting events. A group of women have already enjoyed learning how to do aerials in a charity event for Dress for Less successfully run by Miss Canterbury New Zealand. Studio 4 has similar dimensions to Studio 3, complete with the mirror wall, but is intended more for use by instructors that want to practise for their classes, do their own training, or have private clients. Aerial Academy currently has 14 teachers offering 40 classes, with more to come. Of the 150 members who quickly signed up, 80 of them are children and they and their parents are well catered for. Comfortable seating in a lounge area in front of a huge window allows parents to look straight into Studio 1 and see what their children are learning. It’s an obvious activity for the school holidays and Aerial Academy runs all sorts of aerial classes and fun games involving mats and trapezes and swinging around the room on harnesses made from the aerial silks. “We make it a try-out space with give-it-a-go classes for an hour or two as well as half-day workshops where you can drop the kids off and go to work or whatever. The kids have an absolute ball. I’m planning heaps more classes in term four which will be listed on the timetable online,” says Lydia. The other 70 members are adults, who range from 18 to 70 years old covering a huge spectrum, Lydia says. “Retired, adult, students, predominantly female, but male and non-binary as well. We’ve got an upstairs loft and next to that a Pilates studio with eight state-of-the-art Reformer Pilates machines that are connected to screens. “It’s a 24/7 on-demand studio so members can scan their phone to get in whether it’s 2am or 2pm, click on the screen and do the class of their choice.” Lydia is studio manager, Nicola general manager, and they are both aerialists or aerial coaches. As Lydia says: “Literally, every single time I tell people what I do they say ‘I’ve always wanted to try that’, so we’ve made it easy for people to try something that was just for circus acrobats. “Now it’s an accessible sport, which is super fun to do and you’re getting fit and flexible at the same time. It’s amazing for your mental health too, so it’s an all-round positive.” Trusted electricians serving the greater Canterbury, and further. Proudly Supporting Aerial Academy 0800 ZAPTEK (0800 927 835) joe@zaptek.co.nz Contact Us Suppliers and Installers of all Sound Systems for the Aerial Academy.
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