Monique Bailey

“Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of courage, and something great will come out of it.”

Have you ever dreamed of joining the circus? Wanted to move like a gymnast or an acrobat? Maybe you can make your dreams a reality by learning aerial. The Fitness Circus

Aerial is an umbrella term for disciplines such as aerial hoop, aerial yoga and aerial silks. These three practices target many different muscles in the body, and are all an excellent way to become stronger, more flexible and to improve your fitness. The differences between each style is based on the equipment used to create the movements. A vertical ‘hula hoop’ is hung from the ceiling for aerial hoop, hammocks are used for yoga flows and poses in aerial yoga, and long pieces of fabric are draped from high heights, known as the silks. I was never aware of the acrobatic movement styles of aerial, until I began seeing actresses Janel Parrish and Troian Bellisario from Pretty Little Liars post extraordinary videos of themselves. They would be climbing, unravelling and then climbing back up the silks. I made it my mission to find out what it was that they were doing. I was in awe of how strong they must both be to be able to hold their bodies up like that. Fast forward to 2019, and I got to give both aerial hoop and aerial silks a go for myself. Aerial yoga is pending. And all I can say is that I had so much fun.

“Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of courage, and something great will come out of it.”

I met Monique Bailey around this time at these classes, who is now a certified aerial hoop instructor at Cumbria Pole Art in Carlisle. Bailey began practicing aerial hoop in October 2017 as she had always been very fond of the circus and aerial acts. “It (was) something I had always wanted to do as a child, but I never knew where to start. I eventually came across aerial hoop classes and never looked back.” In the run up to teaching her first ever aerial hoop class, Bailey tells me that newcomers may be anxious about attending a class, but she encourages them to just turn up, and not feel discouraged if they cannot do everything they had hoped to achieve in their first class. “Sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of courage, and something great will come out of it.” Bailey tells me that her favourite movements in aerial hoop include one titled ‘Star on the Bar’, a pose in which the aerialist hangs upside down, with the legs straight and wide, gripping the left and right sides of the hoop, without holding on with the hands. Another one she enjoys is performing a single elbow hang, in which she uses one of her elbows to grip the hoop and hold the rest of her body up. Attending an aerial class is also a fantastic opportunity to make new friends, as well as increasing your confidence. “Aerial brings people from all backgrounds, genders, and ages together. I love seeing the progress in myself and in others”, says Bailey. And aerial is no easy feat. Bailey and such aerial performers make navigating the hoop look effortless, but in reality, it takes grit and determination to master the movements, and a lot of painful bruising. However, the hard work pays off when you begin to feel more confident in yourself and your ability.

Check out Monique’s Instagram @monique_bailey_xx to see some amazing aerial shapes.

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