Orlando Aerial Arts

The best Aerial studio anywhere. I recently moved to Orlando after living in New York where I took classes. My instructor in New York recommended Orlando Aerial Arts. She indicated that the emphases on safety, the quality of instruction and experience of the teachers is paramount to moving forward in this art and there was no other studio that even comes close to OAA. I was not disappointed! From the moment I took my first class and met with Jennifer, the owner, I knew I was home. The camaraderie of all the students is so encouraging as well. I have progressed so quickly in this school, and love the fact that I can share my progress with my friends and family when the studio has their annual student showcase which is incredibly well done and professional. I highly recommend OAA.

I agree with most of the reviews here — very clean and safety oriented. And aerialists are still a small community — I support all schools fundamentally. Give the place a try once or twice.
However for someone with more than a year of decent aerial experience you might want to try somewhere else first. There are a few schools in the area but here I was yelled at by the staff for warming up with a simple handstand for «safety reasons». Yelling at a high pitch at people doing handstands (professionally, I might add) implies to me that safety is being valued to a degree that the school will stunt your growth. The staff member was so aggressive I actually thought she was going to push me over so I’m quite sure that safety was taking a backseat to ego in this case… Very immature, clearly inexperienced with circus arts and customer service to a degree that I had to leave.
To be fair maybe it was just a bad night. On a prior night another staff member was very helpful and recommended another studio for training and independent learning. They were more empathetic and realized my plight as a straps aerialist. They even recommended a few places where someone with more experience could use their own equipment and train independently. They were the reason I came back a second time to give the place a try.

This studio is amazing!!! There is a strong emphasis on safety, which is balanced well with the unique ability in each instructor to challenge aerial artists and dancers at every level, from beginner to professional. I have been training here for about a year and have experienced significant growth myself and have watched people develop not only physically but mentally as well. Aerial arts takes focus and discipline but is quite a rush and incredibly enjoyable and addicting as taught at this studio, with teaching techniques that minimize frustrating plateaus in your practice. These instructors give you all the tools to advance as quickly as your discipline and determination allows. Rather than haphazardly throwing random skills at you to learn (as is the unfortunate practice at some studios), Orlando Aerial Arts instructors give you proper movements to practice and strengthen your body to prepare you to move to the next level and acquire the next skill with beauty, grace and proficiency. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone!!!

If I could give this place a million stars I would!!! They are so amazing and care about all the students and mostly your safety! Everyone works at their own pace and progresses individually! The vaulted ceilings are a plus for the drops that require lots of wrapping :) they also offer Lyra classes and even have a rope on the Lyra which is a BONUS! All the teachers are courteous and professional and most definitely care about the students not just on a professional level but a personal level as well. They are a great source of information and always have the best interest in students. I would recommend this place above all others as they are the full package. They not only focus on skills but they incorporate artistry, lines, motion pathways, musicality in a performance, movement, fluidity, personal personality in every individuals art works, but most importantly they make you feel at home. The studio is well kept, clean and colorful from the purple matts to the teal silks and everything in between. One of my favorite things about Orlando Aerial Arts is the teaching. I personally have some hip problems that don’t allow me to straddle as well as I could but the instructors do not let that stop me from learning a skill. They simply find a safe alternative to get into the same skill but with a different wrap or path way with once again my safety in mind and without causing any injury to myself. They truly emphasize the students progression and always offer their services with a smile! :)

This is a great aerial arts school with a focus on safety and creativity. The facility is clean, the equipment is well maintained and the instructors are Knowledgeable. I like it for the family environment and the clear instruction. There are two shows a year they put on in house and they have various performances throughout the community. It is a great workout and they have many different apparatus to try.

I had a Living Social voucher for Orlando Aerial Arts and decided to check it out. I called Orlando Aerial Arts and spoke to Jennifer, who turned out to be the owner. She encouraged me to check out the website and pick a class that worked with my schedule. Upon viewing, I saw that the school offers classes in Aerial Silks that mix beginners with advanced members. I would have been concerned — seeing as how I have never done gymnastics, never played sports, and am not particularly athletic — except I had taken one trapeze lesson in New York before and they had used the same approach of mixing levels. I called back to sign up for a Saturday class and Jennifer was super friendly and encouraging.
Upon arrival today, I was glad I had checked out the website to see the picture of the building because there doesn’t appear to be any real signage. I think the building used to be an old theater. I walked in and it took my eyes a second to adjust — it seemed pitch dark inside compared to the brightness of the outdoor Florida sun. But after a moment, I looked around and could see several different instruction areas with people engaged in varying degrees of difficult aerial silk movements.
My only negative point about this business — other than that the water fountain does not work and they don’t sell or offer water onsite — is that when I walked in, I was not greeted nor did I know where to go or what to do. it was a little overwhelming at first. I had no idea who was an instructor and who was a student. There were several pews in the center of the room — yes, like church pews — and a couple of women were sitting down, so I walked over and asked them what to do. They said it was their first time too, but they had been told by someone to sit down and wait for 11am.
We waited for 11am and then a blonde woman who I found out was Jennifer the owner went to a sign in table, called us all over, and took our waivers.
She asked who was new and paired us up into teams of two, each with one silk containing 2 pieces of «tissue.» Now began the fun part!
Having no background in this and paired with a person who had been only twice, Jennifer taught us the basics and then left us to watch each other practice. She started small and then taught us more bit by bit throughout the class, walking around to each group of 2. It was great to be able to watch the more intermediate and advanced students around us as we practiced our basics. We got to pull ourselves up and learn how to wrap the silks around our wrists and feet with varying movements.
I was surprised to find that even though I’m not a weightlifter nor a dancer nor a gymnast I was able to catch on fairly quickly, which made it even more fun. I found upper body strength I didn’t know I had. This activity definitely requires upper body and some ab/​core strength although it’s okay if you are just started to build that up. My partner knew the moves better as she had been before, but had a harder time with the strength aspect. It was nice to encourage each other and I was glad she was friendly. The atmosphere throughout was welcoming once we got going and I liked the environment.
All in all, I had a great time and could definitely see myself signing up for a bunch of classes if I was staying in Orlando. As I am moving, I’ll be on the hunt for a good school in CA with as great of a teacher as Jennifer.
I highly recommend Orlando Aerial Arts to anyone with even a remote interest! I loved that it is a workout without feeling like a workout — you’re so concentrated on doing the moves and having fun that you are building muscles without even knowing it. And that’s my kind of workout!