Wrapped up in silk

Early in August I took Kelly Streelman and Jackie Shotwell down SAU for a clinic. Christian Van Loo flew out from LA to provide Kelly, Jackie and three Gym-Master girls with an opportunity to learn aerial acrobatics using silk fabric. This is not a new art form but it is one not done by a lot of people . Christine Van Loo has done the aerial silk act at many high profile events and is known world wide for her abilities in gymnastics, sports acrobatics, and circus arts. We were very fortunate to have this level of expertise at our disposal.

To say the training started out with the girls looking awkward would be an understatement. Learning the different wraps of the silk, the most effective way to climb, and trusting the knots created for support was an exercise in trust. Learning skills like the hip key, big knot, foot wrap, and various other wraps tested the girls' ability to learn but also their endurance. This can be a very tiring skill to learn, until you learn to climb and wrap the silk efficiantly a athlete tends to use much more upper body strength than lower body, the result is fatigue. By the end of two days the girls had learned much and had started learning a routine with the silk.

The nice aspect about the aerial silk is many of the skills can be learned just a few feet off the ground and when perfected, the skills can be performed many feet off the mat. Christine has done this skill 9 stories off the edge of a building. I can, with much conviction, say the Gymnics will never attempt this!