Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear for aerial class/practice?

Please wear snug-fitting clothing that covers your midsection and all the way down your leg.   Thick tights are better than loose-fitting yoga pants.   Wide-legged pants are likely to get in your way.   Make sure your shirt fits snugly enough that it will stay in place when you invert.   Layers are useful and sometimes you will want a shirt with sleeves to protect your arms/armpits, but often you can get away with a tank top.   Cotton is better than nylon.   Neoprene ankle wraps can also come in handy for protection.

Make sure your clothing has no zippers, belts, studs, or anything else that could catch on the equipment.   We will ask you to remove all watches, rings, large earrings, etc, so you might want to leave your valuables in the car or at home to make sure you don’t leave things at the studio.

Please avoid using lotions, oils, or heavy perfumes before coming to the studio.   Your skin should be clean and dry, both for your own safety and to keep the equipment as clean as possible for others.   Do use deodorant.

Once you're hooked on aerials, you might consider ordering a custom unitard or buying one of our stylish baseball jerseys available from Zazzle.com! Versatile Arts Basball Jersey

NEW! Versatile Arts is proud to recommend the Vertical Girl line of apparel - it's designed for rock climbers but also works well for aerials! They'll be coming out with a full-length pant soon but meanwhile...try the capris!

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What should I bring to class?

The main thing you need is a water bottle.   We provide filtered water but encourage the use of reusable bottles so please bring your own, preferably with your name on it.   We also sell stainless steel bottles for $15 and will make a label for you!

If you tend to perspire, please bring a hand towel so that you can mop yourself off as needed.

A notebook or camera can be useful for recording what you learn in class.

Do you offer classes/lessons for children?

At this time, The Cathedral is an adult-only space. We highly recommend SANCA (the School for Acrobatics and New Circus Arts) in Georgetown for children’s circus classes.   They have an extensive program and excellent instructors.

I’ve never done anything like this before.   Where should I start?

If you are brand-new to the aerial arts, your best option is to take our Intro Series .

If you’d like to get started before our next introductory offering, you could instead schedule a private lesson or two to try it out.  If you get 2 to 3 friends to join in, the cost is roughly the same per class as the Intro Series.

What sort of exercise/stretching should I do to build strength for aerial work?

The best way to get strong enough to do aerial work is to do aerial work!

Other things you can do to build upper body and core strength include: pull-ups, bent-arm hangs, Pilates-style abdominal work, yoga, and rock climbing.

In terms of stretching, focus on shoulders, hamstrings, and low back. Working on your straddles and splits is very helpful, but only stretch them when your muscles are warmed up!

I’ve taken classes with <other teacher> for <some amount of time>.   What class should I take?

Because every teacher offers a slightly different curriculum, we require all transferring/cross-enrolling students to schedule a half-hour assessment lesson ($20) so that we can determine the best fit of student to class.   Please contact us at to schedule an assessment.

I’d like to come to open gym to practice.   What do I have to do?

Open gym is available to all adult aerialists who are able to work safely and independently.   To be approved for open gym usage, please contact us at to schedule an evaluation/orientation during one of our open gym sessions.

What if I miss a class? What's the make-up policy?

You must provide 24 hours notice if you are going to miss a class in order to qualify for a make-up; that gives us time to offer your place to someone else as a drop-in. Makeups can be taken as open gym time (for non-members), or you can arrange to attend a different class with enough advance notice.   If you know in advance that you'll be gone part of the session, pro-rated tuition can be negotiated.

Not seeing your question?   Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions you may have.

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This site was last updated June 30, 2009