Amanda Pamas, 23, of Delray Beach hangs from silks
during a class held by Lucy Nguyen at Sunshine Circus Arts in Delray Beach.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Sierra Lewis, 17, taking a summer break from Idaho, hangs from silks during a class
given by Lucy Nguyen at Sunshine Circus Arts in Delray Beach.
Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Nguyen prepares student Carol Kane, of Boynton Beach,
to soar on yellow silk.
By Lona O’Connor
Two young British ice skaters are practicing on aerial silks under Lucy Nguyen’s supervision.
Mia Drury, 13, who already spent six months at circus school in Sarasota, is completely at ease.
Her friend Morgan Swales, 16, takes a little while to get the hang of hanging upside down, supported by little else than the end of a long strip of aerial silk fabric wrapped strategically around her foot and leg. But she is soon gliding, too, arms outstretched like a ballerina.
The bright red and yellow silks are used by people practicing aerial dance, a hybrid form of gymnastics and dance, made world-famous by Cirque du Soleil.
The silks are affixed to the very high ceiling of the Delray Beach warehouse located just west of I-95 where Nguyen, who says she is over 40, runs Sunshine Circus Arts. The girls shimmy up the silks, high over the thick mat that covers the floor. They seem to float upside down or sideways, adding yoga-like twists and splits that are as beautiful to look at as they are difficult to achieve.
Making aerial dance look effortless takes months of developing strength and flexibility. (Aerial dance is different from aerial yoga, which also uses silks to assist with poses.)
Karen Drury explains that working on aerial silks adds upper-body and core strength, making it excellent cross-training for her daughter, who, with her brother Henry, is already a British champion pairs skater.
It’s not necessary to be an elite athlete to benefit from aerial dance. Some people who practice aerial dance, like Carol Datura Riot, 33, have no aspirations to join Cirque du Soleil — and a distaste for heights.
“I did gymnastics in high school, and I have been wanting to do silks,” said Riot, of Boynton Beach, who makes costumes and accessories for devotees of superheroes, gothic and anime characters. “It works on every part of your body.”
She arranges herself in a full split as handily as the two teens did. After she finishes her silks routine, she discreetly takes several very deep breaths. She is philosophical about working alongside young elite-level athletes.
“You know they’re going to outperform you on every level,” she says, climbing the silks again.
As for heights, she just doesn’t look down.
Some take aerial dance to the heights of performance, twirling off bridges and sheer mountain faces.
There is even a job market for those who are adept at aerial dance, especially if they have gymnastics or other athletic backgrounds.
At Florida State University, Nguyen performed as many as eight shows a week with the FSU circus troupe. She also has worked at the South Florida Fair and has been part of the background entertainment at parties and fundraisers.
“You’re being pretty for an hour, you’re part of the ambiance,” said Nguyen. “There are even people who do aerial bartending, upside down, pouring drinks.”
For those not too faint of heart for aerial dance, the physical benefits are many.
“You use your legs, you keep your body strong and tight,” said Nguyen, who studied circus arts at FSU and teaches adults, children and families. “It’s fun, so you don’t realize you’re building your strength up. I lift myself, climb, do flips and twists. It’s not as mindless as other types of exercise. But it definitely takes a lot of energy. You have to be able to think and do and still breathe.
“You can come in cold, depending on how strong you are and how active you’ve been,” said Nguyen. “I have some ladies in their 40s and 50s who do it. It can be frustrating and hard. Like anything new, it depends on how you stick to it.”
The key is the development of upper-body strength.
“I suggest that people who have never hung by their hands or their legs should start by doing pull-ups at the local park,” said Nguyen.
She starts out new students with the silks arranged like a hammock.
“You stand in it, you lean back in it, you feel your body weight in the hammock and get used to the hand grip,” said Nguyen. “Then we work on one-leg lifts, straddle, basic rollup, different positions, to feel how challenging it is.”
For a class schedule, visit www.sunshinecircusarts.com.
Members of Sunshine Circus Arts will perform during the Carousel Carnival at Pompano Citi Centre, southwest corner of Copans Road at U.S. 1. The carnival runs 6-9 p.m. Sept. 18. For information, call (954) 943-4683.
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