Performing with Aerial Silks in Teton Valley - East Idaho News
Driggs

Performing with Aerial Silks in Teton Valley

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DRIGGS — In time with sinuous music playing on the speakers, Shannon Brady twinned herself around a shimmering length of silk hanging from the top wall of the Teton Rock Gym.

Aerial silks is a type of performance in which the artist does aerial acrobatics while hanging from a fabric.

“It’s a natural complementary activity to rock climbing,” said Brady. “It increases body awareness, core strength, taps into creativity. It’s challenging to do with grace and fluidity.”

Brady has been doing aerial silks since her best friend taught her how. She also took a private lesson at the Northeast Center for Circus Arts in Vermont.

She initially hung her silk from a swingset in her backyard, but in windy Teton Valley, outdoor silks can be very dangerous, since they are essentially giant sails. So she contacted the Teton Rock Gym, the only place in the valley with safe anchors and high enough ceilings for aerial silks.

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Shannon Brady and Katie Knipe get inverted at Teton Rock Gym. | Julia Tellman, Teton Valley News

The gym staff helped to get the program off the ground. Gym founder Brady Johnston was open to hanging silks. Beloved staff member Heidi Hochstrasser, who recently died in a car crash, provided vital support and enthusiasm.

“It’s great that the gym is offering something different that blends sport with art in an extremely creative and beautiful way,” said Brady.

The after school kids and climbing team have shown a lot of interest in the silks. The learning curve for beginners is steep though.

“Shannon makes it look so easy,” said climber Dan Nagy. “But when I’ve tried to learn, I have to go through the same steps a hundred times.”

Last July, the gym held its first aerial silks workshop. With a Caring for Community Grant from Silverstar, the gym purchased the hardware and fabric for two silks set-ups. The grant also helped pay for an instructor, Cathy Werner of Mountain Air Dance, to come from Bozeman. The workshop filled up completely with yoga teachers, dancers, and climbers. Brady hopes to organize another workshop in the spring.

For anyone interested in trying or watching, silks will be hung at the rock gym every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Gym membership or day passes are required for insurance purposes.

This article was originally published in the Teton Valley News. It is used here with permission.

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