Aerial Silks Near Me on North Van Ness: Aeriform Arts' Six-Person Silks Classes

No silks class at Aeriform Arts takes more than six students, and there are no walk-ins. The boutique studio at 1276 North Van Ness Avenue in Hollywood books everything online, charges $35 for a single adult aerial class and $120 for a four-pack, and teaches Silks Fundamentals on Saturdays at 12:30pm. For aerial silks near me in central Hollywood, it is the small-room option, with a ceiling of 15 to 18 feet and seven rigging points on pulleys.

Aeriform Arts is run by its owner and creative director, Lea Walker, who also teaches Levity Aerial Yoga, harness work and Grounded Aerial Bungee. The building has two rooms. The aerial room has 15- to 18-foot ceilings, seven aerial points on pulleys, mirrors, crash pads and a carpeted gymnastics floor. The pole room has dance flooring, one aerial point and four 12.5-foot dance poles with static and spin settings.

The studio describes itself as a family and says aerial and circus arts are for everyone, and its timetable reflects that range. On top of silks it teaches lyra, hammock, pole, trapeze, bungee, harness and dance, plus kids and teen aerial for ages 8 to 17 on Sunday at noon. All classes are co-ed. Because every aerial point hangs on a pulley, staff can change the height of an apparatus between classes, which is how one room serves both silks and hammock in the same afternoon.

Complete beginners have two entry points. On Saturday at 2pm, Fabrics, Start Here Beginners (hammock and silks) introduces the equipment and the first steps of flight, and the studio recommends it for anyone trying silks or hammock for the first time. Before that, at 12:30pm, Jane Osborn teaches Silks Fundamentals, a 60-minute beginner class built around climbs, the straddle-back, the foot lock and the hip key.

Those four skills are also the gate to everything else. Intermediate silks lists them as prerequisites, and the studio asks you to be able to perform every prerequisite move before booking a higher level, or to phone if you are unsure. Taking Fundamentals for a few Saturdays, then moving to a multi-level class, is the route most of the timetable is designed around.

Weeknight silks classes are multi-level. Lauren Avon teaches Silks (Multi-Level) on Tuesday at 8:15pm, after her 6:45pm lyra class, and Wil Rhew teaches Wednesday at 7:15pm, before his own lyra class at 8:45pm. These sessions start with a group warm-up, move to an aerial warm-up on the silks for strength and endurance, then progress to mounts, poses, moves and combinations.

With only six spots, multi-level here means the teacher can split the room: a newer student drills a climb on one fabric while a stronger one works a sequence on the next. Hammock fans have their own Thursday 7:30pm multi-level class with Monica Miklas and a Saturday 11am session with Jane Osborn. If silks feels too hard on the hands, hammock is the gentler fabric to keep training on.

A single adult aerial class costs $35 and must be used within 45 days. The Aerial 4 Pack costs $120 ($30 a class) and also lasts 45 days, while the Aerial 8 Pack costs $224 ($28 a class) and lasts 60 days. A single adult ground class costs $25. Open Aerial Practice and Open Pole Practice cost $15 a session, Monday evenings at 8pm.

Our take: the four-pack only pays off if you can come weekly, since 45 days is tight for four classes. The eight-pack is better value, but 60 days means twice a week. Whatever you buy, the studio's terms are firm. Classes, packages, privates and workshops are non-refundable, and a class cancelled within 24 hours is lost, with an extra $10 late-cancel fee for in-studio classes.

For silks and hammock, wear leggings that cover the back of the knee, or a unitard, and a shirt that covers your armpits. A tank top is acceptable if you bring a shirt too. Avoid slippery fabrics. Remove all jewelry and skip lotions, oils and perfume before class, because the fabrics hold scents and oil makes them slippery for the next student.

Bring a yoga mat for floor-based warm-ups if you have one, though the studio keeps mats to borrow, and leave glass water bottles at home. Bottled water is sold at the studio. Booking closes 15 minutes before each class starts, so book from your phone before you set off rather than hoping to add yourself on arrival.

The studio has street parking only, and it is free. The studio's own advice is to come early to secure a space, and not to park in the spaces at the apartment building next door, because cars there get towed. On Saturday afternoons, when Fundamentals and the beginner fabrics class run back to back, allow at least ten extra minutes to circle the block.

If you have several Saturdays free, the 12:30pm Fundamentals class followed by the 2pm Start Here class makes a solid first afternoon. If you can only train on weekday evenings, Cirque School on Hollywood Boulevard runs evening Aerial 101 classes for $35, and Believe Fitness Studio in Culver City has a New to Silks class on Monday at 7:30pm.

The studio sits on a residential block of North Van Ness Avenue just north of Santa Monica Boulevard. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, is a few minutes away and is known for its summer outdoor film screenings and the graves of early Hollywood stars. Paramount Pictures, at 5555 Melrose Avenue to the south, runs guided tours of its lot.

The block itself is mostly apartments, so plan to eat elsewhere. Larchmont Village, south of Melrose, has cafés and casual restaurants for a weekend lunch, and Santa Monica Boulevard has quick options for after a weeknight class.

Address: Aeriform Arts, 1276 North Van Ness Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038. Book through the studio's FitDegree schedule, since walk-ins are not accepted. Silks Fundamentals runs Saturday at 12:30pm and Fabrics, Start Here runs Saturday at 2pm. Multi-level silks meets Tuesday at 8:15pm and Wednesday at 7:15pm.

A single class is $35, the Aerial 4 Pack is $120 and the Aerial 8 Pack is $224. Classes hold six students. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead to avoid losing the class and a $10 fee. Street parking only, and do not use the apartment spaces next door.