Aerial Silks Near Me on West 110th Street: Levitate Studios NYC

Levitate Studios NYC teaches aerial silks under 20-foot ceilings at 315 West 110th Street, steps from the Cathedral Parkway–110th Street station on the B and C lines. A first class costs $30 for new clients, and the beginner course, Silks/Hammock 101, has no prerequisites at all. The studio calls itself an inclusive aerial boutique straddling the Upper West Side and Harlem, so if you are searching for aerial silks near me north of 96th Street, it is the closest dedicated aerial room.

Levitate is run by founder Brenna Bradbury, who placed second in the Silks Division of the 2015 U.S. Aerial Championships and was a finalist in the Lyra Division the following year. Before opening her own space she taught at several of Manhattan's larger aerial schools, including Aerial Arts NYC and Body & Pole, where she was assistant programming director, and served as aerial director at Om Factory. She has performed at The Box, The Slipper Room, House of Yes and Sony Hall.

The teaching team comes from the same performance circuit. Hannah Risner, who has performed professionally since 2010, specializes in silks, lyra and conditioning. Elena Delgado has taught aerial in New York for more than a decade and writes and directs her own aerial theater pieces, while Adam Tabellija is a resident performer with Company XIV in Brooklyn. Expect corrections that come from people who perform on the same apparatus at night.

Every new aerial student starts in Silks/Hammock 101, even if you already take lyra or pole somewhere else; the studio's class page says other aerial experience does not let you skip it. The class welcomes people without any movement or fitness background and teaches you to climb a silk, invert in a hammock, and practice foot and wrist locks. Combining the hammock with silks is a gentler entry than climbing two tails from the start.

Silks 1, for experienced beginners, requires instructor approval plus an unassisted climb to the top of the fabric on both sides and a three-second hold at the top of a pull-up. Silks 2 and Silks 3 follow for intermediate and advanced students. Studio policy is strict on levels: if you book a class above your skill, you will be removed, and if that happens inside the cancellation window, the class may be forfeited.

The rest of the schedule covers lyra, hammock, straps and rope, plus an open-level Aerial Yoga class that mixes mat work with a low hammock and suits people who want the hanging-fabric feeling without the climbing. Two-hour Open Studio sessions on shared points are reserved for Level 1 students or those with prior approval, so beginners should not book them yet.

Levitate's pricing page lists two one-time offers for new adult clients: a single class for $30, or a four-class pack for $100. After that, a drop-in class is $45 and expires 30 days after purchase. The three-class pack costs $125 and lasts 60 days from your first booking, and the ten-class pack costs $400, lasts 90 days and includes one complimentary Open Workout session. The same prices cover aerial, flexibility and mat Pilates classes.

Our honest take: the four-class pack is the one to buy if you are serious about learning to climb, because one 101 class only shows you the first wraps. The $30 single class makes sense if you are not sure you will like hanging upside down. Mat yoga is cheaper, at $25 a class or $110 for five, and works as a recovery day between silks sessions.

Doors open up to 15 minutes before class, and there is a five-minute grace period after the start; after that, nobody is let in. Every student signs an electronic waiver before the first class. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead to keep the credit. All purchases are final, non-refundable and non-transferable, and expiry dates are not extended, so check the PushPress schedule before buying a pack.

The dress code is more detailed than at most studios and is enforced in every class. Wear fitted athletic clothing that covers the backs of your knees and your underarms, with tops reaching from the armpit line to five inches above the belly button. Bathing suits, visible underwear and see-through fabric are not allowed, and clothing with political slogans, drug or alcohol references or crude jokes is banned. Shoes come off at the door, and jewelry, watches and zippers must go.

Adult group classes start at age 16, and minors need signed parental consent. Anyone with an injury or medical condition must bring clearance from a healthcare provider before class. The studio also bans unsolicited spotting or coaching of other students, which keeps a small room calm when a regular is tempted to help a newcomer with a wrap.

Levitate runs a full youth program alongside the adult classes, which gives the studio a neighborhood feel on weekday afternoons. This fall's 10-week kids sessions began on September 29 and October 1, with groups for ages 5 to 7, 8 to 11 and 10 to 15, and they finish with a showcase on Sunday, December 13, from 9 to 11am. Kids' drop-in classes cost $45 and the 8-week session is $330.

Kids' classes run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings, so if you are an adult who prefers a quiet room, check the adult schedule around those blocks. The studio publishes no phone line, so questions go to levitatestudios.nyc@gmail.com; send them well before class rather than on your way there.

Morningside Park starts right at 110th Street and runs north to 123rd Street between Manhattan Avenue and Morningside Drive, with stone stairs climbing the cliff toward Columbia University. A slow walk along its lower path is a good way to loosen tight forearms after silks, and the pond near the 113th Street end is a quiet place to sit down for a while.

A few blocks west, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 110th and 113th Streets, is one of the largest cathedrals in the world and still officially unfinished after construction began in 1892. Its Peace Fountain sits on the south lawn along 111th Street. Combine both in a short loop before heading back to the B or C train at 110th Street.

Address: Levitate Studios NYC, 315 West 110th Street, New York, NY 10026. Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9am to 10:30pm. Contact: levitatestudios.nyc@gmail.com; no phone number is published. Subway: B or C to Cathedral Parkway–110th Street at Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The 2 and 3 stop at Central Park North–110th Street at Lenox Avenue, about a 10-minute walk east.

Book through the PushPress Members app, arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, and bring water and long fitted layers in case your outfit does not meet the coverage rule. Do not apply body oil or lotion on class day, because it makes the fabric slippery. If you plan to keep going, buy the four-class new client pack within your first visit, since the special is only for new clients.