The air up there: Growing business brings aerial arts down to earth 

There’s a biological reason babies smile when they take their first steps.

It’s the same reason you can touch your nose with your eyes closed and why “sensory swings” have exploded in popularity as calming tools for hyperactive children.

That reason is proprioception, or the sense of body awareness in relation to one’s surroundings.

It’s a trendy term for kinesthesia: the “sixth sense” behind our innate desire to move about the world on our own steam.

To people like Katie Herrmann, few activities scratch that itch quite like the aerial arts.

There’s a singular sense of confidence and joy built through the interplay of brain and body in a person held aloft by strips of silk to flip, float and spin with no masters but muscle and gravity.

Since January, spreading that confidence and joy has been Herrmann’s full-time job.

The 28-year-old Wisconsin native is owner and coach at South Dakota Aerial & Arts, a company that aims to be a hub for online and in-person aerial training in the Midwest and beyond.

She wants to see the artform as known and common as yoga, soccer, intramural basketball or gymnastics – the sport Herrmann enjoyed as a teen.

“In my ideal world, it’s like a high school sport, something where people don’t ask you ‘how did you get into this?’” Herrmann said. “People don’t ask you why you got into basketball.”

Filling a void

Herrmann took on the role of aerial den mother in 2019 to fill the void left by the departure of Cirque Dakota founder Ellen Davis, who taught Herrmann in Sioux Falls before moving home to Kentucky.

Davis, a full-time aerial arts performer and trainer in Lexington, couldn’t be prouder of Herrmann’s flip from a hobbyist club to a full-time business.

“It warms my soul,” Davis said. “I’m an aerial grandmother now. Students of students and my former students are now instructors, and they’re training up the next circus generation. And I’m so excited to see how it grows when I come back to visit.”

As Davis can attest, it’s a solid business model. It worked for her in Sioux Falls; it works in Lexington. 

Interest has grown alongside a cultural curiosity in other proprioception tinglers like sensory play, American Ninja Warrior-style gyms and backyard slacklines. The sport even has an unofficial ambassador: the pop star Pink, who performed a song and aerial routine at the Grammy Awards in 2010.

On one level, the sales pitch is simple: It’s a workout that feels more like fun than fitness. 

“It’s not picking things up and putting them down,” said Davis, who works at Sona Aerial Arts in Lexington. “It’s play.”

On another level, it’s flying, and plenty of people are afraid of that.

Safe start

That’s why South Dakota Aerial & Arts sets up its rigging pyramid – a now-familiar sight to regular attendees of public events in Sioux Falls – with an eye to not just performance but to letting people try it out for themselves.

First-timers get to hang just slightly off the ground, guided and encouraged by experienced aerial practitioners.

More than a dozen people stepped into the silk at the first event June 2 during an 8th & Railroad Center block party, as did dozens more in the days that followed.

Michelle Smith of Sioux Falls was among the first. Her cheering friends had a front-row seat at a food truck table.

“When opportunity presents itself, I’m a try-it-out kind of gal,” said Smith, who studied performing arts in college but doesn’t perform any longer.

Smith returned to the table to talk of a “wives’ night” at South Dakota Aerial & Arts.

“It’s nice to see more cool things like this happening in Sioux Falls,” Smith said.

Canton High School junior Janice Lindner also tried it that evening, earning cheers from her father and curious onlookers. So did Kathy Haltberg. Her companion scoffed at the idea of hanging from silk at their age, but she was ready to embrace the moment.

“I’ve been following them for quite a while,” Haltberg said.

2023 and beyond 

That’s the kind of reaction Herrmann wants. 

South Dakota Aerial & Arts holds beginner classes Tuesday nights at the old Joe Foss school building, now called Global Square, at Cliff Avenue and Third Street. 

But Herrmann sees public events as an easier entry point. 

“Especially when we have such tall ceilings, I think people look up, and they’re super intimidated,” she said. “We don’t want that. We want it to be accessible because then I think it just feels more attainable.”

“Attainable” is key, Herrmann said. Building aerial into your life is simpler, safer and cheaper than many might realize, she said.

Once past any initial jitters, the cost and time commitment are comparable to a host of athletic endeavors. 

The price of silks, rigging and a mat are similar to a backyard trampoline and can be cheaper than a race-ready bicycle. The classes are akin to yoga classes or personal training.

As far as injuries go, falls aren’t as severe as people might think. That’s what the mat is for.

“I’ve never had to take anyone to the ER,” Hermann said.

Herrmann’s other related venture, Cirka, offers online training courses with more personalized help than one can easily find without a proper guide. Anyone who buys an aerial setup for their backyard or brings a silk to a gym can find hundreds of instructional videos on YouTube.

“But then you have to ask ‘OK, great, but which one should I take?'” Herrmann said.

By contrast, Cirka begins with a survey for those learning remotely. Once Cirka determines how much they know, aerial hopefuls are slotted into a skill level and offered appropriate video lessons.

The online training will help hit a larger audience, she said.

“We’re building the opportunities for Sioux Falls, but I feel like there’s a lot more opportunity for us than just Sioux Falls,” Herrmann said.

Herrmann plans to use her experience as a social media and marketing professional – she was the marketing manager for Profile by Sanford until winter and has more than 17,000 Instagram followers – as she seeks to spread the word.

Find Cirka on Facebook or Instagram to watch for the next public tryout night. Otherwise, there’s a chance to try again July 2, when South Dakota Aerial & Arts holds its grand opening at its Global Village space.

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