WNiF Magazine - Autumn 2016 Edition | Page 8

AERIAL ARTS: GOOD FOR THE BODY, MIND AND SOUL A erial arts is a performance style art where one or more artists perform aerial acrobatics while hanging from a special apparatus such as aerial silk, static trapeze or aerial lyra (aerial ring). 8 WNIF spoke to Alisha Smith, co-owner of Integral Aerial Arts (or ‘Integral’ as they’re also referred to as), which is based in Brookvale on the northern beaches of Sydney (www.integralaerialsilk.com). ‘We take inspiration from a wide range of movement styles such as yoga, gymnastic, dance, and bodyweight training, and infuse our classes and art form with their principles. By integrating many differing skills from other activities By Analee Matthews we are able to constantly evolve the practice,’ she explains. ‘We work with kids from the age of five, right through to adults of all ages (our most senior student ever was in her early 70s), and the benefits are truly endless,’ Alisha adds. ‘Physically, aerial arts develops strength, power, endurance, flexibility, mobility, balance, coordination, and total body synchronicity, and anecdotally, in many kids we see an acceleration in progress WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - AUTUMN 2016