A Students Guide to Safety In Aerial Arts

        I used to be a lifeguard and a swim coach. It was a pretty sweet job. I got to hang out at the pool all day, play with kids, swim, eat otter pops. It was good living. But my job was more than sunscreen and freestyle. It was keeping a watchful eye, recognizing dangerous situations, preventing incidents before they start, knowing what to do if it all went down and somebody was seriously in trouble.
      Now I am a circus coach, a studio owner, and a performer. The job’s not all that different. Instead of swimming in water we are dancing in air. It’s fun, playful, and inherently dangerous. The risks can be mitigated, lessened, but never eliminated. Just like the dangers of swimming don’t keep you out of the water, the risks inherent in circus and aerial need not keep you from getting in the air. Just remember, the higher you go the more grounded you need to be. It’s important to educate yourself and keep yourself safe. In circus we don’t have lifeguards, but a good coach will act as one. I see too many coaches though that are unaware of their role as lifeguard or just don’t have the proper training to take it on. That’s why it is so important that as students you have a sense of how to protect yourself and how to make sure you are putting yourself in good hands. Your coach should be keeping you safe but ultimately your safety is your responsibility.
That’s why I’ve created this handy, easy to use check list to help student think critically about safety in circus.

• MATS

      The studio you train in should have mats available for your use and there should be a culture of mat usage (they are no good to you if they are sitting in the corner collecting dust). Ideally both panel mats (flat, harder mats) and crash mats (thick, cushy mats) should be available. At Circus Sanctuary we have a policy of “critical thinking around mat usage”. We want you making informed decisions around which mats to use and when. If you’re sketched out about a trick, it’s new or potentially dangerous then grab a crash mat. If you’re feeling confident or if you have an ankle injury or maybe you’re more likely to injure yourself stepping on and off a crash mat than in the air, a panel mat may be for you. If you’re just doing aerial yoga and it doesn’t involve any drops, sketchy inversions, or climbing high, a foam mat(like the kind in gymnastic schools) or puzzle mats(thin mats that fit together like puzzle pieces) may suffice. Also, if you are a professional and you are training for a piece you will perform without mats, at some point when your act is consistent and polished you may want to practice without mats. Please note, student performers should always perform with mats and under the supervision of coaches.

• RIGGING

    You don’t have to be a rigging expert but knowing some basics goes a long way and asking the right questions can take you even further. Know that a rigging system is only as good as it’s weakest link. It only takes one faulty or  mis-used piece of equipment to put you in a dangerous situation. If you see something you think could be dangerous talk with the teacher or studio owner about it and pay attention to their response. Are they willing to address it? Start with what you’re hanging off of and work your way down. Ask about the structure, who sets up the rigging, who inspects it and how often, and what that person’s background is? Some good signs; a certified rigger or experienced aerial rigger and/or engineer set it up, somebody with experience and/or education in rigging inspects it regularly, they are willing and able to talk to you about it and will implement change if something potentially dangerous comes to their attention.

• EMERGENCY ACTION PLANS

    What happens if something goes wrong? Is there a plan in place? Is this something your teacher has thought about? Ask. Also, make sure there is a first aid kit available on site and that your teacher or somebody else present in the studio when class takes place is trained in CPR and First Aide. Never practice aerial alone, always make sure there is somebody looking out for you.

• SANITATION

   Make sure that any studio you train in washes the fabrics and wipes down the mats regularly. How often these things happen depends on how much use the equipment gets. Smelly fabrics and little bits of blood and sweat aren’t just gross, it’s a safety issue and is usually an indicator of how much care is going in to making the space safe and functional.

• KNOWLEDGEABLE INSTRUCTION

     What is your teacher’s background? If they have only been training in circus for 6 months or learned everything they know off of YouTube you might just want to run the other way. Every teacher’s background is different but at the very least their experience should be measured in years, they should have progressions (meaning they don’t just throw tricks at you, they prepare you first and offer steps to get where you want to go), and they should know and practice effective spotting. Bonus points if your teacher has performance experience, has taken teacher trainings, rigging workshops and has experience as a teacher.     

• INSURANCE
• WAIVERS 

    Both of these protect your teacher/ the studio more than protecting you but if they don’t have these things it’s a pretty clear sign they are not professionals and that you should think about whether or not you can trust them with your safety.

​That’s it for the checklist, I hope that it helps you to navigate your own safety in the circus world. I am proud of you for taking personal responsibility for your safety. Listen to your instincts, train with people you trust, recognize your human-ness and act accordingly. Have fun and enjoy the magic of circus. It is special and beautiful and worth doing. Stay safe and keep climbing!