Apparatus, Levels, and Prerequisites

Are you new to aerial and circus arts and wondering what everything is? You’ve come to the right place!

Are you a current student who wants to understand the prerequisites to level up? You’re also in the right place!

Are you a new-to-Sky-Candy, but experienced aerial student wanting to know where to start? You’re also in the right place!

Many of your other questions are probably answered in the FAQ on our Getting Started page. If you have another question, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team via our About Us page or the info at the very bottom of this page.

Here at Sky Candy, we believe that circus is for every body. We welcome students of all backgrounds to join the Beginner level of any apparatus (with just a few exceptions for some of our more challenging apparatus). We’ve put together this page to give you one easy spot to learn about all of the different apparatus and disciplines we teach, our leveling system, and class prerequisites. This page covers many of the apparatus and disciplines we teach including aerial silks, lyra, sling, trapeze, pole, flying pole, rope, straps, bungee, harness, tumbling, and handstands, but there’s also other disciplines like burlesque, dance, pilates, flexibility, and more that we offer regular classes in that are open to students of all levels here at our lovely east Austin studio!

Jump down to the bottom of this page to learn more about our class levels, our advancement philosophy, and how we define skill mastery.

Silks

Silks (also known as aerial silks, fabric, or tissu) is one of the most popular aerial apparatus. Silks hang in two long strands from a single point in the ceiling and students will learn how to climb, wrap, suspend, and drop as they build core and upper body strength developing their skills. This apparatus is great for folks who enjoy puzzles and problem solving!

See our silks schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Climb and descend the apparatus comfortably using basic techniques

    • Learn footlocks and footlock shapes on the ground and begin executing those skills in the air

    • Learn and master short arm inversions on the ground and begin executing those skills in the air

    • Learn the mechanics of supported inverted skills using knee hooks, lever action, and wraps

    • Learn basic pathways to S and U wraps

    • Get comfortable with fundamental positions and shapes, including gazelle, straddle, arabesque, hipkey, front balance, crucifix, crochet, and more

  • Prerequisites

    • 10 second long and short arm hang with hollow body

    • Russian and standard climbs - able to climb 16 ft.

    • Single and double footlocks in the air (figure 8 and aerial dance)

    • Footlock roll-ups and arrow

    • Split pole (tuck & straddle/frog) and single pole inversions (straddle/frog) from the ground

    • Inversion in the air (tagging okay)

    • 10 second inverted straddle hold with poles together and with poles apart

    • Hip key from Russian lean

    • Clear understanding of same side and opposite side knee hooks

    • Single same side knee hook climb & exit

    • Controlled catcher’s descent

    • S Lock from catcher’s keyover / shoofly

    • Cross catcher’s → U Lock

    • Endurance in the air (1 minute)

    Goals

    • Learn closed wrap drops & dives that move through space forwards, backwards, sideways, and down

    • Develop and apply understanding of S & U wrap theory and its accompanying movements

    • Develop and apply understanding of outside knee hook family and its accompanying movements

    • Learn rotational movements around a fixed point, including windmill, BBQ/legocopter, J-flip, etc

    • Develop endurance for executing multiple inversions in the air and sequencing familiar skills

    • Introduce C shaping, including specific work on back balance skills

    • Work on more advanced conditioning drills for skills such straight leg fankick hipkey, one arm hang, flags, meathooks, and skin the cat

    • Introduce beats and build long arm inversion strength

    • Learn skills with more complex entry and exit options, including belay

  • Prerequisites

    • Crossback straddle

    • Any entry to belay

    • Windmill (frog is okay)

    • Single star

    • Salto

    • Back balance (controlled entry, hand spot okay)

    • Endurance in the air (3 minutes)

    • BBQ / legocopter / single thigh rotations

    • Consistently clean straight leg inversions in air throughout class

    • Fankick hipkey

    • Multiple inversion knee hook climb

    • 360 Drops (forward and backwards)

    Goals

    • Expand on existing drop vocabulary to learn more complex and challenging wrapped drop variations, drops that change direction while falling, dynamic drops, and open drops

    • Explore skills that utilize meathook and skin the cat pathways

    • Learn more complex, dynamic pathways to familiar skills

    • Apply beats to dynamic skills and transitions and C shaping to rollups

    • Develop endurance for longer sequences of more advanced skills

    • Apply aerial theory to finding new pathways into familiar skills

    • Develop and apply understanding of inside knee hook family and its accompanying movements

Lyra

Lyra (also known as aerial hoop) is a metal apparatus (generally made from solid or tube steel). We have lyras in a wide variety of sizes to fit students of all heights, shapes, and abilities. Students learn how to invert, spin, pose, and transition as they core and upper body strength. This is a great apparatus for folks who love to spin!

See our lyra schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Build strength and comfort in hanging positions

    • Enter the lyra unassisted

    • Master foundational skills in and below the hoop

    • Move safely into and out of a hip hang

    • Demonstrate the basics of knee beats

    • Demonstrate control of the lyra during mounting and exiting

    • Familiarity with spinning

  • Prerequisites

    • Side entrance

    • Straddle entrance (tag okay)

    • Knee beats

    • Pike under the bar (top or bottom)

    • Gazelle

    • Mermaid

    • Transition into and out of hip drape

    • Wineglass

    • Dragonfly

    • Front balance (hands on okay)

    • Straddleback

    • Top bar knee hang and safe exit

    Goals

    • Build strength in short arm positions, inversions, balances, and skills with one point of contact

    • Learn dynamic movements: beats, rolls, and small drops

    • Learn to use beats for dynamic skills and transitions

    • Build spin tolerance

    • Learn technique and build strength in long arm inversions and flares

    • Begin to sequence skills together and build endurance

  • Prerequisites

    • Straddle inversion and hold

    • Pullover

    • Front Balance (hands free)

    • Ankle Hang

    • Back Balance (hands free)

    • Amazon

    • Skin the Cat

    • Sitting → Single Hip Hang

    • Beat to sit

    • Single Arm, Elbow, and Knee Hang

    • Flag

    • A drop of student’s choice

    • Long beats and pike beats

    • Two skills that fully rotate around the bar, including front hip circle, back hip circle, Russian roll, mill circle

    • Able to invert the hoop

    • Beat to top bar hip drape

    Goals

    • Learn advanced hangs, balances, and half and full release skills

    • Expand repertoire of dynamic skills and rolls

    • Develop endurance for longer sequences of more advanced skills\

    • Increase spin tolerance and strength in long arm inversions

Sling

Sling (also known as aerial hammock) is a loop of fabric with endless possibilities! For new-to-aerial students, sling is an accessible starting point to begin your journey and for more experienced students, sling offers a huge variety of movement opportunities that may feel familiar to skills you’ve worked on in silks, lyra, or trapeze. This is a great apparatus to start or deepen your aerial journey!

See our sling schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Learn inversions from the ground

    • Learn foundational positions and their facets, including straddleback, horse, knee hooks, front balance, hipkey, catcher’s, seatbelt, and how to transition in and out of them

    • Develop standing skill vocabulary

    • Explore open sling shapes and skills

    • Introduce and develop comfort with simple dives and drops (forward dives, pops)

    • Introduce dynamic movement (knee beats, crucifix beats)

    • Sequence basic skills

  • Prerequisites

    • Short arm straddle and tuck inversions from standing on the ground

    • Knee beat

    • Pullover to front balance

    • Catcher’s

    • Hipkey

    • Arabesque on single pole

    • Triangle

    • Single leg roll up

    • Catcher’s dive of choice

    • Seatbelt entrance of choice

    • Sequence 5 skills of student’s choice in a row

    Goals

    • Introduce relational theory (how skills transitions between each other, for example with catcher’s, seatbelt, and hip/thigh corsets)

    • Learn more simple drops and dives that move backwards, sideways, and straight down through space

    • Introduce C shaping, including specific work on back balance skills

    • Continue work on beats and learn new pathways

    • Learn rotational movements around a fixed point, including BBQ, J-flip, etc

    • Master aerial inversions and develop skills in the poles/ropes

    • Work on more advanced conditioning drills for skills such one arm hang, flags, meathooks, and skin the cat

  • Prerequisites

    • Clean aerial inversion (tuck and straddle) throughout class

    • Forward, pike, and bell beats

    • Hip corset entrance of choice

    • Thigh corset entrance of choice

    • Slow BBQ/rotisserie

    • Crossback straddle

    • Horse arounds / beauty rolls in both directions

    • Scissor roll

    • Back dive

    • Sideways moving drop/dive of choice (hipkey, secretary, peter pan, cartwheel)

    • Endurance in the air (3 minutes)

    Goals

    • Continue working on skills in the poles/ropes

    • Apply C shaping and dynamic movement in familiar skills and new pathways

    • Expand on existing drop vocabulary to learn more complex and challenging wrapped drop variations, drops that change direction while falling, dynamic drops, and open drops

    • Develop long arm inversion strength

    • Experiment with more challenging variations and longer sequences using previously established skills

    • Expand repertoire of dynamic skills and rolls, including new beat variations

Trapeze

Trapeze (also known as static trapeze) is one of the most iconic aerial apparatus. Made up of two ropes and a steel bar, this apparatus is beautifully versatile with accessible skills for new students and challenging dynamic movements for experienced students. Part “soft apparatus” and part “hard apparatus”, trapeze is a great apparatus if you want to explore aerial movements where you move around your apparatus and where your apparatus moves around you!

See our trapeze schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Find ease and balance in, into, and out of neutral positions (long arm hang, sit, stand, hip drape, knee hang)

    • Learn and master foundational positions and their facets/points of contact, including gazelle, mermaid, coffin, hip drape, straddle back, knee hang, bat hang, and how to transition in and out of them

    • Discover pathways through rotations (sit to hips/hips to sit)

    • Master foundational skills on and below the bar

    • Learn the basics of momentum skills, including long, pike, and knee beats

    • Learn how to independently get to high bar (rope climb, jump, etc)

    • While this class is mostly taught on static trapeze, we will also introduce single-point trapeze.

  • Prerequisites

    • Able to invert without assistance through a pullover and a tuck or a straddle

    • Knee beats

    • Gazelle

    • Mermaid

    • Transition into and out of hip drape (via rotation)

    • Dragonfly

    • Front balance

    • Straddleback

    • Bat hang

    • Standing side balance

    • Arabesque

    • Lijanna

    • Ankle hang with spotting rope

    • Able to safely get onto a high bar without assistance

    • Beginner Up/Down: Tuck or straddle onto bar, rock n’ roll to sit, perch to stand, stand on demi-pointe, return perch, straddle/trashcan exit, straddle out

    Goals

    • Develop transitions above/below bar

    • Continue work on beats, learn new pathways and learn to use beats for dynamic skills and transitions

    • Introduce more dynamic movements including rolls/rotations, slides, and small drops

    • Build strength in short arm positions, inversions, balances, and skills with one point of contact

    • Begin to sequence skills together and build endurance

    • Introduce relational theory (how skills transitions between each other)

    • Master aerial inversions and develop skills in the ropes

    • Work on more advanced conditioning drills for skills such toe hangs, heel hangs, single knee hang, one arm hang, meathooks, and skin the cat

  • Prerequisites

    • Aerial inversion (straddle and tuck)

    • Single crochet (both sides)

    • Ankle hang

    • Single knee hang (both sides)

    • Long and pike beats

    • Single arm hang (both sides)

    • Crucifix

    • Skin the cat

    • Intermediate Up/Down: Pullover on the bar to hip drape to front balance to no hand drop to catcher’s to straddle to knee beat to pop to sit to ankles to long arm straddle down

    Goals

    • Learn advanced hangs, balances, and half and full release skills

    • Expand repertoire of dynamic skills and rolls and drops

    • Develop endurance for longer sequences of more advanced skills

    • Develop strength in long arm inversions

    • Explore more skills in the ropes

    • Learn and apply C shaping

    • Develop a personalized vocabulary of transitions and shapes

Rope

Rope (also known as corde lisse) is an elegant aerial apparatus. Utilizing similar techniques to silks, rope provides endless possibilities for dynamic movement and static poses that at once seem impossible and deceptively simple. We generally recommend that students start with silks to get their bearings before transitioning to rope, but those who do often find their love of their apparatus in its clean movement. This apparatus is recommended for students with some silks experience who want to further explore!

See our rope schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Climb and descend the apparatus comfortably using basic techniques

    • Learn footlocks and footlock shapes on the ground and begin executing those skills in the air

    • Learn and master short arm inversions on the ground and begin executing those skills in the air

    • Learn the mechanics of supported inverted skills using knee hooks, lever action, and wraps

    • Learn basic pathways to S and U wraps

    • Get comfortable with fundamental positions and shapes, including gazelle, straddle, arabesque, hipkey, front balance, crucifix, crochet, and more

    • Introduce dynamic movement with bell and front pike beats

  • Prerequisites

    • 10 second long and short arm hang with hollow body

    • Russian and standard climbs - able to climb 16 ft.

    • Single footlocks in the air (figure 8 and aerial dance)

    • Footlock arrow

    • Single pole inversions (straddle/frog) from the ground

    • Inversion in the air (tagging okay)

    • Hip key from Russian lean

    • Clear understanding of same side and opposite side knee hooks

    • Single same side knee hook climb & exit

    • Controlled catcher’s descent

    • S Lock from catcher’s keyover / shoofly

    • Cross catcher’s → U Lock

    • Endurance in the air (1 minute)

    • Familiar bell and front pike beats

    Goals

    • Learn closed wrap drops & dives that move through space forwards, backwards, sideways, and down

    • Develop and apply understanding of S & U wrap theory and its accompanying movements

    • Develop and apply understanding of outside knee hook family and its accompanying movements

    • Learn rotational movements around a fixed point, including windmill, BBQ/legocopter, J-flip, etc

    • Develop endurance for executing multiple inversions in the air and sequencing familiar skills

    • Introduce C shaping, including specific work on back balance skills

    • Work on more advanced conditioning drills for skills such straight leg fankick hipkey, one arm hang, flags, meathooks, and skin the cat

    • Develop and apply understanding of inside knee hook family and its accompanying movements

  • Prerequisites

    • Windmill (frog is okay)

    • Single star

    • Salto

    • Back balance (controlled entry, hand spot okay)

    • Endurance in the air (3 minutes)

    • BBQ / legocopter / single thigh rotations

    • Consistently clean straight leg inversions in air throughout class

    • Fankick hipkey

    • Multiple inversion knee hook climb

    • Consistent beat to inversion, pike turn beat, scissor beat

    Goals

    • Expand on existing drop vocabulary to learn more complex and challenging wrapped drop variations, drops that change direction while falling, dynamic drops, and open drops

    • Explore skills that utilize meathook pathway

    • Learn more complex, dynamic pathways to familiar skills

    • Apply beats to dynamic skills and transitions and C shaping to rollups

    • Develop endurance for longer sequences of more advanced skills

    • Apply aerial theory to finding new pathways into familiar skills

Pole

Pole (also known as pole dancing) combines dance and acrobatics on a vertical pole. Pole as a movement art has diverse origins from the Indian sport of mallakhamb to acrobatic Chinese pole to American sideshows and striptease. This is a great apparatus for students looking to get in touch with their sensual side with a challenging apparatus that combines a full body strength, flexibility, and coordination workout!

See our pole schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Gain confidence moving on the floor with the pole

    • Learn to climb the pole and invert from the floor

    • Learn how to spin on both static and spin pole

    • Build spin tolerance

    • Become accustomed to the sensations of the pole on the inner thighs

    • Learn to sequence skills on and off the pole

  • Prerequisites

    • Basic climb

    • Basic pole sit and wrist sit

    • Figure 4 layback

    • Firefighter spin, front and back knee hook spin, chair spin

    • Fan kick

    • Headstand or handstand

    • Inversion from ground, tagging acceptable

    • Inverted crucifix, hands off the floor

    • Jasmine, from the floor

    Goals

    • Build strength for aerial inversions

    • Continue sequencing skills on and off the pole

    • Learn inverted skills with at least 3 points of contact

    • Introduce and build strength towards shoulder mount

    • Learn to switch your torso from one side of pole to the other

    • Develop endurance for sequences of skills on the pole and increase spin tolerance

  • Description text goes here

Straps

Straps (also known as aerial straps) is arguably the most demanding aerial apparatus we offer. New skills take most students months to achieve, let alone master, but with unwavering determination, you too can achieve seemingly impossible movements on the straps. This apparatus is not for the faint of heart and is an excellent choice for those with stubborn resolve and dedication to consistency.

  • Prerequisites

    • Comfortable with bent arm inversions

    • Working on straight arm inversions

    • 2 or more pullups

    • 3 or more skin the cats

    Goals

    • Develop proper meat hook position

    • Strengthen long arm and one arm technique

    • Introduce and work on flag prep progressions

    • Integrate spins into skills

Harness

Harness (also known as harness dance, wall running, or wall dancing) is an art form you may be familiar with seeing on the sides of buildings here in Austin. Suspended in the air with a climbing harness and rope, students get to explore movements with a wall and in open space, challenging their core strength, balance, and coordination. This apparatus is great for folks who want to take their dance practice and turn it sideways!

See our harness schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • No prerequisites to enter

    Goals

    • Learn safe use of equipment

    • Become comfortable moving between planes

    • Build core stability and awareness

    • Navigate moving on the wall with another person

  • Prerequisites

    • Can safely and independently use equipment

    • Comfortable moving on the wall with a second person

    • Familiar with all beginner material, including transitions

    • Mastery of any bat hang entrance and exit

    Goals

    • As core strength and awareness continue to build, moving away from self-spotting with a hand on the rope

    • Maintain a horizontal position in all side-facing and supine skills

    • Build comfort with rotations away from the wall

  • Prerequisites

    • Mastery of rotating away from the wall

    • Solid understanding of the intermediate level skills and beginning to explore outside those skills

    Goals

    • Pass through multiple orientations in jumps

    • Practice sequence building

    • Explore far point, open point, and duo

Bungee

Bungee is a high intensity and low impact workout that incorporates cardio, dance, low flying fun, and a lot of bouncing. If you’ve ever dreamed of flying through the air with the greatest of ease, bungee might just be your new favorite apparatus.

Our program is size inclusive and we can accommodate students with waists from 24” - 64” with our array of harness sizes.

Learn more about our bungee program here.

  • Open to all students

  • Must have taken Intro to Bungee at least once

Handstands

Handstands (also known as hand balancing) is a circus discipline where practitioners support their body in a stable, inverted position on their hands. Balance, strength, flexibility, and coordination are all key elements to successfully finding your best inverted self on the ground. Handstands are excellent cross-training for all aerial apparatus as it they utilize your muscles in “push” strength versus “pull” strength. Handstands is a discipline that is excellent if you’re looking to get in touch with your body and the ground!

See our handstands schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • An enthusiasm for pushing the ground away

    Goals

    • Learn how to prepare for handstand training

    • Learn best drills for improving body alignment

    • Improve flexibility and shoulder strength

    • Learn how to safely enter and exit the wall (bail)

    • Develop confidence for kicking up into handstand

  • Prerequisites

    • Comfortable holding a 30 sec handstand with support against the wall

    • Can consistently kick up into a handstand against a wall and already has a solid cartwheel

    Goals

    • Find balance, aiming for a consistent 5-10 second handstand

    • Begin doing handstands away from the wall

    • Develop more consistency when kicking up into a handstand hold

  • Prerequisites

    • Already have an established handstand practice, training on a regular basis throughout the week (preferably, at least 2-3 times a week)

    • Are able to hold a fairly consistent freestanding handstand for at least 10 seconds

    Goals

    • Pressing into handstand (straddle, pike, stalder, puppy press)

    • More advanced shape change variations in 2 arm handstands

    • Shifting and side-bending in a handstand

    • And many other drills to help strengthen your mastery of the two arm handstand, and better prepare you for one arm handstand training

Tumbling

Intermediate Tumbling Prerequisite Skills video

Tumbling is a discipline that is part of gymnastics, cheer, circus arts, and dance. Tumbling involves executing of acrobatic movements such as rolls, twists, handsprings, or somersaults. Unlike many other things we teach, tumbling’s only apparatus is the floor!

Our tumbling program is focused on adult learners.

See our tumbling schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • None

    Skills We Cover In This Level

    • Basic gymnastics shapes (tuck, straddle, pike)

    • Basic core shapes (hollow, side arch, tight arch, max tall)

    • Rolls forward and backward

    • Kicking up into handstand

    • How to bail from a handstand and how to fall safely from gymnastics

    • How to perform a cartwheel

    • Beginner Back and Front Walkover drills

    • Basic Jumps in Tuck, Straddle and Pike

  • Prerequisites

    • Comfortable holding a 30 sec handstand with support against the wall

    • Can consistently kick up into a handstand against a wall and already has a solid cartwheel

    • Comfortable hold a gymnastics bridge support for 30 secs on the floor

    Skills We Cover In This Level

    • Front Walkover

    • Back Walkover

    • Dive Cartwheel and Aerial Cartwheel

    • Round offs

    • Intro to back handsprings

    • Intro to front handsprings

  • Prerequisites

    • Comfortable performing a front and back handspring

    • Comfortable performing a round off

    • Comfortable performing a dive roll onto mats

    • Comfortable performing a handstand hold for 5 or more seconds

    Skills We Cover In This Level

    • Intro to back handspring series (2 or more)

    • Intro to front handspring series (2 or more)

    • Standing Back Salto

    • Punch Front Salto

    • Arabian Dive roll/ Salto

    • Basic Twisting drills

Advanced Tumbling Prerequiste Skills video

Flying Pole

Flying pole is the new hot apparatus in the aerial world. Using a silicone or stainless steel pole suspended in the air, flying pole creates an entirely new experience. It elevates pole skills and provides an intriguing challenge for students accustomed to more traditional aerial apparatus. Why not jump into something new today and see where it takes you?

See our flying pole schedule and sign up for a class here.

  • Prerequisites

    • Successful completion of at least one full Beginner Pole series or teacher approval

    Goals

    • Gain confidence moving on the floor with the pole

    • Learn to climb the pole and invert from the floor

    • Learn how to spin on both static and spin pole

    • Build spin tolerance

    • Become accustomed to the sensations of the pole on the inner thighs

    • Learn to sequence skills on and off the pole

  • Prerequisites

    • Inversion to knee hooks and crucifix from floor (tag okay)

    • 10 sec bracket and long arm hang

    • Can sequence 5 skills with sway and orbit

    • Executes sway and orbit with control

    • Familiar with all Beginner Flying Pole material

About Class Levels

Classes at Sky Candy are all about progressions. Each class is designed around a number of core concepts, listed as “Goals” in the table below. These core concepts develop from one level to the next. In each 5-week or 10-week series, your teacher will work with you through a selection of skills, drills, and transitions from that level’s curriculum. 

Series classes are split out into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. For most apparatuses, Beginner classes have no prerequisites and are open to those with no experience. Our main notable exception is Straps, which is a more demanding apparatus that has requisite strength requirements to start due to its steep learning curve and its intense demands on the body.

It’s All About the Journey

It can be easy to see a list of levels as a ladder to climb as quickly as possible, but we encourage students to let go of expectations about how long it will take them to graduate from a level. Everyone moves at their own pace, and progress isn’t always linear. Students are welcome to move back to a previous level after taking a break, recovering from injury or illness, or just to refresh fundamental skills in a less advanced class. 

We use the prerequisites listed below as a quick guide to what you’ll need in the next level, but your teacher always has the final say on when you advance.

Mastery And Why Is It Important

You’ll see that many prerequisites ask for “mastery” of particular skills. We define mastery as:

  • Ability to execute a skill independently

    • Without cues or demos (verbal or physical)

    • Without spotting

  • Solid form / technique

    • Safe entry and exit from the skill (not just getting to the skill at any cost)

    • Performed in a manner that is safe, efficient, and repeatable one’s body

  • Understanding and awareness of facets/points of contact and where your body is in space while executing skill

Why is skill mastery important for advancement?

  • Good form now opens up students to more easily transitioning to more advanced progressions

  • Minimizes risk of injury

  • Gives students the freedom to make aesthetic choices

  • Efficiency in movement ensures longevity in the activity

About Class Levels