Aerial Silks for Beginners: What to Wear and Expect

Before your first aerial silks class, you do not need an impressive climb or a wardrobe full of specialist clothing. You need a class that welcomes beginners and an outfit that lets you move while covering the areas that meet the fabric.

What happens in an aerial silks class?

Aerial silks uses suspended fabric with two hanging lengths. You learn to use that fabric for support, climbs, wraps and shapes. In a beginner class, your instructor introduces the basics at a level suited to the group. You may spend much of the session close to the floor, learning how the fabric feels and where your feet and hands go.

Strength, coordination and confidence develop together. You do not need to arrive knowing how to climb, and repeating a simple movement is useful practice in its own right.

What to wear for aerial silks

• Full-length leggings: cover the backs of your knees and allow a comfortable squat and knee lift.
• A fitted top: choose coverage over your torso and follow the studio’s guidance about sleeves and underarms.
• Smooth details: avoid exposed zips, buttons and decorations that could catch the fabric. Remove jewellery before class.

Coverage can reduce direct rubbing, but it does not make every movement comfortable or eliminate friction. Tell your instructor if the fabric pinches or hurts; you do not have to push through it.

If you prefer separates, compare Adriana mid-rise leggings with Adele high-waisted leggings. Check how the waistband and your top meet when you reach overhead. The Lara unitard offers long sleeves and full-length legs in one piece. Confirm that your choice suits the class before buying.

How to choose your first class

Look for a class explicitly described as beginner or introductory. Ask what experience is expected, what clothing to bring and how the teacher adapts exercises for new students. The studio should be able to explain its equipment checks, mat use and approach to teaching progression.

Your first lesson is also a chance to notice how you feel in the group. You should be able to ask for another demonstration, take a break and say when something is uncomfortable.

Give yourself time to learn

Holding the fabric, remembering a wrap and coordinating your feet can be unfamiliar at first. Choose one thing to understand better in each session rather than measuring yourself against someone else’s height or longest sequence.

Follow your instructor’s advice about practice between classes. A video cannot assess a home anchor point or check whether a wrap is correct. Leave the assessment and installation of aerial equipment to appropriately qualified professionals.

A simple first-class checklist

Bring your outfit, water and any items the studio requests. Arrive early enough to remove jewellery and tell the instructor you are new. Then let the lesson start at the beginning.

Explore Dragonfly clothing for aerial silks and use the size charts to choose pieces that fit comfortably through your full range of movement.