How to become an acrobat in your 30s
Late 30s
This is a short guide for people a bit like me a year ago: 30-somethings who are interested in taking up partner acrobatics without any acrobatics or cheerleading background. This isn’t a guide for former gymnasts or cheer people, who have a massive advantage. For the rest of you: this can be you in under a year!
Bottom line up front:
It’s not for everyone but it is perfect for many. If you have a level of fitness to do OK in a regular fitness class (Yoga, Pilates, OrangeTheory etc), there’s a pathway into acro.
There are many types of acro. It doesn’t really matter which you start with, but some might have better intro classes in your area.
Follow acro Instagram accounts and join Facebook groups in your area. I made a list of some to get you started below. ($0)
Take some classes. I’ve listed a few that I enjoy. ($$)
Attend jams. ($0/$)
Get a coach. ($$$-$$$$)
Prehab and conditioning is your friend. ($0-$$$)
Why take up acro
In October 2021, my friend Pooja visited NYC and dragged me along to the Sunday afternoon jam in Central Park. I was hooked almost immediately. The main reasons:
Constant flow state. Of all forms of exercise I’ve tried, partner acro has gotten me into a flow state most consistently. With a reasonable instructor, almost anyone can get some wins on day 1, and there are always a set of skills just at the cusp of your current ability. I’ve heard people describe rock-climbing the same way. Skateboarding too.
Cooperative communication/instant social feedback. I did yoga for a few years without ever having a conversation with anyone else in a class. That would have been weird, if not creepy. Partner acrobatics is the opposite. In order to nail a good skill both partners need to have clear and open communication before, during and after the skill. In particular, acro requires communicating when something makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe—and such communication is encouraged. In the cosmic scheme of things this is unusual!
The flipside of clear communication is the downright glee you see in your partner’s face when you nail a difficult skill. That very tight feedback-loop between getting things right and a huge social reward (high-fives, big hugs, celebration every single session) makes training quite special.
Check this video of my most regular flier Chelsea and one of our instructors Brian. Pure delight!Incredible exercise (and motivation for training). The social feedback and challenge of new skills both turns training into incredible exercise itself and a strong motivation to train. I sometimes describe training as: “imagine you have a wobbly 60kg barbell who gives you a high-five every time you lift it just right.” That makes a 3-5-hour training session a thrill. But after a while, training with other people is not enough to advance. Improvement requires lifting weights, doing flexibility training, doing PT and prehab to avoid injuries, and even learning adjacent circus skills like juggling, flow arts, trampoline or handstands. I now don’t need to force myself to do any of these things—I want to do them to become better at acro.
Platonic touch. One of my more hippy views is that most people in the places I’ve lived are incredibly touch-deprived and would feel better if they had more platonic physical contact with others. Such touch is often transactional (as with massages, facials, pedicures or even haircuts), adversarial (jiu jitsu, football) or weird (cuddle puddles, priests washing their parishioners' feet at Easter). Dancing and acro/cheer provide platonic touch in a cooperative environment. It’s not necessarily better than the others, but it appeals more to me.
Note that if you don’t love touch (many don’t!) then partner acro probably isn’t for you. There are other great individual circus disciplines—lyre, silks, straps, trapeze, trampoline, juggling, hand-balancing etc.—that might be worth trying.Welcoming community. To grossly generalize, people in partner acro are smart, and in big-5 language, have high openness and low neuroticism. They are incredibly self-challenging (you learn what else they do outside acro and it’s always impressive), and very friendly—but not systematically more extraverted than usual. For someone like me whose entire life revolves around work, it’s incredibly refreshing to hang out with people whom I’d never meet in that world.
Pre-reqs
The pre-requisites are probably lower than you think, but they do exist. If you find strenuous pilates or advanced yoga classes fun, you’re probably fit enough to take up acro. The age distribution in the NYC scene is mid-20s to late 40s, with some acrobats practicing well into their 60s.
Weight is less of an issue than you might think. Although there are natural limits for a given skill determined by the base’s strength and flier’s weight (especially skills that involve the base lifting the flier above their head), many of the best fliers are on the heavier side—though heavier fliers will probably have more fun flying on very strong bases. There are many fun and challenging skills to attempt though for more same-sized flier/base pairs (or even pairs with a smaller base than flier). Strength and technique are the limiting factors for most skills, not weight.
Here’s an example of me basing Sean Langhaus—he’s about my size, so not a small flier at all!
What sort of acro should you do?
Put simply: whichever offers better introductory classes in your area. If you get into it, you’ll wind up learning skills across many types. Some common types include:
Standing acrobatics: this involves the base standing, and often has skills centered around the flier standing (especially “foot to hand”) or handstanding (especially “hand to hand”) on the base, or using the base as a counterbalance. I got into acro through this scene. For bases with limited hamstring/lower back flexibility, it might be easier to start with standing acro.
Dance lifts: a fun set of skills used in standing acro derived from dance, cheer and ice skating. These include fun and creative ways for the base to lift the flier. I’ll copy them below, but some great Instagram accounts to follow for dance lifts: @acrojames, @acroairlines. Two examples of me doing dance lifts below, one with Chelsea, and one with Tal.
Acro-yoga: This typically involves the base lying down with the flier “flowing” between skills on the base’s feet and hands—so-called “L-basing”. It is a very common entry point for partner acro, as the base’s legs are far stronger than their arms, allowing relative newcomers to work for much longer. Some acroyoga communities also emphasize therapeutics, including supported stretches and Thai massage.
In NYC, the acroyoga community seems to be a bit seasonal, with acroyogis appearing in parks during summer, but underrepresented at gym jams in winter. It’s also worth mentioning that many top athletes—especially those whose practice more resembles cheer or circus acrobatics, really dislike being called “acroyogis”, and strongly prefer “partner acrobatics”. I think it’s to avoid being lumped in with outside perceptions of woo. (Nb. there are plenty of incredible athletes who call themselves acroyogis).
Icarian: When you remove the “yoga” from acroyoga and add a huge amount of athleticism, you get Icarian. This involves the base throwing and catching the flier on their feet, while lying on their back, or often supported by a ramp or special chair. Here is a superb example.
How to become an acrobat
Join some Facebook groups, follow some Instagram accounts
Facebook groups are the easiest way of finding partner acro jams in your city. I’ve found random strangers in Leeds, UK and Mexico City by just joining groups and asking if anyone wants to jam. If you search “[your city] acroyoga” or “[your city] acro” on Facebook you’ll start to hear about what’s going on in your local community.
If you’re on Instagram, you might enjoy following acro accounts. I find them a constant source of inspiration for skills to try. Some well-known accounts to get you started: @Acrojames, @Acroairlines, @Emily.Lesinski.dpt, @Cirquehaus, @Phillyacro, @Sean Langhaus, Danie Kohn, Jeremy Martin. They all cross-post a bunch of others, which you can follow.
Attend classes
If you’re lucky to live in a city with them, I’d especially recommend taking introductory classes before attending jams. You’ll get a few beginner skills, learn some basic terminology, and meet people to attend jams with. Be sure to swap Instagram details with people you enjoy working with—this is the way many small-group jams get organized.
If you don’t live in a city with introductory classes, things will be a bit harder unless you have a partner who wants to try it out with you. There are plenty of resources for intro partner acro on YouTube, though these will often skip on some cues that can help you develop good form.
If you’re in NYC, I really love the Tuesday night standing acro class at Om Factory with Brian and Shaina, and the huge offering at Warrior Bridge—to which people routinely drive from out of state to visit.
In other cities: Acro& in Philly is great. Chicago Acro has links to all the goings on there. And wherever Taylor is is a good place to be (normally Boston or Philly). Feel free to comment and I’ll add links.
The cost for most classes is in the range of $25-40, depending on the city and bundle you buy.
Attend jams
Attending jams is a great way to build skills and have fun once you have some of the fundamentals. Unless you’re attending with an experienced person who wants to dedicate some time to you—or the jam has someone who loves introducing people to the sport—you might not have a good time if you don’t have the basics. Jams are typically advertised on Facebook Groups, or organized privately on Instagram.
Park jams are typically free (though I’ve seen teachers set up “pay what you can” workshops before a jam). During winter in cold climates, circus training places will often host jams, which are relatively inexpensive ($20-30).
Festivals
Festivals typically run for 2-5 days and happen all over, They are typically aimed at “begintermediate” to advanced acrobats, and are extremely fun. Again, you hear about them on Facebook and Instagram.
Most festivals cost $200-400. Very reasonable.
Get privates
Private coaching is expensive but an excellent way to level up quickly, especially for more advanced skills that don’t get covered in many classes. My coach is Danie Kohn, whom I recommend strongly. If you’re in NYC, the Cirquehaus website can help match you with a coach specific to your discipline. Many advanced acrobats also teach privates—reaching out to them for this on Instagram is totally OK.
Coaching is pretty pricey and the cost depends on the experience of the coach. I’ve heard of people getting coaching from amateurs for $90 for a session (typically 60-90 minutes), though pro coaches—people who teach circus/acrobatics for a living—will charge $150-$300. Many coaches offer something like “if we train weekly it’s cheaper per session”.
Prehab, conditioning, and Physical Therapy
Partner acrobatics is strenuous exercise, and while you’re building up strength, it can be wearing on wrists and shoulders. If you take it up, you’ll want to minimize the risk of injury with prehab and weight training—especially focused on flexibility, wrist and shoulder strength. I spend half an hour most mornings doing prehab/PT, and have had huge gains from doing so. When you do get injured, you’ll want a great sports PT. If you’re in NYC (or happy with remote appointments), Emily Lesinski is incredible.
Prehab/conditioning is home is really a matter of just doing it. In terms of equipment, I use therabands ($40-$60 for a roll on Amazon), Rubberbanditz resistance bands ($60 or so for a kit) and parallette bars ($40), and some kettle bells ($80-150). An appointment with Emily goes for $175.
Keep doing it
The best advice I got for starting out was from Brian Konash, at the end of my first class. I was a bit overwhelmed by how good everyone seemed, and figured they were all former gymnasts or something (they weren’t). The advice was pretty simple: just keep coming back.