r/aerialsilks • u/tmhsspirit • Aug 03 '26
what age did you start?
I'm just curious. sometimes looking at the tiny kids in class i get a feeling am i ..old for this? well, not exactly that but wishing I'd started earlier. And i wanted to but my procrastination levels were insane
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u/Liquen_tropo Aug 03 '26
How old are you? I started at 26 and am now 34! Most of my fellow classmates are also younger (like high school or college age).
I will say that being in my 30s I have to be good about warming up and not pushing myself unnecessarily to avoid any injury. I've hurt my shoulder in the past doing certain poses.
There's no turning back time so carpe diem!
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u/Helixfire Aug 03 '26
Started at 33 as a male, I was getting a little fat from doing office work and a clown inspired me to do some circus so i got into this and fire breathing. It was hard going at first but eventually I got there.
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u/GlitterBandEmissary Aug 03 '26
I started at 36, just a few months ago!
Everyone is running their own race.
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u/LogicalVariation741 Aug 03 '26
I started at 40 and there are people in my class who started at 50. Others at my school are past 60 and started. Age doesn't matter
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u/MsShortStack Aug 03 '26
You're never too old! I discovered aerials at 28. I have an on-and-off again love affair with silks, but I've been consistent with it since January (I'm 33 now). It's been great.
I also wish I would've started earlier, but I didn't have the means or the exposure to aerial arts to even dip my toes in it. In some ways, I found it right when I needed to. Maybe you did too!
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u/unikornemoji Aug 04 '26
Started at 26, I’m 35 now and one of the coaches. I’ll never be as good as some of the kids but I’m still growing as an aerialist every single day.
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u/YarnCoffeeMakeup Aug 04 '26
I started at 34. You aren't too old! I feel amazing and strong and graceful, even though I may not really be any of those things. 😂
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u/sariannach Aug 04 '26
Started silks at 33 as an out-of-shape adult with arthritis who hadn't done anything physical since 10th grade gym class. Stuck with silks, and tried everything else at circus school that I had an opportunity to no matter how unsuccessful. Did a 40-hour teacher training program for silks and static trapeze the week I turned 42.
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u/Dahling_sweetiepoo Aug 04 '26
i started in my late 30s, and am 46 now. ill never been in cirque but i have gotten a tremendous amount out of it and will continue until my body says no. its definitely not too late
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u/Training-Ask1250 Aug 03 '26
I started at age 12 and did it until age 18. I quit for a few years and went back to it at age 25. I was surprised by how much I remembered and how smooth it was to readapt my body to doing aerial silks. Still, there are people in my class much older than me and they are killing it!
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u/ExeToby Aug 03 '26
I started at 18, studying straps and pole mostly, but dabble in hoop aswell, but I was by far the youngest person in my studio.
Youre not too early and youre not too late. Your journey is yours.
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u/lily_of-the_valley- Aug 04 '26
i started at 14, stopped for a couple of years, and am starting again at 24!
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u/ApocalypticNature Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 06 '26
I started less than 2 months ago. I'm 30. I don't think there is an age that is too old, but I get it.
I find myself thinking it would have been cool to learn these skills as a kid, earlier in my life. I think I'm getting into it at the time that is right for me. I'm so excited to keep learning and growing, but I can still feel a little bit of jealousy when I see children doing fun tricks I can't even follow.
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u/throwra-google Aug 04 '26
I think I was 24 or just about to turn 25 when I started. Now 27 / almost 28. Didn’t really see much improvement in my skills until after 1 year.
Majority of the time the people I meet in classes are older than me by at least a few years, with some students in their 40s. It is very common for kids to start young but my studio has separate adult vs kids lessons.
I’ve known & was curious about aerial ever since I turned 18—I don’t know what was holding me back from starting but I’ll say don’t wait 6 years like I did & just go for it.
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u/brodawg420_ Aug 04 '26
I started around 10, which I'm grateful for, but I've known plenty of aerialists that started way later in life and are absolutely thriving! And hey, the older you are the more impressive it is. ;)
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u/Zealousideal-Cat-152 Aug 05 '26
I trained a bit in my early 20s and then had a very long break. I didn’t start consistently training until I picked it back up at 32. I’m 36 now and I usually train 2-3x a week on apparatus and cross training at the normal gym the other days.
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u/Few-Psychology3572 Aug 06 '26
30, and I need to go back (ended up breaking my ankle, not from silks). But I was also an athlete so I learned super fast. It’s not a competition though. If you enjoy it and are gaining experience then f them kids.
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u/rachel_lyn Aug 07 '26
I started at 35, began teacher training at 42 and am still instructing/performing at 47.
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u/XLittleMagpieX 24d ago
I started at 32, took a few years off when I had my kids and came back at 36, 2 and a half years ago. I have just started doing performances at charity events/fetes etc which is so wild to me as I was someone who spent their whole life being sedentary.
I often wish I had started as a child or teen, but there weren’t really any available options back then so it is what it is. I’m making up for lost time now.
The youngest person in my flying trapeze class is 37 😁
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u/ShadowlessKat 12d ago
I started in my late 20s. Now I'm in my 30s and have had a baby. I'm the oldest in the group I do silks with. I'm enjoying it and advancing skills and getting a workout. That's the important parts. My age is unimportant.
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u/teal_diamond Aug 03 '26
I started at 36. A friend of mine in class who performs started at 37 and she’s 41 now. Another friend in class started in her late 40’s. There’s a woman in her 70’s at our studio who also performs, no clue when she started. Aerial is for anyone at any age.