"Do You Have a Beginners Class?" Here's Why We Don't (And Why That's a Good Thing)

If I had a pound for every time someone asked me this question, I'd have funded a second studio by now! It is, by a long way, the most frequently asked question I get, by email, by DM, in person, you name it. And I completely understand why people ask it. When you're new to something, you want to feel like you're in the right place. You don't want to walk into a room full of people flying upside down on silks when you've never even touched one before.

So let me answer it properly. No, we don't offer dedicated beginners classes at Flight Aerial Arts. And here's why, not because we don't care about beginners (we absolutely do!), but because we genuinely believe that our mixed level approach is better for everyone, including you.

You shouldn't have to rearrange your life around one specific class

If we ran a beginners class on, say, Monday evenings at 6pm, and you can't do Mondays, then what? You either miss out entirely or you wait around until a new course starts that suits you. That's not very welcoming, is it? At Flight Aerial Arts, our timetable is designed so that you can come to any class at any time that works for you. Life is busy enough. The last thing I want is for your schedule to be the barrier between you and trying something you've always wanted to do.

There is so much power in training alongside people at different stages

This is one of my absolute favourite things about how we run our classes. When you walk in as a complete newcomer, you'll be sharing the space with people who are two weeks ahead of you, two years ahead of you, and everywhere in between. And I promise you, rather than being intimidating, it is one of the most motivating things you can experience. You watch someone nail a move on the silks and think "one day, that'll be me" and then one day, it is. The more experienced students in our classes are an incredible source of inspiration, and honestly? The newer students inspire them right back. There's nothing quite like seeing someone's face when they get something for the first time to remind you why you fell in love with aerial in the first place.

Controversial opinion: I don't really believe in "beginner," "intermediate," and "advanced"

OK, I said it. And I stand by it! The idea that we can neatly sort people into three tidy boxes has never sat right with me. Even after all my years of training, there are skills I'm still very much a beginner at. And there are things I've been doing for so long that I could probably do them in my sleep. Does that make me a beginner or an advanced aerialist? Both, honestly. Neither, depending on the day.

The same is absolutely true for our students. You might really struggle with something that's on a so-called "beginner" list, simply because it requires a type of flexibility you're still working on. But then you might completely nail something considered "advanced" because you happen to have the strength for it. Bodies are different. Backgrounds are different. And that's brilliant. Trying to squeeze everyone into a level bracket ignores all of that nuance. Being a beginner at something is not a stage to rush through or be embarrassed about it's where every single one of us starts, every time we learn something new. I'm proud to be a beginner at things. It means I'm still growing.

You'll get something genuinely personal to you, not a one-size-fits-all formula

Our instructors don't just deliver the same class the same way to everyone in the room. That's not how we work. We get to know you, your strengths, your areas to develop, what you struggled with last week, what clicked for you the week before. Over time, we build up a picture of what your body needs and what's going to help you progress. That might mean giving you a different conditioning exercise to the person next to you, or a different variation of a move, or a specific thing to focus on this session. It's not a formula. It's personal. And I genuinely believe that's more valuable than being put in a room labelled "beginners" and given the same experience as everyone else in it regardless of how different you all are.

And one more thing…

Training alongside people at all stages also does something quietly wonderful for the community in our studio. You build connections with people across the whole journey. The person who started last month and the person who's been coming for three years are both part of the same space, cheering each other on. That doesn't happen when you separate everyone out by level. The friendships and support that come from our mixed classes are something I'm genuinely proud of.

So if you've been hesitating to book because you're worried you're "not ready" or that you need to be in a beginners class first, please don't. You are ready. Just come as you are, and we'll take it from there together.

Any questions, drop me a message at info@flightaerial.com. I'd love to hear from you. 🙂 Danii x