Lessons that let you fly through the air

In an empty warehouse in Northeast Portland, half a dozen young women have agreed to suspend themselves from 25 feet of polyester.

The instructor of this "Fly" aerial arts class at A-WOL's industrial space has barely finished her lesson before one of her students starts to scale the stream of two-ply fabric hanging from the ceiling, as if it's a rope in gym class. Once the 20-year-old aspiring aerialist makes it about halfway up, she splits the two streamers with her feet and wraps her legs around the fabric -- called "silks" even though they're synthetic -- creating spiraling casts around her shins.

She then bends forward, which loosens the slack and sends her plummeting several feet down, where she hangs upside down from her knees.

Do not be mistaken: It takes practice, precision and a lot of upper body strength to look this graceful.

For several months, A-WOL has been holding aerial classes like these -- which also includes instruction on the low-flying trapeze -- for $10 to $20, introducing Portlanders to the sensation of moving through air. Other offerings include kids lessons that integrate trapeze, juggling and hula-hooping, as well as more ground-based classes.

Though everyone in this Thursday evening class has had gymnastics or dance training, no one is expected to jump on the trapeze or silks and immediately know what they're doing.

"It's really all about being creative and having fun," says A-WOL founder Jen Harbaugh. "And it's a much better workout than going to the gym, where you have to watch TV to distract yourself."

The 12-member professional collective formed in 2003 to explore the use of flight in dance but couldn't secure a home base -- especially one with a high enough ceiling -- until this spring. With their new digs behind Franz Family Bakery, they now have a training space for their pre-professional group of 14-to 20-year-olds, as well as a venue for their own choreographed performances.

This weekend, the company is collaborating with other aerial and circus artists for the all-female Circus Artemis, an eight-act spectacle complete with contortionists, stilt walkers and clowns.

Having just been granted nonprofit status, A-WOL hopes to work with more artists in the future and is focused on expanding its public reach.

"I heard about this through other dancers," says "Fly" student Shauna Marx. "It's something outside of what I'm used to, and I like that."

To warm up the class, instructor Paulina Munoz, a cheery 22-year-old who is all lean muscle, begins with a few yoga moves before asking students to hang from their knees and "sweep" up with their bodies on the trapeze, as if doing a flying crunch.

"It's like getting to be on the playground again and swinging from the monkey bars," she says.

Munoz, who comes from a martial arts background, says body awareness is the key to any aerial trick. "You have to control each muscle group," she says, "not just use your arms. You have to see your body as a whole system."

Harbaugh has a different take. "Hang on for dear life," she jokes.

--Jessica Machado of The Oregonian