Aerial yoga and dance a high-flying workout
STEVENS POINT - Not looking forward to putting in another hour on the treadmill? Another workout on the exercise machines not getting you excited to head to the gym?
Sometimes a new way to stay fit, or get into shape, can get you excited about exercise again. Jamie Vanatta has brought just that to Stevens Point in Monarch Aerial Arts.
Located at 1909 Wood Street, Vanatta has billed Monarch Aerial as the only aerial arts studio in central Wisconsin, offering both aerial yoga and aerial dance.
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Aerial dance is a mixture of modern dance and circus acrobatics performed in the air. Dancers climb, spin and flip on cords of fabric hung from the ceiling, using aerial silks, hammocks, dance trapeze, bungie belts and lyra, or hoop. Vanatta calls it a form of self-expression as well as a way to exercise.
Aerial yoga is a combination of two different kinds of yoga, hatha and vinyasa, performed while on an aerial hammock. Vanatta said the use of the hammock has several benefits, including decompression of the spine, strengthening of the core and upper body, release of tension and increased flexibility. Vanatta said aerial yoga can be an easier alternative for the elderly or injured.
Students start low to the ground, Vanatta said, and move up higher while learning more about climbing, poses and swings. The exercise builds core and upper body strength along with balance and flexibility.
Vanatta said classes are available for children as young as 8, and that she has clients in their 60s. An adult performance group also performs throughout the state.
Vanatta started Monarch Aerial Arts two years ago. Along with an extensive background in gymnastics and yoga, she started training in aerial arts about a decade ago while attending school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she hold a bachelor of arts in psychology, education and Eastern religion.
After moving to the area, Vanatta said she missed being involved in aerial arts and eventually started her own business in 2014. After utilizing spaces in Stevens Point and Port Edwards, Vanatta moved the studio into its own physical location at the end of August.
“It’s exciting to have a place of our own where we can offer our programs,” Vanatta said. “We think this is something very unique that allows people to have some fun, be creative and be healthy.”
To help mark the occasion, Vanatta said the studio's performance group will put on a special Halloween show. "Spun: Night of the Black Widow," will take place on Oct. 28 at the studio. Doors open at 7:45 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.
Monarch Aerial Arts is open from 5:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday, and from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information, please call 715-544-4320, email jamie@monarchaerialarts.com, visit www.monarchaerialarts.com, or find the business on Facebook or Instagram.
Nathan Vine: 715-345-2252 ornvine@gannett.com; on Twitter@NathanAVine.