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Enya White - Aerial Coaching

@blacktrapeze

31.2K

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🎪 2,901+ shows • Guinness World Record
🤝 I teach the WHY behind movement
👇 Online coaching, Workbook, Workshops

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Favorite warm-up drills I keep coming back to ✨

One of the perks of being a circus artist is that I'm constantly learning. Between touring, teaching workshops, taking classes, and trying different disciplines, I've had the chance to train with so many incredible coaches and movement specialists.

Over the years, I've collected the exercises that consistently make me feel strong, mobile, and ready to move. These are five of my favorites for waking up the shoulders, core, torso, and hips before training.

What's one warm-up exercise you swear by? Let me know in the comments, I’m always looking to add another great one to my collection. 💛 by @blacktrapeze

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3 months ago

You can do the cool tricks. But do your movements feel like you?

The Aerial Creativity Workbook is officially live. 25 experiments to pull you out of autopilot and help you move like you, not like everyone else. I built it from ten years performing on the same show thousands of times, where staying creative inside the limits was my main focus.

Inside: 25 experiments across five chapters. Noticing, constraints, your apparatus, movement quality, composition. They work on any apparatus (most of them are even possible without any apparatus) and they are good for any level.

There's also a "choose your structure" path depending on how you like to work and what season of training you are in. There are no right answers for any of the experiments, it’s all about bringing curiosity into your creative process.

The first 100 copies are at a founding price, then it goes to full price. There isn't much like this out there and I'm so excited for you to experience it.

Ask me any questions you might have 😍✨️

Check the link my bio or comment CREATE and I'll send you the link.

#aerialist #creativemovement #aerialtraining #creativeexploration #aerialdance by @blacktrapeze

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2 months ago

The interesting thing is that most of us start by wanting to impress. We want harder tricks. More drops. More applause. More proof that we're improving 💪

While there's nothing wrong with that, there’s a chance you’re looking for something more than that in your practice. Because eventually, you hit a point where another trick doesn't solve the problem. Because the thing you’re actually looking for is expression, creativity, identity, and meaning in your movement.

I’m sharing this because I have seen a big shift in the way people train in the last year. More and more people are moving away from collecting tricks and moving towards developing their own style.

Which slide resonated with you most? 👇 by @blacktrapeze

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4 months ago

I had no idea of what I was doing and I was afraid of falling on my face but I worked on it relentlessly.

I failed and failed and kept losing the balance, my legs were too heavy and I wasn’t sure what to do to maintain it.

Until I started looking at it from a teaching perspective.

What made this move work?
Where was the tipping point?
What were the common breaking points?
How can I bridge the gap between the full roll and no roll?

I’ve seen hundreds of c-shape rolls over the years since then. Most of them are not working because the c-shape disappears, there’s nothing holding the body and the roll breaks. If you drill the same broken exercise 100 times, it won’t work no matter how many times you try. It’s not a strength or a flexibility thing.

Telling someone the same cue over and over isn’t going to cut it either. I had to get specific.

If you’ve been working on this for a while, or even if you’ve never attempted a c-shape roll before but it’s on your wishlist, come.

Monday October 19, 11am New York time, 90 minutes, live and online.

We build the c-shape from the ground up. Theory, then floor drills, then we get on the apparatus. It’s live, so you can ask me all your questions and get direct feedback on what your body is doing in real time.

Hoop, sling and trapeze. You need a 5 to 10 second hands-free back balance. Replay access for 30 days. Comment “ROLL” for the link.

👉 Which move did you drill forever before someone told you what was actually wrong? Tell me below. by @blacktrapeze

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14 hours ago

If your C-shape rolls feel pretty ouchy, you’re not the only one. When people try it again with the right technique, they’re always surprised how much easier it feels.

Someone sent me this after my C-shape talk in August: “I did find the floor rolls and the wall touches very doable and helpful!”

That’s why we break it all down. It’s live, so you can ask me all your questions.

Doing floor drills before we even go on the apparatus matters because it removes the fear, the pain and just leaves you with a clear pathway and the ability to activate the muscles that you’ll need once you attempt the full roll on the apparatus.

The C-Shape Roll, live online, Monday October 19, 11am New York time.

90 minutes, recording included.

For aerialists with a 5 to 10 second hands-free back balance. Hoop, sling and trapeze.

Book using the link in my bio or comment 'ROLL' and I'll send you the link. by @blacktrapeze

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5 days ago

Before you book The C-Shape Roll workshop, check one thing: can you hold a hands-free back balance for 5 to 10 seconds?

The back balance is the one thing you need to get started. The rest we will build in the workshop, from the floor up. How to find the engagement, what gets you rolling, how to bail and how to keep going and continuously find your balance.

Monday October 19, 11am New York time, live online. 90 minutes, recording included, so if the time doesn’t work you can still watch it.

Hoop, sling and trapeze.

Link in bio to book your spot or drop 'ROLL' below 🙌 by @blacktrapeze

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6 days ago

On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard do you think the last position is? I was thrilled to be back on a spiral earlier this week. This was my third time playing on one and this one was completely different than the other spiral I used before. She was heavy and sustained her spins for a looong time 🤢

Thank you @turtltracks for letting me play with yours 🤩

I thought I had a pretty good spin tolerance.. turns out I have a decent one for trapeze specific spins and on the spiral or the tiny hoop the spins are a different beast!

Did you ever try a spiral? If you haven't would you ever want to try one if you had the chance?

#aerialspiral by @blacktrapeze

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13 days ago

Competition is not the same as comparison. They both can be used as a way to improve yourself and give you valuable information when it comes to making true progress. But they can also be used to create damage. Competition can make or break you. It can leave you feeling stuck because the competition feels like it's not the right one for you.

In the circus industry, it feels like we're all competing with one another... until you reach a certain level, when you stop seeking outside validation and you make sure to remind yourself that you first started doing this because it was FUN.

Most competition happens in your head. It happens in the training studio, on stage, at auditions, but in reality, unless you find yourself in a toxic environment, people want to see you succeed and they will cheer for you when you accomplish something new.

If we're talking about someone else getting the gig, the highlight in the show, the class you wanted to teach, that's different.

There are two ways you can use this. No matter what, it's important you let yourself feel those feelings. They are valid. Once it's all processed you have to choose how you're moving forward.

Next time there's something you want:

Show up prepared.
Know your material.
Know your body and your limits.
Be flexible and have back up plans for if things don't go the way you planned in the moment.

Let the rest go. You did everything you could given the conditions. There's never a "perfect" situation, but there's doing everything you can with what you have and letting go of what you can't control.

When someone else gets the job you wanted, or the role you were auditioning for, ask for feedback. Ask what you can improve for the next time. Ask exactly what they were looking for so you know if you even had a chance. Sometimes it comes down to having the skillset, but also being the exact height they need for the role or having the right hair color. Not every refusal means you're not good enough.

You are doing so good right now. Even if you might not be exactly where you want to be. Keep showing up and putting in the work.

Continued in the comments 👇 by @blacktrapeze

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13 days ago

Monthly series - October Edition ✨

The series continues! And this month we're switching it up a bit. Instead of one move, we're looking at one thing that shows up everywhere, no matter the apparatus: where your eyes go.

Most of us never think about it. The eyes go wherever to go, and the body follows. That's fine until what you see doesn’t reflect what you are trying to convey.

The gaze is a skill like any other. You can train it, and you can decide what to do with it. What you give attention to the audience does too.

Here are 5 things for you to try:
1. Look at what your hands are doing. (This one will probably come very naturally, the challenge lays in the other options in this list)

2. Close your eyes. (Try it with something simple, and notice the different sensations this brings up.)

3. Look away from the main action (the hand grab, the leg reach, the transition). (What different shapes are you able to create when you start freeing your head and trusts your hands to carry you through?)

4. Look at the audience. (Fun but challenging one, in training practice staring at your phone and try it static first. Spinning makes this one extra hard.)

5. Keep your head in line with the rest of the spine and let the gaze move freely, for a more natural look. (Notice what’s happening in your body and let the head and gaze have fun)

Try the same short sequence (2-3 moves) with each one and notice what changes. Make sure you record all of them so you can go back and pick your favorite. Stick to something simple and if something ever feels not right or unsafe, just stop.

Want help with your own gaze habits (or anything else)? DM 'COACHING' for 1-1 online lessons.

👉 Which one did you never think of using? Tell me below! by @blacktrapeze

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16 days ago

The C-shape roll isn't a push harder kinda skill. It's more of a do a lot less and trust your body knowing you can learn to balance keeping the right cues in mind.

In my workshop, I will talk about why the roll breaks in 4 specific places and how to approach it in a way that not only makes sense but also will provide positive results. Once you know where you get stuck, the fix is usually a floor drill or two your energy directed in the right direction, not just "try harder."

We will go over the theory first:

-the c-shape
-the four positions
-what actually moves you

Then, the drill ladder from the floor up to the apparatus at low height, the difference between bar vs soft apparatus, and how to bail.

It's live, so you can ask me all your questions.

The C-Shape Roll: live online workshop
Monday October 19, 11am or 2pm New York time.

90 minutes, 15 seats per session, recording included

For hoop, sling and trapeze

Comment ROLL and I'll send you the link 💛

Can't make October 19? The full course opens on Tuesday October 20: the workshop recording, every drill as its own video lesson, and the guide to download. by @blacktrapeze

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19 days ago

First time on a tiny hoop! 🤩

I've never played on a powder coated bar that felt so good before. This was a fun little training! I didn't have a lot of time to play with it and I wasn't sure what would work or not, but I broke the ice and now it's just about getting to know each other and finding what my body feels comfortable doing on such a tiny apparatus 🤩

Who's part of the tiny hoop gang? And if you're looking for amazing quality aerial apparatuses.. @smithsmithaerialarts is incredible! 🔥👌 by @blacktrapeze

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19 days ago

This started as a question in my inbox: how do you deal with competition and comparison? A lot of you related, so here it is again for the people who missed it.

Comparing your day 1 to someone's day 500 is a game you can't win. Compare you to you. 1% better than yesterday is the only thing that matters. Stay in your lane, find your people, and when you're tired and it’s late at night, put your phone down. The voice that says you're not good enough is not telling you the truth. You are amazing. Just keep showing up.

And if you want someone in your corner who tracks your progress and not anyone else's, and who believes in you when you don’t, that's what my online coaching is for. DM 'COACHING' for the link to book 1-1 online lessons.

👉 What's one thing you’re working on improving this month, even a little? Tell me below! by @blacktrapeze

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20 days ago