Ground Up: Intro to Duo Lyra

Learn the basics of Duo Lyra in this 90 minute workshop taught by Upside Aerial Lyra instructors, Ashanti Jennings and Mollie Rose Canzona! This workshop will include the fundamentals of communicating with a partner and weight sharing dynamics on the ground and in the lyra. Students will learn basic shapes, transitions, and explore creative movement possibilities. The workshop culminates in a short duo sequence students can stylize and make their own. Spinning is encouraged but optional. Sign up with a partner or on your own!

NOTE: We will offer two Ground Up: Intro to Duo Lyra workshops on July 30th and August 6th, but each workshop will include different shapes and pathways. So you are welcome to take both! Also, both of these workshops will help prepare you for some of the more advanced skills covered in Up & Above: Intro to Duo Lyra Workshop on August 13th. Be sure to register at least 7 days before each workshop to save $10 per workshop! (coupon codes: EARLYBIRD1, EARLYBIRD2, and EARLYBIRD3 for each of the 3 workshops, respectively) 

Prerequisites:

Age 18+, Level 1-2  lyra experience (or at least 12 weeks of regular weekly lyra training), the ability to mount and pull into the hoop multiple times with control, comfort with being in close contact and sharing space with another person.

About Your Instructors: 

Ashanti began her aerial journey as an Upside student in 2017. A lover of health, movement, and teaching others, Ashanti has been a personal trainer and pole dance instructor since 2015. She has also trained in belly dance, hoop, ballet, and burlesque. After discovering the beauty and challenge of aerial silks, she completed her Aerial Silks Teacher Training with Upside in 2019. She was introduced to lyra during an Upside workshop with Gena DuBose, and she discovered she loved that too! So she completed her Lyra Teacher Training with Gena in 2020, and she's been teaching and growing the Lyra Program at Upside ever since! 

Mollie began as an Upside student in 2018, and was also introduced to lyra during a workshop with Gena DuBose. She began training lyra regularly with Ashanti, and together, they started building their duo lyra repertoire, performing duo lyra at multiple venues. Building on her background in belly dance, silks, and pole, Mollie appreciates how lyra facilitates mind-body connection and self-expression. Mollie is also a professor at Wake Forest University where her research interests include Narrative Medicine and the therapeutic value of telling stories through movement. With this same passion animating her desire to share circus arts with others, she completed lyra teacher training and certification through Spin City Aerial Fitness and the Upside Aerial Mentorship Program in 2022. You can take Mollie's lyra classes at Upside on Thursdays at 5:45pm!