Jumping Through Hoops: Navigating Identity and Self-Image in the Air

by Stephanie Li

1. What is lyra?
   Lyra is one of a few different aerial sports in which you perform using some type of apparatus suspended from the ceiling. In this case, it’s a large metal hoop. Advantages of the aerial hoop include great spin momentum and opportunity for quick transition between poses.
2. How did you get into this space?
   I first started out on aerial silks by mistake—I took my first classic expecting to do smaller, more Pilates-like moves. Even after realizing how physically demanding it was, I stuck with it out of appreciation for the sport and the culture of the studio I was taking classes in at the time.

   Fast forward only two months, and I’m part of that studio’s spring performance showcase. I’m one of the first performers, as they placed beginners towards the front of the program. I watch the rest of the acts from the performer audience circle to catch my breath and calm my nerves. The last performer to go was the studio’s lyra instructor. They take down the hoop from the ceiling from where it was stored and she…just crushes it. I’d never been so inspired by someone’s grace and athleticism. I would have never known, weeks later at my first lyra class, how much control it takes to make poses look more like a gentle dance than something that required all the strength I had.

3. What ideas are you trying to express when you train/perform?
   The belief that women shouldn’t be muscular is still alive and well in some spaces. I’ve received comments from some who knew how active I was to treat how I look now as a stopping point to make sure I didn’t get “too big”. But in between having the energy to get around the city and preventing health conditions later in life (for example, women’s risk of osteoporosis can increase from lack of exercise), what benefits from quitting will I get that are better than the ones I already have? When I’m in the hoop, I’m demanding to be admired or critiqued for what my body can do, not for how it looks.

   I also hope to change the current climate of sports. Certain kinds are more valued than others—if I asked you to turn on the TV right now, what sport will likely be on, and what is the team’s gender makeup? By not making sports just about profitability and ranking, we can help one another celebrate health and genuine progress.

4. How do I get started if I’m interested in lyra?
   Although it’s still a niche discipline, you may be surprised by how often it exists in tandem with other activities in one studio—I’ve seen spaces house lyra and pole dancing under the same roof! Once you find a location, make sure you enroll in classes that are appropriate for your skill level, and DO NOT attempt moves you haven’t been taught by a professional instructor.

   Lyra can be dangerous and intimidating with lack of responsibility, but by knowing your limits and following basic safety guidelines, you can build your path to becoming a successful aerialist!