Aerial-silks artist Angie Coonts develops passion in hopes to perform

Aerial-silks artist Angie Coonts said people often are surprised such a unique and interesting art form is available in Cape Girardeau, but she loves the practice and hopes more people can learn about it.

Coonts said her first experience with silks came when she was a child.

"I saw it in a movie and had no idea what I was looking at but thought it was the most incredible thing I'd ever see," she said. "I always told myself that if I ever ran away with the circus, that's what I would do."

A couple of years ago, Coonts said, she found out about The Bumbershoot Aerial Arts School in St. Louis, and she leaped at the chance.

She took a six-week training course and bought her silks and rigging equipment, but, she said, the driving distance meant she couldn't feasibly continue to train there. She didn't want to train without a coach for safety reasons, so she stepped back from the practice.

Angie Coonts demonstrates her aerial silks skills in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

Then she found The Edge -- Your Fitness Advantage in Cape Girardeau this past March.

"They offer an amazing quality of aerial training, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to get back in the air," Coonts said.

Coonts said she thinks people are becoming more aware of aerial fitness, the way they did yoga in the 1990s. She does her training at The Edge and The Bumbershoot which, she said, offer world-class training but are also safety-conscious.

"That's absolutely paramount in aerial arts because it can be dangerous if not done properly," Coonts said.

Right now, she's focused on building strength, stamina and flexiblity, Coonts said, because her goal is to begin performing as soon as she's able.

Angie Coonts demonstrates her aerial silks skills in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

"That's what I really want to do, perform," Coonts said.

She said she eventually would like to teach classes, but she's still in the beginning stages of her training, so she's holding off on that for now.

"I'm lucky to be training here in Cape because the teacher training is done through world-renowned aerial acts like Born to Fly and Paper Doll Militia," Coonts said.

One piece of advice she would give to would-be aerial artists would be to be prepared for the amount of work it takes.

"People don't realize how difficult aerial fitness is because the pros make it look so effortless, but the truth is that there is nothing we do in day-to-day life that can prepare you for the full-body muscle control that is demanded of an aerialist. Even a regular workout at the gym doesn't work as many muscles," Coonts said.

It can be a good low-impact workout, Coonts said, especially aerial sling or aerial yoga. For someone whose goal is to perform, however, it's a tough art to practice.

"I would say that aerial arts is, at its foundation, a circus art, and the old adage, 'Circus hurts,' definitely applies," Coonts said. She said she often is covered in bruises and silk burns and deals with muscle soreness all over her body.

But, Coonts said it's worth it.

"It takes passion and dedication, but for the chance to fly and to do it under the grace of your own strength and skill is more than worth the sacrifice," she said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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