Parent Information
Program Offerings for Children and Teens
Little Flyers (5-6yrs)
The youngest aerialists we teach are our 5-6 year olds. This 45 minute long class mainly uses game-based approaches to introduce aerial and circus arts. Students will spend 5 weeks on each of the apparatuses that are most appropriate for youth students at Momentum (lyra, silks, & trapeze), for a total of 15 weeks of classes [for fall & spring semesters].
Youth Aerial (7-8yrs)
Youth Aerial is Momentum’s aerial program offering for 7-8 year olds. The duration of this class is 60 minutes. The goal is for students to feel prepared for the class setup & maturity level expected of them when they are old enough to join one of our general youth classes (9yrs at the very youngest - more details below). Our 7-8s students will still spend 5 weeks on each apparatus (lyra, silks, & trapeze), totaling 15 weeks [during fall & spring semesters].
Youth Aerial still uses game-based approaches to learning but there is more of an emphasis on students developing understanding for safety in aerial while having fun. This is accomplished through consistent classroom routines & carefully following directions given by teachers. Additionally, students are provided an opportunity to learn & practice the overall appropriate behavior that is expected in our aerial classroom environments while being offered many positive experiences with each aerial apparatus. Our goal is for students to feel positively about aerial and curious to learn more as they progress through our program offerings.
3 Different Class Sections for Youth Aerial:
Youth Aerial Caterpillars
Main Focus: learning the basic skills, body awareness, listening and getting to know the aerial studio and the routine of class… and lots of games!
Age & Experience Level: New 7-8yrs students that have never tried aerial before & will be learning new skills
Youth Aerial Cocoons
Main Focus: adding to/continuing to work on the skillset, and more circus games, some sequencing of moves for short routines. Will work on reviewing skills, learning some new skills, & transitioning previously learned skills through combos
Age & Experience Level: 7-8yrs students that have some aerial experience thru at least 1x sem. in “Caterpillars” Youth Aerial and/or Momentum Summer Camp
Youth Aerial Butterflies
Main Focus: synthesizing skills into routines, and prepping to transition to apparatus specific classes for ages 9-12. Will primarily work on building routines to perform in student showcases at the end of sem.
Age & Experience Level: 7-8yrs students that have taken at least 2 semesters of Youth Aerial Caterpillars and/or Cocoons.
General Youth Aerial Classes - Leveled/Apparatus-Specific (9-12yrs)
Once students turn 9yrs, they get to choose which specific apparatus(es) they’d like to commit to for a semester (13 wks in the summer and 15wks for fall and spring terms). Our youth program progressions go from Level Youth 1a ➡️ 1b ➡️ 1c ➡️ 1d. All students, regardless of related experience (dance/gymnastics) need to start with 1a!
If your child is turning 9 within the first month of the semester, they can be considered for the 9 year old program, but no one younger than that will be allowed to join. This is due to important developmental milestones and having cohesion with the group.
Minimum Numbers for All Youth Classes
We have a minimum class enrollment of 5 for all youth classes. This is our bottom line for being able to run a class. Sometimes a cohort experiences attrition, and there are no longer enough students to run a cohort. We know this can be sad for the students who are still enrolled. We do our best to find other students to join/return, but in the case that a class does not meet minimum enrollment, we may need to cancel this class. We will provide options for other classes that your child may be able to take instead.
Student Showcases (Who Performs & When)
Classes should expect to perform in a student showcase every other semester, starting at Level 1b. Level 1a classes (any age group) do not perform in the showcases. Please always check with your instructor to see if your child’s class is performing. They may perform an end of the semester “in class” routine, but Level 1a students do not perform in our group showcases. This rule is not hard and fast, so please check with your child’s instructor to be sure if your child’s class is performing or not.
Costume Guidelines
Instructors will send an email or text out to parents with a costume option in mind. We generally try to keep costumes under $40 unless the whole class wants to spend more. We measure costume sizes in the studio, and parents are also welcome to either take measurements for their child in class, or send us your child’s measurements. Most of the time, we order the costumes and then charge the parent card on file (with your permission) when the costume arrives. Other times, we may ask parents to source the costumes. Either way, we will let you know. We generally handle costume ordering within the first 4-6 weeks of the term.
Showcase Tickets: $12 per person. Due to space constraints, we can only have 2 audience members per performer. Parents who have a student performing in multiple shows only need to purchase tickets for one show. Tickets help support showcase costs including staffing and lighting the event, and hiring a photographer and videographer.
Parent/Guardian/Guest Expectations
Drop-Off & Pick-Up [Of Youth/Teen Students]:
Due to our facility’s limited parking, the Momentum-designated spaces closest to the building must be available for students & instructors so they can more easily arrive for/start classes on time & to help ensure safety (see parking map for more details).
Please be mindful to avoid disrupting the flow of traffic through our parking lot during drop-off or pick-up. You may not sit & idle behind parked cars or block any vehicles from entering/exiting while waiting for your student.
Minors are not to be left unattended anywhere on the property under any circumstances. Please wait to leave your student until they are with their teacher, inside the correct studio. Please do not drop off your child early and leave them alone outside before the studio opens.
Students should arrive/be dropped off no more than 5 minutes prior to the start of their class. Teachers need time to prepare & get the class set up before students arrive, so we appreciate your patience in waiting to drop children off excessively early (more than 10 mins) for class.
Parents/Guardians/Guests Watching Class:
All visitors, or anyone who wishes to observe a class, must be approved at least 1 week in advance by the instructor & sometimes by other students/parents.
Parents/guardians that choose to stay during their child’s class are expected to demonstrate behavior that will provide support to the teacher & classroom. Coaching or any direction/advice by anyone other than Momentum teachers, assistants, or apprentices is prohibited. Please do not step in and coach your child. Parents of children who are exhibiting behavioral issues may be asked by the instructor to step in and help with their child’s behavioral needs.
Communication
We send general, studio-wide announcements out through our weekly emails. Please let us know if you are not receiving these emails and we will add you to our list. We send out these emails from our webhost, Squarespace. Sometimes they go into your promotions folder, or spam. Please check your promotions and spam folders for our emails, and drag them into your primary inbox so that you see our weekly communications.
Additionally, sometimes your child's instructor, or someone from our admin team might reach out to you via email. Please be aware that important communication about costumes or your child’s class scheduling may come to your inbox. We ask for you to provide us with the best email address to reach you, and we also ask you to kindly return our emails within one week of receiving them, if it is a direct email about your child's class.
Some class communication may be done via group text, or individual texts as well. Most of the time, this is related to scheduling a make-up class for a canceled class, or it could be related to your child' s needs in class. For example, an instructor may reach out to you individually to set up a private lesson, or suggest attending Open Gym, if they notice that your child is struggling in class.
Open Gym/Independent Training/Advanced Open Training
Open Gym (OG) vs. Independent Training (IT) vs. Advanced Open Training (AOT)
All opportunities for students to practice aerial independently at Momentum are self-guided, unlike our weekly level & flow aerial classes (in which a teacher has prepared a lesson for students ahead of time for class to follow). Clarification on these different offerings for additional practice time are listed below in order to help parents decide which will be appropriate for their child.
Open Gym (OG):
-all levels are eligible to attend
-instructor present & available to answer questions, talk through skills, some spotting, & play music for running routines
Independent Training (IT):
-open to students of all levels
-instructor only available for emergencies/safety
->host teachers will not play music or answer questions about skills during this time
Advanced Open Training (AOT):
-only advanced students eligible to attend (students must be in Level 3a or higher in their apparatus)
->Beginning & Intermediate students (Level 1a-Level 2d classes at Momentum) not permitted
-instructor only available for emergencies/safety
->host teachers will not play music or answer questions about skills during this time
Rules & Expectations For Students Attending OG/IT/AOT
General:
-Students ages 9+ may attend OG/IT/AOT; 5-8yrs students must wait until turning 9yrs to begin practicing aerial independently.
-We have found that youth students have a better experience at OG/IT if they attend with a buddy (another Momentum student).
-Instructors may provide a list of skills ahead of time for youth students to practice at OG/IT upon request.
-It is best if students wait to begin attending OG/IT until at least 5-6 weeks into the semester, so they will have learned enough things to be able to practice over a 60-min. training time.
-Students must sign up ahead of time for OG/IT/AOT in MindBody to reserve a spot.
-Students may not practice skills they don’t fully understand, can’t remember, or cannot consistently get out of safely.
-Students are not permitted to teach other students in class or during OG/IT/AOT.
->Do not ask other students to teach any skills or provide spotting; practice only what has already been taught in class.
-Due to the high risk nature of aerial, students must refrain from teaching themselves skills from videos or the internet. Without an instructor available to guide or spot students & ensure proper/safe technique, there is a much higher likelihood of getting stuck, falling from unsafe heights, or becoming injured in other ways.
-If possible, students should bring earbuds/wireless headphones if they need specific music or plan to practice a routine. The studio speaker is not available during IT/AOT
Open Gym Expectations:
-If a student is unsure of steps in skills they are working on, needs help or to be talked through/reminded of a few things, or has specific questions, OG would be the best fit for practicing beyond their weekly class time.
-We expect that OG students lead themselves through the 60 minute session
-OG attendees must complete a ground warmup on their own before getting on an aerial apparatus
-Independent practice on an aerial apparatus in OG should be followed by stretching to cool down before leaving
-Youth students in an OG can ask for help but overall will have minimal guidance from the hosting instructor.
-Teachers hosting an OG will not teach anyone what they missed in class (if absent on a given week) or any other new skills, only to help with things students have already been taught previously.
Independent Training Expectations:
-Youth students of all levels who are ages 9-12 may attend IT w/ the approval of their instructor.
-IT students must be able to confidently lead themselves through a ground warm up, independently practice on their aerial apparatus, & cool themselves down throughout the 60min. Session.
->If students require an instructor's help, they should attend an Open Gym rather than IT.
-IT is an opportunity for current students to use studio equipment to work on conditioning and practice what they have learned in their aerial class.
-IT may not be used as time to learn or try new things.
-We expect students to be confident in their self-guiding abilities in order to attend IT.
-Since there is typically a class being held in the same or adjacent studio at the same time as IT, the hosting instructor is only available for emergencies.
-Teachers will not play music or answer questions about skills during this time.
-Practice during IT/AOT should be kept quiet to avoid disrupting any classes going on at the same time..
Advanced Open Training Expectations:
-If students need help or have questions about skills, attending an Open Gym would be appropriate to meet their needs.
-Advanced students may use this time to work independently on any conditioning, skills, or choreography.
-During AOT, an instructor should be present somewhere within the facility in case of emergencies, but is often in a different/adjacent classroom.
-If an instructor is present in the classroom during AOT, they are still only available for help in case of emergencies & will not answer questions or play music on the speaker for AOT students.
-If there are not already other students or teachers present in the studio at the same time, bringing a training buddy (any other advanced student) is required so someone can seek help in case of emergency or injury.
-Never practice alone in any studio.
Waiver King Tutorial
Feel free to copy this and share this with students and parents who need to do a waiver or are struggling to complete a waiver!
Please fill out our waiver here.
If you or your child have never attended a class at Momentum:
Select “New to Momentum Aerial" or “New Minor under 18”
Fill out the form as yourself (as the adult participant or the legal guardian of a minor)
Add your child as a minor at the bottom (if applicable)
Sign the waiver on the next page
If you or your child are already registered for classes (this means you have an account with us) or taken classes at Momentum before:
Select "Have an account"
Log in using your Mindbody/Momentum Aerial email and password. Please use the email that we have on file for you. If you have trouble logging in, or do not know your password, please reset it when it prompts you. This has been a good solution for those of you with log in troubles!
If you need to reset your password, follow the prompt, and check your email for the link. You may have to check your junk mail, or search for "waiver king" in your email.
Fill out the form as yourself (as the adult participant or the legal guardian of a minor)
Add your child as a minor at the bottom (if applicable)
Sign the waiver on the next page