From Silkworms

aerial silk visual glossary

This was originally an attempt to list all the things I know or have seen in aerial silks. Now it's a wiki, so you can too. :) I'm particularly interested in a) alternate names for things that people use in different places; b) more photos that show clearly what's going on in these different moves; c) video.

(What this is not is any sort of real tutorial on aerial fabrics. Conspicuously missing from these photos are the spotters you'd need in order to learn them safely. If you don't already feel quite comfortable on the fabrics (and have spotters), get someone who is to teach you rather than trying crazy things you read on the internet.)

Part of the motivation for this page was the complete lack of standardized vocabulary for talking about aerial silk moves. I've chosen to use a very dry, somewhat unwieldy, but mostly self-explanatory nomenclature here, following my first teacher's naming tendencies. I'd like to collect colloquial names for these moves as well.

Ironically, this "glossary" itself needs a glossary-- some terms we use to refer to the fabric, to parts of the fabric, or to classes of moves. These terms are listed down below, below the main list.

Finally, I've added a page of useful outside links.

The list:

• basic stand
  • single-foot ankle hang
• basic climb
  • french climb (russian climb, step climb)
    • cossack climb
  • bicycle climb (fred's climb)
  • hand over hand climb (pike climb)
    • upside down climb (monkey climb)
    • straddle swing climb
    • piked side swing climb (tick tock climb, windshield wiper climb)
    • one arm climb
• crucifix
  • reverse crucifix (ball)(needs photo)
• foot lock
  • side layout
  • open silks step through
  • layback invert (crappy split. take photo with stag knee?)
    • all the way around
  • open silks hammock sit (needs photo)
  • cross-legged invert (needs photo)
  • slough drop ("Elsie tuck")
  • crucifix arabesque (photo mostly shows essentials; pose looks terrible. also, take intermediate photos showing how to get into the pose)
  • crucifix knee hook (photo shows everything essential; could be prettier)
  • crucifix straddle split (get photo of someone who has this split)
  • arrow
  • clothesline
  • one-leg pike invert
  • thigh support invert (needs photo)
  • fake hip key
  • open silks rollup (candycane rollup, half moon, athena wrap, corinthian's wrap)
• same side knee hook
  • single thigh wrap hang
  • single thigh wrap descent
  • single thigh wrap slack drop (needs photo)
  • single thigh wrap as base for lower flyer partner
  • double thigh wrap hang
  • single star drop
  • spool drop (drip drop)
  • one and a half dive (like salto star, double drop, flip flop)
    • 1 1/2 dive (hip key) ("shoofly")
  • same side climb
    • sit between
      • one knee hang
  • crucifix en dedans wrap (catcher's hang)
• opposite side knee hook
  • single thigh wrap and dive
  • opposite side climb
  • half lock climb (elsie's climb, opposite side hip key climb) (needs photos)
  • figure eight drop
  • double pirate figure eight drop
• split silks arm flag hang ("iron cross")
• split silks single footlock
  • footlock and crucifix
  • rebecca split
  • footlock and handlock rollup
• split silks double footlock (take series of photos showing the method of wrapping, for regular methods)
  • double footlock splits (3 ways)
  • crucifix on front fabric
  • split silk double footlock roll-up
    • roll-up crucifix layback
  • crossed-silk straddle invert (cross-back straddle)
    • knee hang needs photo
    • ankle hang needs photo
    • glissade
    • slack drop
    • "Georgia twist"
    • "Emma sit"
  • crossed knee sit
• double crucifix (behind the back cross)
  • frog position behind-the-back cross (double crochet)
  • crossed silk straddle invert glissade (simpler entry)
  • crossed silk straddle invert slack drop (simpler entry)
  • dive between ("groin-grabber", 360, jesus drop)
  • knee catch dive between (crochet drop) (Triple Falling Angel)
  • another dive between
• split silks en dedans wrap
  • same skills as double footlock
  • alternate double footlock
  • front balance
  • front fall to knee hang (half monty)
  • front fall to ankle hang (full monty) (needs photo)
  • straddle drop
• uneven split silks double footlock
  • crucifix on front fabric
  • uneven crucifix layback
  • crossed knee sit
• scissors hip key
  • neck hold crucifix
  • hip-key knee-pass dive
  • base partner from underneath
  • scissors hip key climb
  • sticky crotch climb
• ramon wrap (s-lock)
  • knee hook entry (needs photo)
  • "barrel roll" entry (needs photo)
  • abbreviated barrel roll (needs photo)
  • ramon windmill fall (windmill rolldown, wheel down)
  • double dive (double star drop)
    • 2 1/4 dive
    • 2 1/2 dive
  • triple dive (triple star drop)
    • 3 1/4 dive
    • 3 1/2 dive
  • dive to crucifix (isabella drop)
  • dive to ramon (roll down)
• ankle hang
  • double-wrapped ankle hang
  • drop to ankle hang
  • crucifix to drop to ankle hang (half rotation)
  • hip-key on crucifix, dive to ankle hang
• double knee hang (needs photo)
  • double knee hang climb (needs photo)
• split silk knee hang climb (needs photo)
• split silk basic climb (needs photo)
• candlestick hang (needs photo)
• split silk handstand
  • split silk handstand rollup
• hand lock
  • meathook (front flag, side planche forward) (needs photo)
  • side planche (back flag, reverse meathook) (needs photo)
    • side planche climb
• split silk double hand lock
  • bird's nest
  • single-leg bird's nest
  • inverted split
  • angel in the ropes (thread the needle)
  • back arch
  • back arch double attitude
  • front planche
  • angel with straightened front arm
  • back planche
• hand key
  • traditional straps key
  • elbow key
    • striding in a circle
  • partner spins
• open silk hand key
• partner skills
  • single taut silk
    • abbreviated climb
    • arabesque
    • flag hold
  • split silk
    • back layout
    • "monkey hang"

Mini Glossary

Some terms our group uses, some of which we made up:

• silk, fabric, tissue, etc (what do we call this art?)
• pole, the fabric above you (if you were reading a book about knots this would be called the "standing part")
• tail, the fabric below you
• safety, the wrap or part of the fabric keeping you from falling
• en dedans, leg circles going backward in front of the body
• en dehors, leg circles going forward in front of the body
• split silks, what i here call moves with the two lengths of fabric separated
• open silks, what i here call moves where you separate the fabrics above a footlock
• spread silk, what i here call stretching a fabric out widthwise
• climb, ways of going up (ok, our group doesn't use the following four categorizations, i just made them up: )
  • stand climb, upright climbs using foot holds
  • dynamic climb, upright climbs using foot friction
  • hand over hand climb, climbs using pure arm strength
  • invert climb, climbs where you gain height by flipping over and grabbing with legs
• descent, ways of going down
• drop, fall, dive, etc-- ways of going down quickly
  • slack drop, a specific class of drops where you measure out a length of fabric and then fall that distance
  • glissade, another class of drops, where you slide down a straight fabric
  • windmill fall, drops where you rotate along your long axis
• hang, ways of staying still, suspended from the fabric
• flights, poses swinging on the end of the fabric
• invert, flipping upside down
  • straddle invert, upside down with legs wide apart
  • same side, the side of your body next to the fabric in straddle invert
  • opposite side, the side of your body away from the fabric in straddle invert
• hip key, a way of hanging still
• butt-floss position, a preparation for some dives (there's got to be a better name. but this is so evocative!)
• knee hook, wrapping a leg around the pole
• leg crochet, wrapping knee and foot around the pole
• arm flag, wrapping the fabric around an arm
• tango hand, a way of grabbing the fabric to avoid a later grip change

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