Students don’t need to travel long distances to see acrobatic shows like Cirque Du Soleil.Students can practice aerial silks three times a week in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building under the guidance of theatre assistant professor and movement specialist Nick Erickson.Aerial silks is an acrobatic performance while suspended on a long piece of fabric.”It requires a lot of focus,” said Ryann Pinkerton, theatre sophomore. “You have to be aware of your body and where it’s moving at all times.”Erickson was a founding member of the world-famous Diavolo acrobatic dance troupe before coming to the University in 2001.He began to experience “withdrawal symptoms” from performing and in 2003 participated in a physical theatre camp in Los Angeles where he worked with aerialist Dreya Weber, who choreographed pieces for Madonna, Pink and Michael Jackson, Erikson said. Erickson brought silks to campus in 2003. He hung a silk in the movement studio in Hatcher Hall while the Music and Dramatic Arts building was undergoing renovations, but the low height of the ceiling made it difficult to fully perform moves.”It was tough in Hatcher,” Erickson said. “The MDA ceiling makes it possible to take training up a notch.”The course was initially offered as an independent study to students interested in the art, but Erickson said he now wants to offer an open forum for anyone to try silks.”Many beginners are nervous, so I learned how to break down the basics,” Erickson said. “I try to put them into bite-sized pieces people can digest.”Aerial silks require intense mental and physical exertion. But this intensity is sometimes what attracts students to the art.”Because of the intense focus and dedication required, it’s something you don’t see everywhere, and so I jumped at the opportunity immediately,” Pinkerton said.Michael Martin, theatre senior, said he enjoys the challenge of silks and still participates despite his fear of heights.”I usually have an idea of what I want to do and focus on that,” Martin said. “You never feel endangered except when you look around and lose focus.”Erickson said he hopes the challenge of aerial silks will inspire students to reach other goals.”Passion is a goal in and of itself,” Erickson said. “Aerial silks gives people the realization that if they want something badly enough they can get it.”Many students who attempt aerial silks are theatre majors, and some say the skills they learn in the air can help them on stage.”It adds a new level of self awareness to a character,” Pinkerton said. “You become very aware of the way your body relates to the audience.”Students meet in the movement studio of the MDA building to practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.–Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]