Today we’d like to introduce you to Darby Florian.
Hi Darby, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up doing competitive gymnastics, competitive cheer, show choir, and singing in choirs. I loved to practice and perform. As an adult in my 20s, I got into Latin dancing in Charlotte, NC, and met my future husband at a dance studio where we were both learning Salsa. When we were dating, he saw an aerial show and signed me up for a class as a surprise. I went to that class, started taking lessons multiple times a week, and my love for aerial silks was born. From there, I began performing on the Silks around town. Pretty soon, I married the man I met at the Latin Dance studio, had two girls, and moved to Fort Mill, SC.
I was a full-time teacher for the Fort Mill School District and lived in Fort Mill, so the drive to Charlotte to learn aerial became too much, and at that time, we decided as a family that I would stay home with the kids. After 6 months of staying home with the kids, I realized that I needed to be involved with the community a bit more. I enjoy teaching too much, I missed aerial, and I loved being around people too much, so I opened Aerial Joy. Aerial Joy opened its doors in February of 2023.
We started with offering beginner-friendly aerial sling classes twice a week and offering performance opportunities around town. I have a strong belief that you need goals when doing a sport, but it doesn’t have to be competing. We started the performance team, and that has been a blast for families of kids who love to perform in a low-stress situation.
Our Performance Team is still around three years later, and it is only growing because it is a wonderful addition to aerialists’ training. We take youth and adult performers to festivals and events around town. When you see us out at the festivals, entire families, including mine, are hanging out at the Aerial Joy tent, spending time together and living life together.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Surprisingly, it has been a smooth road. The biggest hurdle was finding a space to rent that had a ceiling strong enough for aerial work. You see, aerial puts a lot of force on buildings, so it took a structural engineer, an experienced live rigger (rigger that works with live beings, not lighting or audio equipment), and a metal company to make Aerial Joy’s ceiling sound and strong enough to withstand the forces put on them by the tricks we learn, train, and perform. We installed metal tubes to reinforce the ceiling structure for each place we put a fabric, hoop, or trapeze. Each bolt that holds a tube can hold 8,000 pounds, and there are 8 bolts on each tube. Yes, we overdid it…on purpose. Safety first!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Aerial Joy offers weekly lessons for aerialists ages 4- adults on the aerial silks, dance trapeze, aerial hoop, and aerial sling. Our studio’s strength is in its lessons. We take beginners and take our time to teach them through a progression of skills and equip them to be performers.
We are known for being welcoming and having a strong feeling of community. This is also what I am most proud of as the owner of this business. We put people first. We value people and treat everyone with kindness and respect. Aerial lessons is the service we provide, but most clients continue to attend Aerial Joy because of the community we provide for them and their families.
We also provide camps, parties, and workshops.
Our staff is made up of certified aerial teachers, through an approved certification program, and they are trained by Aerial Joy so they can learn the Aerial Joy curriculum and how we do things.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love people, which is not a surprise to anyone. I love handstands…being upside down feels amazing. Sometimes when I spend too much time on the computer, I will walk into the studio and climb to the ceiling for fun and because I can!
Pricing:
- Monthly Tuition with all fees included $115. No additional fees for lessons.
- Trial lesson is $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aerialjoy.co/new-students/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aerialjoy_fortmill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AerialJoyFortMill
