ABOUT
Air Control Pilates® Everything you know about Pilates, from a different perspective, a new dimension!
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What is Aerial Pilates?
Aerial Pilates with Air Control Pilates® involves practising Pilates exercises in the air by suspending the body, or parts of the body in an aerial hammock. The hammock is suspended close to the ground at the height of the hips to the lower leg. Beginners practising aerial Pilates start by practising exercises on the floor with the assistance of the aerial hammock, then gradually advance to exercises that require full body suspension.
What does Aerial Pilates feel like?
It feels like second skin. Moving in the air freely and gaining strength from within yourself, to powerfully influence your mind and body. When practised well, you'll feel strong, connected and in beautiful control and empowered to live your life to its fullest potential.
The hammock will meet you on your journey wherever you’re at, it’s a natural teacher that has your back!
The Benefits of Aerial Pilates
- An introduction into the magical world of aerial arts
- Stimulates creativity and playfulness
- Invites full body lengthening and strengthening naturally
- The hammocks feedback highlights imbalances in the body & mind connections
- Great for spatial and orientation awareness
- Provides a safe space to move freely and feel supported
- Be in the moment!
Let me turn your world upside down & show you a different perspective
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Meet the Creator
Debbie Robbins
Founder and Artistic Director of Air Control Pilates
I’ve taught Pilates since 2003, trained as a dance artist in 2006 and have trained in aerial arts since 2008. As a professional aerialist, I toured a personal show ‘In Her Shadows’ which was an aerial dance show with projections, across Scotland in 2015 as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival.
Combining all of these passions together, I naturally started to create a syllabus, style and method. I’m deeply grateful to share the power of aerial arts, the Pilates method and using the aerial hammock with you. I'm proud to be running education to teachers & movement lovers, all over the world!
Read Debbie's story
The Vision
To nurture and educate a global network of teachers and students who provide transformative, safe and fun Air Control Pilates ® style of Aerial Pilates classes and workshops. We welcome aerialists, Pilates teachers, and/or enthusiasts.
What makes Air Control Pilates ® Distinctive?
Founder, Debbie Robbins is a professional aerialist and has trained in aerial arts for over 15 years and been a passionate Pilates teacher for 20 years. Ensuring the integrity and technique of aerial arts and the principles and fundamentals of Pilates has a rich basis in all the exercises and work.
Air Control Pilates® is distinguished from other aerial Pilates and aerial yoga establishments and training through a reputation built on, and emphasising, safety and best practice.
At the heart of Air Control Pilates ®
The heart of my motivation is the desire to share with aerialists, Pilates teachers & enthusiasts;
- Promote and provide education about safety standards
- Empowering people through movement
- Teach the creative skills and freedom gained with the aerial hammock
- The powerful benefits when combining aerial arts with the principles of the Pilates method
- Add a new dimension to Pilates and take you to a different world!
A Grounded Approach to Creativity
- Our learning process is safe and structured
- We have created the syllabus carefully from aerial roots as a great training tool for practicing good movement patterns in the air, using the Pilates method
- The work has been created to introduce aerial arts to Pilates and for the development of aerial arts training
- Our manuals are carefully structured, including a syllabus of exercises for each stage in our Air Control Pilates ® Aerial Pilates teacher training courses
Our Pilates & Aerial Friends
Alan Herdman
Alan is a London based dancer and teacher, who opened the UK’s first Pilates studio in 1970. It was an absolute honour to introduce the aerial hammock to Pilates legend, Alan Herdman in 2019.
Chris Blagdon
Chris trained with Alan Herdman and he is the owner of Edinburgh Pilates Centre, which was the first Pilates centre outside of London and the first in Scotland.
I have been mentored by Chris for nearly 15 years throughout my career learning from his endless wealth of knowledge, inspiration and quirkiness!
Julianna Hane
We are delighted to have Julianna Hane join us and work collaboratively on some of our Air school courses. Julianna is a dancer and aerialist and holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, a certificate in Laban Movement Analysis, and trained as a Pilates instructor at The Pilates Center in Boulder, CO.
She is also a graduate of the New England Center for Circus Arts Professional Training Program, and is the author of the Aerial Teacher’s Handbook.
Fred Deb
Aerial consultant on In Her Shadows.
"Since the beginning of her career as a circus artist, Fred Deb' defined herself as an aerial choreographer. Her groundbreaking work on silk and rope makes her one of the founders of the genre.
She quickly created a unique choreographic style, focusing her work essentially on the search for choreographed movements, which naturally led to dance." (From Fred Deb)
Christopher Robbins
Debbie's Dad,
We’ve taken the best consultancy around health and safety and suspending people in the air by consulting with Dr Christopher Robbins, who is both a metallurgist, a Dr of metals, and as part of a long career in health and safety is the Auditor for IRATA - the industrial rope access trade association
…he also happens to be my Dad!
Crucial to the development of the Air control signature hammock & rig – coming soon!
Breathe Fresh Air into your Movement
Debbie Robbins ~ Air Control Pilates Creator
Self Care for Aerialists & Movers
