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October 2023 by Stella A.
An amazing find! It is rare that both my 6 and 8yo like the same class. I was blown away by the elegance and ease of the system they had in place for kids to fly! Both kids found it incredibly relaxing. The team that brought this to the desert has an established business in the LA area. We are so lucky to have it in the CV!
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August 2023 by Paul L.
Wonderful, unique, inspiring. This is a very special opportunity for those of us who live in the desert.
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August 2023 by Czarina D.
SO MUCH FUN!!! I was in the area for my bachelorette and we wanted to do something fun and active. THIS WAS IT!!! Most of us had no prior experience and none was necessary! It was an amazingly fun time! We booked a private class on a Sunday morning (the weekend Hurricane Hilary was in town). We appreciate the staff so much because of how accommodating they were and we were able to customize our class time a bit. We had the entire studio to ourselves and Yolanda was our instructor. Both she and the man who greeted us were so nice! Yolanda had the best customer service. She really catered to us and took her time with us. They both went above and beyond to make us feel special! They even took us to the other room to take pictures and try out moves on the spinning aerial silks. A quality experience! Yolanda started us up with a cardio warm-up that was SO GOOD. We were all sweating and our heart rates were up. We used hula hoops and yoga blocks and it was so much fun. She kicked out booties! Then she taught us some moves on the non-spinning aerial silks. As we became more comfortable, she strung the moves together and had us perform it to music. She was a great instructor and we had so much fun! Afterwards, Yolanda and her coworker were so nice to us and let us take a BAJILLION photos everywhere. They even gave us recommendations on good places to eat. We had a fabulous time and would recommend this place to anyone looking for a new, fun experience!
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April 2023 by Jeffrey S.
I can't believe this place exists - it's awesome. Whether your in town for a week, a snow bird or full time resident check this place out. I am a long time fitness enthusiast who enjoys group exercise classes. This unique program has been a great way to reinvigorate my interest in going to the gym. There is nothing like it. It has been great for my overall fitness with an emphasis on core strength, flexibility and muscle conditioning. It's like taking a hybrid CrossFit,Yoga and Pilates class all wrapped in one. Additionally, hanging upside down in the hammock has been great for my back as it helps to naturally decompress my spine using my own body weight and gravity. This place is great for all ages and the instructors are all incredibly gifted and provide exceptional guidance with lots of one on one attention. If you're looking to take your fitness to a new level and bored with your current regimen or want an adjunct to your conditioning program I recommend this place.
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August 2021 by Skye P.
To start I don't want this review to be taken in any ill manner. I found a new passion for this art form and definitely see a lot of potential in this studio. I'm here to state my honest opinion and experience: 1. The first class I had taken here was my very first ariel class. The doors were locked and not opened until the instructor came about 5 minutes late to open. She did not ask me to sign any waiver or release form even though I had said it was my first time. She wasn't very vocal on how to do the stretches but luckily I have been practicing yoga for so I knew my posing- but other new students may not. This instructor was definitely informative on the posing in the silks but after she taught me one move she told me to just continue to practice it for the rest of the class while she worked with a higher level student. 2. The next class I went to was a different instructor. While I enjoyed her as an individual I was not fond of the way she was making the class very competitive and intense. I enjoy being encouraged but not forced or yelled at. I went into this activity with a yogic mindset and it was definitely a shock to have this experience. 3. I was taught the same exact move/ pose for all three classes that I attended. I could have just went to one class and saved $80 with the same knowledge 4. The final class I went to was with all fresh beginners and while I was still a beginner I would have expected to have been given more moves based off the previous knowledge I'd been given. This class she had me repeat step by step the training process with the new people and I felt like I had just wasted $38. Not h til the very end of the class did she attempt to show me a new move but it was clearly way out of my mobility range. There are plenty of other beginner moves she could have shown me instead of building to higher levels in one move. 5. There are plenty of ariel studios in LA county that charge less than the price this studio is asking for. I love ariel arts but why would j spend $150 a month to have these frequent occurances and u comfort ability when I could buy an entire rig and silks for 200 and watch YouTube videos to teach myself in a structured manner. 6. I felt like I was being brushed off as a student and just there to be on the silks but I was paying to be taught and that's not what I received. These occurrences lead me to believe that these instructors aren't fully aware of how to break down their skills for newer students in any other way but one. And it also shows that they are not very attentive to the needs and development of their students. I think with more structure and care this place could be really nice but for now I would not choose to come back here again
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March 2021 by Soo L.
Amazing! Great owners with kind soul. They took me in the middle of moving to a new location. My new year's solution finally started from here. Thank you!
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January 2021 by Frank E.
This is a very unique family-owned business featuring instruction in art geared to younger students and some remarkably different takes on yoga practice, aerial arts (including acrobatic and silk apparatuses a là Curque du Soleil). AFA established its dedicated service to Southern California in Rancho Palos Verdes (far southern part of Hawthorne Blvd., in an upscale neighborhood) in the 1990s, and earned its reputation as a tutorial service that introduced many young people to both aerial arts and visual art as well. Several members of the Reyes and Mendoza family staff are both accomplished creative visual artists and acrobats who fly though the air too--they can teach you or your offspring how to do it! I can also heartily recommend Ana, Sara Lee, Bella Grace, Amean, and Nick for private lessons. The present location (since 2015) is in a former airplane hanger with "the highest ceilings in Southern California" [of any aerial yoga studio] and features a truly diverse mostly female staff of expert, seasoned and patient instructors. To get a real feel for the full scope of their offerings, especially during pandemic shutdown conditions, I suggest browsing their website artflyingaerial.com . They're currently (January 2021) closed to the public, and most classes are held exclusively online. That doesn't stop them from still teaching students a wide variety of subjects. They also offer private instruction in acrobatics and use of elevated apparatuses. So if you're interested but uncertain or need any more information, I suggest calling and speaking with Rubi, Yolanda or Manuel for details, and to arrange a personal visit. They still have periodic student recitals, and I've attended a couple. They were truly touching--seeing the young students showing their progress and learned expertise. This is where future stars earn their acrobatic wings! I could list ten great instructors, but I suggest others find their own. My final two cents about AFA: 1) it's always been kept fastidiously clean, even the restroom. So it's the last place in my opinion that posed a health risk in terms of potential infection. What's infectious here is "learning to fly" in aerial arts. 2) Parking is free, well maintained and reasonably plentiful.
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November 2020 by Alice KS
We have had a wonderful experience with AFA for the past two years! Our first introduction to them was my daughter's 10th birthday party. Ruby & Yolanda were both so fun that five girls from the party decided to start doing aerial! Since then, we have tried the other aerial school nearby, but their classes were over-crowded & there was too much focus on earning badges, while not enough time on the shared apparatus & practice performing. At AFA, the kids focus on performing, which they do at the end of every class. They spend the entire time on their apparatus, and the teachers are always innovative & attentive! My daughter & her friend had their first big performance last year, and we are looking forward to when COVID is over, so that group classes can return! Thank you to Manuel, Claudia, Yolanda, Ruby, & Krystal for all their professionalism & passion--the kids truly have fallen in love with aerial because of you all! This family-owned business is run by true artist-athletes.
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March 2020 by Alice J.
Love this place. So far I've been to the 9am Saturday class for beginners and love it. Been to the class twice and plan to sign up full time!! At first I thought it would be very difficult but the teacher teaches you step by step until your doing cool and crazy poses you never thought you could do!!! But what shocked me was that I was extremely sore the next day but didn't even sweat at all during the class. It's a great workout for your core and stretches your body a lot. Love love love it.
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January 2020 by Maritza Hasty
so fun what a beautiful way to work out
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January 2020 by Victoria C.
I was eager to find a new studio and resume aerial classes after relocating to the Torrance area, but based on several experiences, this studio isn't for me. 1. The first class I attended revolved more around Instagramming and posing for pictures than learning. I wish there had been a designated time for filming/photos so I wouldn't need to constantly worry about being in the background of strangers' social media highlights. It's fine if that's what you want your studio to be about, but I'm not paying $40 an hour to take photos; I'm there to learn. 2. The next class I took had two very young girls competing for the instructors' attention. One of the girls came with her mother who filmed and photographed her daughter throughout the entirety of the class. The instructor gave the majority of her attention to the daughter and her mother, which made the other girl upset and quite vocal, repeatedly exclaiming "Watch me!" "Look at what I'm doing!" The rest of the class was completely ignored. 3. The third class I took had a new girl who told the instructor she hadn't exercised in years and this was her first step to get back into shape. The hammocks were freshly washed and quite high, making it difficult for anyone new to pullovers or lacking upper body strength to get into the hammock. I'm 5'3 and even with the crash mat, I could barely reach the hammock with my arms fully extended and had to straight arm everything- this was a beginner class. The new girl could not pull herself up and spent the entire class heartbroken that she was unable to get past this step. The instructor repeatedly told her she just needed to try harder. When the girl said she was currently incapable of any sort of pull up because she had no upper body strength, the instructor again repeated no, you just need to try harder. After 40 minutes of this with the girl asking if there was anything else she could do because she was physically incapable at this point in her fitness journey of pulling up into a hammock, I finally came over and gave her my crash mat to double stack on hers and sat out for the remainder of the class. 4. I attended a hammock workshop at the studio and the door was locked when the guest instructor arrived. We had to wait for 20 minutes before anyone could come to unlock the studio. I think AFA has a lot of potential and based on the other reviews it seems I had a very different experience than most.
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June 2019 by Brett Harris
Great experience and amazing people who care about your experiences!
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March 2019 by Yesenia C.
I love this studio! My daughter and myself have been taking the 6:30pm class with Grace. We truly enjoy it and love the workout. It is very effective in building core strength, and a great full body workout. I highly recommend it!
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March 2019 by Kimberly J.
I've taken the beginners class with Instructor Grace Chow and my kids absolutely love the youth class with Krystal Ledger. The classes are small and well equipped. It is a fun and solid workout! Thanks to grace's class I have improved my flexibility and core strength. She is excellent with beginners and explains the moves well. For the first time in my adult life I'm able to do the splits!
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November 2018 by Leo S
Great place, excellent equipment , beginner and advanced aerial silk classes
