Lyra is a such pleasure to watch. Those beautiful, spinning shapes appear effortless and full of magic. Achieving that magic involves lots of hard work, lots of strength and flexibility, and lots of refining details.
For almost a decade I was obsessed with silks, and trained rope and trapeze here and there, but rarely set foot on a hoop. I started driving to Toronto for private lessons, and spent a lot of time experimenting on lyra in the studio. I also watched many lyra videos on social media, many, many videos. As I watched, I gathered data about this mysterious apparatus, trying to understand the different ways to approach it. Lyra is often categorized into dynamic style and flow style, which is a great starting point, but I wanted to know more.
I tried to put what I saw into words. Aerial definitions are always a little imperfect, but they can be a good tool. They are not at all official. Dynamic Lyra β Lyra moves where you release from the bar, such as drops, and moves that use momentum, such as many types of beats. Dynamic lyra is often done on a high hoop to allow swings under the bar and dramatic dismounts. It is more of a gymnastic or acrobatic style, and generally does not spin. Flow Lyra β Lyra sequences made up of a series of poses connected with smooth transitions.
Flow lyra is often done on a low or medium height hoop so the aerialist can create spin as they enter the hoop, but it can be done on any height, or pulleys can be used to raise the aerialists once they mount the hoop. It is more of a dance-based style. Spinny Lyra β A style based on achieving a high speed spin, usually with simple poses and very deliberate transitions. Certain poses are strategically used to change thew speed of the rotation, varying the spin from a little slower to tornado speed.
Contortion Lyra β This style involves many common poses that are exaggerated to showcase extreme flexibility. Should only be done with a coach who is trained to coach contortion. Threading and weaving involve gliding a limb through an open space on the hoop to move into a new shape. The spinny style is a skill set I would like to master and we do work on that a bit too. I come from a dance background, so flowy lyra felt the most natural to me, and I love that it can be very expressive.
