Her hands reached up and gripped the bundles of bright purple silk suspended from the ceiling. Deep breath, eyes focused up. Her back and arm muscles tensed as she pulled herself up and into the “hammock” of the fabric. She now sat in the curve of the fabric, both ends hung from the ceiling and making a U-shape. Leaning back, she smoothly inverted herself, her head hanging, her legs taut and flared out to the sides, toes pointed, arms extended toward the floor. The move was graceful, deceptively easy looking. 
 
But aerial artistry lessons bring work, bruising, achy muscles, improved upper body strength — and a sense of accomplishment for Christina Davis. 
 
Davis’ journey into her hobby started over a year ago. Every year she picks a challenge for herself. At the time she was considering her options, a Groupon for Iowa Circus Arts classes landed in her inbox. “At first, I dabbled in this when all the stars aligned,” she said, meaning when she could fit it in. She now makes time for one to two lessons per week. 
 
She committed when she brought her daughters to watch one of ICA’s showcases. “My daughter said ‘Mom, you should totally do this.’ I laughed. … But then I processed this. Wait, wait, wait. Why can’t I do this? I am a risk-taker; that’s part of my brand and branding is my thing.”
 
Her goal at first settled on preparing a routine for another showcase in seven months. “I’m not a couch potato. I thought, ‘How hard can this be?’ … I learned you have to work through the pain.” 
 
Aerial lessons introduced a new vocabulary with moves such as skin the cat, man in the moon, and the coffin. In that last move, Davis again used the hammock, but held her entire body straight, parallel with the floor. She balanced on just a few inches of the bundled fabric under her back and legs. Her arms again reached out to the sides. Each move required intense focus on where your hands and limbs need to go, how to shift your weight, how to not get tangled in the fabric.
 
After nailing a difficult move one time, the rush flooded her, she recalled. “You bridge the physical and the mental with trust. I squealed [when I landed it], and it was so fun.”
 
The recent lesson lasted an hour. A sheen of perspiration covered Davis’ face and arms. Her muscles quivered from exhaustion in the last few moves she attempted, a smile on her face. She and her instructor discussed her next challenge: another showcase.