30-Day Aerials Intensive

Why aerials are so hard to teach

Every student asks for aerials. They're also the most frustrating trick to learn.

Many aerials are taught from a run, with the chest dropped and a hard, low landing. They often disappear the moment a student grows.

Students get frustrated. Parents ask why it's taking so long. And you're left spotting the same kids over and over, wondering what you're missing.

The 30-Day Aerials Intensive teaches it the other way: from a step, with the push coming from the hip joint, built one step at a time. It works with a whole class, not just your most naturally talented kids, and it's for any acro teacher.

The ADTA 4-Step System

Four steps. One pattern your whole class can learn together.

Every student works the steps in lines across the floor, all at the same time. That's how you see what's going wrong and fix it fast, without reinventing the wheel for each kid.

Step 1

Just jumping

Step, retiré, a big lunge, then swing the arms back and jump at the same time. It builds the timing everything else depends on.

Step 2

Land, then cartwheel out

The same jump, then land on the foot and circle into a cartwheel. It teaches the aerial's path while the hands still go down.

Step 3

Jump straight into the cartwheel

No landing in between. The jump carries directly into the hands, then out to a one-footed landing.

Step 4

Connect it and go for it

Every piece, passed through at full speed. Hands still touch down, but students are truly going for the aerial.

From a step, not a runChest up, spot the wallArms swing straight backOne-footed landing

How the 30 days work

One step a week, built around the class you already teach.

Every lesson is pre-recorded, so you can watch on your own schedule. You don't need extra classes or extra time. Each week fits into your regular weekly acro classes, with about 5 to 10 minutes of your class working on aerials.

1. Watch

A short lesson video on this week's step.

2. Practice

Try it yourself at home: the steps, the counts, the corrections.

3. Teach

Run it in your class as whole-class lines across the floor.

4. Post

Share videos of your students in the private group.

5. Ask and share

Get your questions answered by our team and learn from other teachers' videos.

Your four weeks

Start any time. A new lesson unlocks every week.

When you join

Welcome and setupWhy aerials go wrong, the 4-Step System at a glance, and how to set up your 30 days.

Week 1

The entry and Step 1Teach Step 1 lines in your class and post your "before" video.

Week 2

Step 2Add the cartwheel, and report back on how your class did.

Week 3

Step 3Learn when to move a student up, and when to take them back.

Week 4

Step 4 and common correctionsThe most common mistakes and how to fix them, plus when to start spotting.

Day 30

Before and afterPost your "after" video next to your "before" and see how far your students have come. Then plan the rest of your season.

Each week: watch the lesson early in the week, teach it in your class, then report back with a video or a short check-in.

By day 30

What you'll know.

How to teach side aerials from a step, not a run, and why it matters
All four steps, with the counts and corrections for each
How to run aerial prep with your whole class at once
The most common aerial mistakes, and the correction that fixes each one
When a student is ready for the next step, and when to take them back
When to start spotting, and how
How to plan aerials across the rest of your season

Who it's for

Made for acro teachers.

You teach aerials and see students stuck at the cartwheel, landing hard, or losing them
You avoid aerials because you're not sure how to teach them safely
You inherited students taught from a run and want to fix it
Your students have solid cartwheels and are ready to start aerial prep

An honest note: your students won't have aerials in 30 days. From a step, it takes about two years on average with one class a week, or about one year with two. In 30 days, you'll have the whole system and every student on the right step.

Open to every acro teacher. You don't need to be certified or use any particular syllabus.

Melissa Klassen, founder of the Acro Dance Teachers Association, in a dance studio

Your teacher

I learned aerials the hard way. So I built a system to teach them properly.

As a young gymnast I was taught to run across the floor and "just go for it." I could do aerials for a few years. Then I grew, lost them, and had to relearn everything from scratch.

After 20 years of teaching and testing aerials with real classes, I built the ADTA 4-Step System. It's the method I wish someone had taught me, and the one I now share with acro teachers around the world.

30+years teaching acro

1,500+students taught

2,000+teachers trained

Melissa Klassen, founder and president of the Acro Dance Teachers Association

Miss Melissa

How to join

The Intensive lives inside Acro Dance School.

Acro Dance School is our private online community for acro teachers, on the Skool platform. Start with a 7-day free trial and begin Week 1 right away.

Everything you need to teach aerials the right way

A welcome training to set up your 30 days
Four weekly video lessons, one step at a time
Lessons on the correct entry, common problems and corrections, and variations
The printable Aerials workbook
A private videos thread to share your "before," your progress and your "after"
A questions thread for anything that comes up
Your questions answered by the ADTA team

Start your 7-day free trial

Free for 7 days, then $19/month. Cancel anytime.

Questions

Good to know.

Will my students have aerials in 30 days?

No, and that's on purpose. From a step, most students take about two years with one class a week, or about one year with two classes a week. In 30 days you'll know the whole system, and your students will be on the right step and moving.

How long does each step take?

With one class a week: Step 1 takes 1 to 2 months, Step 2 takes 1 to 2 months, Step 3 takes 4 to 6 months, and Step 4 takes 6 months to a year or more.

When are my students ready to start?

As soon as they have solid cartwheels, landing one foot then the other in an open lunge.

I only teach one acro class a week. Is that enough?

Yes. The Intensive is built around one class a week. You'll use about 5 to 10 minutes of it for aerials.

Do I need to be able to do an aerial myself?

No. It helps to try the steps at home so you feel them, but you can mark them.

When does it start?

As soon as you join. Week 1 opens right away, and a new lesson unlocks every 7 days after that.

Do I have to post videos of my students?

It's optional. You can report back with a short written check-in instead. Videos are where the real learning happens, though. Videos stay inside this private group and are never shared publicly. Only post with permission from the student's parent and your studio owner.

My students already do aerials from a run. Do they have to start over?

No. They can keep doing their aerial from a run, and work on it from a step at the same time. Learning it from a step builds the push from the hip, which makes their aerial from a run stronger too.

What happens after the 30 days?

The Intensive stays inside Acro Dance School for as long as you're a member. Keep working the steps all season.

Teach aerials with confidence, starting in your very next class.