Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Hongosh.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Throughout my life, I had always been an active kid. I participated in gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, etc. Eleven years ago, I started practicing aerial yoga. Yoga with an aerial hammock. As I became more involved with the practice I fell in love with aerial dance in general. I started practicing aerial silks and then expanded into practicing other aerial apparatuses. I trained under as many coaches as I could and rented out spaces in gyms to practice. I began my teaching journey seven years ago by renting out gym spaces and teaching private lessons. I slowly expanded to teaching workshops in dance studios and then renting out dance studio space to teach larger class sizes. Two years ago, I began looking for my own space. March of 2021, I opened Sky Aerial Studios inside the Twist Drill Building.
We offer circus classes (with a main focus in aerial classes) to individuals of all ages starting from preschoolers to adults. Our classes include Acro, Hula Hooping, Aerial Silks, Aerial Hammock, Lyra, Trapeze, Aerial Net, Flying Pole, Aerial Rope, Ballet, flexibility classes, and more. We also offer many performances opportunities throughout the year to students and instructors.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Finding the perfect studio space took about a year. I kept finding places I thought were perfect but only would get turned down as building owners, realtors, etc. did not like the thought of aerial rigging inside buildings. I found the Twist Drill Building in the fall of 2020, with its steel structure and warehouse-like feel I knew it was going to be the perfect place to open a studio.
It was completely nerve-wracking opening a studio near the end of a pandemic. I wasn’t sure how people would feel coming into a gym/dance setting facility. It did have a slow start but quickly worked its way into a successful business.
Current economic struggles include rising gas prices, rising food costs, and more. It’s always in the back of my head that people will cut out hobbies to afford essentials. In order to combat this, we are constantly offering class deals and packages to help individuals financially who want to continue to practice aerial.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Dance and Circus Arts has always just been a hobby to me. I graduated from Cleveland State University with a degree in biology. It wasn’t until 6 years ago did, I realize I wanted to make this a full-time career. I have traveled all over the northeastern United States performing, teaching, and continuing to learn.
Some notable performances include: Mississippi State Games Olympics, Gun Lake Casino Opening (Michigan). Rivers Casino (Pennsylvania), I-X Center. What sets me apart as performer is the diversity of the performance acts, I can provide. I am always look for new unique ways to amaze audiences. I have a great doubles partner who is always working with me to create new routines. We also love incorporating props into and surprises into our acts. One example is when we performed the Mississippi State Games opening ceremony- we hid glitter bombs in our leotards to explode at the end of the act. Mid-act one busted open and was falling into my eyes while I was hanging upside down. It was very inconvenient at the time but we still have enough glitter to end our show and the audience loved it!
As a studio I believe what sets us apart from other local studios is the diversity of circus training, we can provide. Some of unique apparatuses we train on are aerial net, flying pole, aerial chains, and straps. We also offer workshops on less common flow art props- fans, staff, hooping and more! We love showing off our students too! We offer countless performance opportunities to our students to continuously show off their skills! You can find our students at the Fan Expo at the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland April 29th- May 1st.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I had so much support from family and friends. My husband pretty much built my entire studio. He spent many nights there putting in flooring, painting, and more. He pretty much worked in there every day until it was done. I have two kids and 1 stepdaughter who also have been huge supporters. They are at the studio as much as I am and never complain. They love performing and love circus which makes it so much easier for me to continue this a job and include them in my work.
The studio would not be running smoothly without the help of my three best friends- Brittney, Emily, and Sammie. We had all been aerial instructors together in the past and worked countless performance events together. When Sky Aerial Studios opened, they naturally all came in as instructors, but have been much more than that. They have been my advisors, consultants, and friends through everything. They answer my work texts in the middle of the night, they are there to run administration when things get overwhelming, they organize studio events, and more. The list goes on for the tremendous amount of work they do to keep this studio going.
Pricing:
- Classes Range from 15-20$ a class
Contact Info:
- Email: skyaerialstudios@gmail.com
- Website: www.skyaerialstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyaerialstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkyAerialStudios/
Image Credits
Phoenix Romero Photography
Evoker Studios
