LEWISTON— Danielle Hirsh is an aerialist, not a gymnast. The difference lies in how much longer the former is suspended off the ground.

The 37-year-old performer and instructor operates out of Pelletier’s Karate Academy on Taylor Hill Road, where she has taught students to embrace themselves and their strength as people as much as their physical capabilities. And often while suspended in midair.

In Hirsh’s session with Trinity Baker, a resident of Rangeley, on a recent sunny Wednesday morning, the studio’s tone was one of tough playfulness. The smell of the mats hung in the air like the aerial silk the two women were using, while Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” played from the speakers.

The pair’s warm-up started with stretching and a few laps around the studio, moving onto Lyra, a large steel hoop from which aerialists swing. Hirsh hung from her legs, then slipped off the ring and back onto her feet as gracefully as she got on. “Silk is strength, but Lyra is pain tolerance. It leaves a lot of bruises,” she said, jokingly admitting that she draws smiley faces on many of what she calls “Lyra’s Kiss.”

“My resume is my burns,” she said.

Raised in Lewiston, Hirsh, who performs under the name Aerial Jade, was an avid cheerleader throughout high school and discovered the aerial art of pole class in her early 20s. At 23, Hirsh started her career at Orlando Circus School, where she learned the basics of the craft, going on to perform at shows and clubs in Orlando, Tampa, and Miami.

Later securing a position at the Circus Conservatory of America in Portland while visiting her family, Hirsh went on to train further online with institutions in Nova Scotia and Los Angeles, becoming proficient with satin, Lyra, and poles. From the time she discovered the art she was hooked, dedicating herself to it as her career.

“It just lit a spark inside of me,” Hirsh said.

Danielle Hirsh, left, works with Trinity Baker of Rangeley during an aerial arts class in Lewiston recently. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Aside from teaching, Hirsh performs at events for hire at venues across the state such as the Vista of Maine Vineyard & Cidery Wedding Barn in Greene last October. Aerialists practice a form of acrobatics, the goal being to perform tricks or a routine while suspended in the air. Hirsh’s specific brand is more artistic in nature, blending elements of burlesque and performance art.

Hirsh took a hiatus after the birth of her two children and is currently in a period of transition while she prioritizes what aspects of the art she wants to offer to the local community. She is shifting from the spectacle of performance to a more accessible and didactic approach, but also hopes to incorporate her love of drawing into her repertoire.

“I remodeled my business to go from just primarily art to accommodating both the aerialist and the art I sell. I feel like I can offer (acrobatics)  here and not feel limited by my area in terms of resources,” Hirsh said. “I feel like when I was in Florida there was a lot of stigma and limitations as far as who could train and who could enjoy this (aerial workout). Now I know a lot of people who thought they couldn’t do it but actually can.”

Hirsh trains nearly 15 women in the western Maine area, the majority of them being mothers and career women looking for alternative workout methods. Her ultimate goal is to train others so they can teach aerial across the state, in her own words, like “a traveling circus school.”

“By the time I leave I feel like I really understand each sequence. I’m not a coordinated person, so it’s really awesome that she breaks it down,” said Baker, 30, who has been a student of Hirsh’s for the past four months. “But what I love (are) her group sessions. There are six women in the group sessions and we’re all different and we all learn differently. (Danielle) has this ability to teach everyone the exact way that they need to learn. It’s great that she’s able to understand people pretty quickly and what they need.”

Hirsh films each student during their sequences and sends them the video sped-up so they can see increased fluidity of their movements and identity their progression. Baker says that she was so surprised by how quickly she progressed that it inspired her to adopt healthier habits in her daily routine and diet.

Danielle Hirsh, left, works with Trinity Baker of Rangeley  during an aerial arts class in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“I feel like when you achieve what you were planning to do that night and it just clicks and your body gets it, your mind also gets it and it helps you get this free space in your head to learn and grow and reflect on yourself and what you’re capable of,” said Rosaria Robinson, who met Hirsh at a local networking session. “It’s empowering and boosts your confidence. I have grown so much just by taking this class that I feel more empowered in my own life and stepping out of my comfort zone.”

“What draws people to (aerial) really is it creates a conversation with the body outside of what people are used to,” said Hirsh. “They’re not used to this type of athletics. I can take a gymnast or a break dancer and they’re body is still not going to understand this type of information (because) it’s a new type of exercise.”

In her session with Baker, Hirsh sat on her feet and watched with the patient encouragement of a best friend as Baker worked through sequences to suspend herself using the satin. In between Hirsh’s commentary and advice, a friendly banter flowed between the two, serving as a distraction from the discomfort for Baker, until she completed the sequences that Hirsh had demonstrated almost reflexively.

“For other people, it builds confidence,” Hirsh said. “People that walked in and think that they can’t do it and all of a sudden they’re dangling in the air in a pretty pose. But also for the friendships among each other. The girls have created relationships among each other and I think after COVID, people were seeking it and I think that’s why they come back.”

As for the future, Hirsh hopes to grow interest in aerial training.

“My initial intention is to create relationships throughout Maine, whether it be community centers or Boys and Girls Clubs or the Y, and create that conversation about offering this art in those locations. And then I plan on creating teachers myself so each area can access aerial art, because I am only one body. So having objectively big goals,” she said.