An uplifting new way to work out on the Big Island has arrived with the opening of a new aerial arts studio in downtown Hilo. Dubbed The Airhouse, the new space is located in a 1700 square foot warehouse next to Kalakaua Park (108 Kalakaua Street) and opens its doors on March 1, 2021. The studio will offer beginner and intermediate level classes for aerial silks, aerial hammock, aerial yoga, and aerial hoop. In addition The Airhouse will offer ground classes including burlesque, bellydance, core conditioning, and flexibility.
The new space is owned and operated by Aerial Arts Hawai‘i, an aerial circus production company and talent collective. The project is spearheaded by Bella O’Toole and Zoë Eisenberg, an East-Hawai’i producing team who have been running aerial stage shows out of the Hilo Palace Theater since 2017.
“It’s a weird time to be opening a physical space for a physical medium,” says Eisenberg, who works as a writer and film producer when not moonlighting in circus arts, “but I also think the community is looking for a bit of positive change right now and we’re excited to offer that.”
Safety will be kept top-of-mind at The Airhouse, the pair say. “In response to COVID-19, we’re not doing any drop-in classes, but instead focusing on six week series, where a limited number of students–no more than 8–sign up for an entire six-week set of classes at one time,” says O’Toole, who has been teaching aerial arts since 2016. “This means we can easily make sure their apparatuses are kept separate, and it also allows us to better track who is coming in and out of the space.”
The studio will require everyone who enters to undergo temperature checks, sanitize hands and wear masks at all times while inside the facility. All mats and any shared surfaces will be wiped down between classes to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Classes at The Airhouse also include options for kids, starting with age 7. Private and semi-private lessons are also available. Classes will cost roughly $13 each, and are currently open for sign-ups. For more information, visit www.aerialartshawaii.com.
