Aerial Silk dancing instructor Megan Hutchings teaches a class of first time students the basics at Marcy Compton, left, Aurbey Harris, center, and Cori Mackey eagerly await instruction during their first Aerial Silk dancing lesson at Tyler Sky Dance on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015. (Cory McCoy/Staff)

One dance studio in Tyler is teaching its students to fly.

Tyler Sky Dance is dedicated to the art of aerial silk dancing, in which dancers perform acrobatic feats from long swathes of fabric hanging from the ceiling.

The classes are open to people of all ages and fitness levels.

“I just had a baby in June and I’ve been really trying to find new ways to lose the baby weight and I thought this would be really fun, especially doing it with my friends,” Kathryn Wimberley said. “I was very nervous walking in seeing fabric hanging from the ceiling, I wasn’t sure what I was about to get into.”

Mrs. Wimberley and her friends were apprehensive at first, but quickly began enjoying themselves.

Their instructor, Megan Hutchings, started the class with a simple move. Somersault over the padding, she told them. Hutchings made them do the move multiple times, focusing their weight on one side, then the other, in order to learn how to fall properly.

Of course, the students wouldn’t actually be in danger of falling in their very first class, but the move helped to build confidence and loosen them up.

“Don’t be nervous,” Hutchings said. “I start everybody from the ground up and safety is my number one priority. You will never be asked to do anything beyond your skill level.”

Hutchings was a student herself not so long ago. Last summer, Mango Dance Studios hosted an intensive workshop on the art, bringing in an instructor from out of town.

“I had always wanted to do this … So when I saw the class, I had to,” Hutchings said.

Hutchings excelled. When the summer instructor left, the owner of Mango asked her if she would be interested in teaching.

The road to certification was anything but easy. Hutchings would need to train four to five days a week before heading off to a school in Georgia, where she would earn her credentials. The studio needed an entirely different kind of insurance. Worst of all, she only had a few months to get everything in order.

“It seemed like I had just roadblock after roadblock,” Hutchings said. “It was hard but it was definitely worth it.”

With the onset of classes in December, Hutchings is looking to build the talent of her students.

“Eventually, there will be classes that are beginner levels and classes that offer advance movements,” Hutchings said. “Ultimately (there will be) a performance group that will get together weekly for training and exercise and working on all of the little nit-picky things that you need for , and then that group would be available for hire. There are opportunities to make money from this.”

Hutchings will be performing at Cork during their New Year’s Eve celebration.

The students taking the class quickly learn the basic techniques needed to move themselves around.

“I’m feeling more confident because I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do any of it. But I was able to learn the moves and the teacher was very encouraging,” Wimberley said.

Mrs. Wimberley said she would recommend the class and already plans to bring more friends back.

“One of the things I love about teaching this is watching people do something they didn’t think they could do,” Hutchings said.

The classes help build flexibility, stamina and strength, as well as providing stress relief and a mental challenge.

January workshops will run two nights per week for just over an hour. Preregistration starts at $100 and goes up to $120 after Jan. 1. Drop-in classes will still be available at $20 per class.

For more information, visit TylerSkyDance.com

Twitter: @TMT_Cory