Testimonials

Paper Doll Militia’s Level One Teacher Training provides a solid foundation for teaching. The anatomy, injury-prevention, classroom management and safety components of the course are essential and should be benchmarks of understanding before entering the industry.

The curriculum teaches accessible progressions and engages trainees in understanding not just how specific skills can be broken down, but why they’re broken down that way, so the trainees can begin to develop their own style and creative approach to teaching.

I highly recommend the course for both new teachers and those looking to fill gaps in their knowledge.nformation, very thorough and positive feedback given on all assignments, and the teachers were all so nice and welcoming! They WANT you to succeed and are so invested in making it happen! I felt loved and respected throughout the entire process. I can’t wait to do more training with them.

What I appreciated most about Paper Doll Militia’s level 1 silks teacher training program is the values behind the instruction and curriculum. PDM’s level 1 silks curriculum sets aerial students up for success with proper technique and building the strength they need, while allowing for creativity in the classroom and the development of creative skills.

In my aerial training i didnt realize i was missing the basics until i began my PaperDoll Journey. This course helped me in developing healthy habits with a better understanding of technique and I learned how to approach progressing students while avoiding injuries. It wasnt until i began our reading material that i realized how young of a sport this is. I feel that PaperDoll Militia is raising the bar by creating a solid foundation for aerial arts thus empowering a vast range of aerialists.

The course is really well structured, the fact that it’s online takes nothing away from its value. We were given a lot of material to study that will stay with us forever as well as all the tools to deepen our knowledge.
The instructors were amazing, each one of them dedicated to one section of the course. They have been patient, super nice and kind, and provided a lot of feedback to help us improve to be the best teachers we can be.
I loved the group that I was in, everyone was so supportive. We had the chance to work together and got to share experiences and insights, doing fun exercises that helped us build our teaching skills and knowledge.
I can’t wait to be in the alumni portal and keep being in touch with this amazing community of people who clearly love and respect the art that we’re teaching.
I wish the course never ended!
Thank you Paper Doll Militia, I’m so happy that I decided to do it and I really wish to continue this journey with you.

If your thinking about doing this course, just do it. You won’t regret it. I have been teaching for 3+ years and thought I’d try it out for some new tips and have come away with a whole new approach to teaching. 5 stars course and great teachers to work with.

As a performer seeking to expand into aerial instruction, this class provided me with the knowledge, language, and tools to be able to effectively teach Level 1 students. The Paper Doll Militia approach to teacher training is engaging, interactive, community building, and comprehensive. I can’t believe how much we were able to accomplish during our training!

The teaching course was a good overview of all the things I needed to properly instruct a beginners silk or trapeze class. It especially re-enforced the importance of having a good warm-up, conditioning, and cool down. Most importantly, to be encouraging, adaptable, and prepared. I felt that after taking this course I can be a better instructor to my students.

Highly recommend this course to anyone, from brand new teachers to those who have been teaching for years. The course is really well thought out and provides great fundamental training required for an aerial silks instructor. I really enjoyed the practical, hands-on work such as spotting techniques and skills breakdown and the use of hammock knots to really prepare students. Additionally, the discussions and course resources were really helpful in tying everything together. Overall, a really amazing course with wonderful and knowledgeable instructors.

Paper Doll Militia’s in-person teacher training was everything I could have asked for and more. There is such a unique art to teaching that is relevant to all aspects of an aerial career, and this program is run by true professionals. I found myself inspired, awed, challenged, and humbled in the best of ways. All in all, I am so glad to have taken part in this program, I learned so much. Thank you!

Working with the Dolls has been a dream! They’ve built a creative and safe space that hones in on the essentials to help grow as a teacher and an aerialist.

Rain is an amazing resource for any aerial teacher at any level of their career. Her lessons teach safe and effective techniques for building progressive curriculum. She is also a wonderful human and I loved spending the week with her! Thank you!

The Paper Doll Militia Teacher Training helped me identify who I want to be as a teacher. It freed me from teaching only what I had been exposed to, adding a depth of knowledge that allowed me to make the classes my own, and feel confident in doing so

I got so much more out of the teacher training (in-person) than I ever expected to have.
I feel as if I have a new perspective and new ideas to present in teaching my classes, as well as a more concise and kinesthetic approach to cueing students.
I am so glad that I decided to do an in-person training with Paper Doll Militia.

As an educator first and an aerialist second, this course was extremely well executed with great content. There was a wealth of content as well as pedagogy (how to teach) throughout and it was clear in what the objective was for each week, call, and activity. PDM takes great care and shows immense passion for training high level silks instructors while also forging a beautiful welcoming community. Their ability to invoke a space where learners can be supported along the way is clear in Rain and Sarah’s leadership as well as their skills and warmup instructors giving feedback along the way. They are clear and kind and I am thankful for the opportunity to learn from them!

This program helped both physically and fundamentally! I got to learn how the body moves and then apply it first hand. The teachers work with you to figure out struggle points in a way that benefits you the most and we’re always willing to help however they could. I highly recommend this course if you want a better understanding of mobility and rotation because they explain it in a way that is friendly for all level to understand. And if you are lucky like me your instructors cats will make some guest appearances to keep you motivated!

I am glad to have the opportunity to take this Level 2 teacher training. The wealth of information presented further reinforce to me that teaching is not just about providing instructions to teach a skill to the the student. It is learning that each student is unique and we as a teacher need to have the with tools (drills, conditioning, emotional support) to help the student succeed in class.

I have been teaching aerial silks for almost a decade and still learned so much from the PDM’s teacher training. There was such a wealth of information across every relevant topic (skills, spotting, anatomy, class management, rigging) that I came away really feeling like my breadth of knowledge had expanded. I wasn’t sure how valuable the course would be for people who already had extensive teaching experience, but it was 100% worth it!

Rain is an amazing resource for any aerial teacher at any level of their career. Her lessons teach safe and effective techniques for building progressive curriculum. She is also a wonderful human and I loved spending the week with her! Thank you!

I am thrilled with how much I got out of the Silks Level 1 teacher training, even as an experienced coach. In addition to catching us up on “industry standard” skills training, and spotting, it is so wonderful to bond with others in the community and share experiences and ideas. The Paper Doll Militia resources are fab, and I would highly recommend this teacher training to coaches of all levels.

This course was very valuable for me in my future goals of teaching aerials. Though I have been teaching dance and fitness for years this is a new area for me and I really needed the course to remind me of the knowledge I already have and to educate me on the fundamentals for teaching the aerial portion effectively and safely.

Paper Doll Militia’s level 1 aerial teaching course was fantastic and extremely valuable. The whole PDM team was knowledgeable, professional, supportive and responsive to feedback. Besides grounding me in anatomy, safety, pedagogy, warmups, spotting and rigging, it also allowed me to review and consolidate my technique in many basic skills that I would teach in a level 1 class. Their thorough teaching methodology using progressions that emphasized safety and technique made me wish that I had learned from them in the first place. They also covered how to demonstrate skills as well as kinesthetic and creative approaches to teaching. A very worthwhile course that will benefit you and your students.

Paperdoll Militia’s Silks Level 1 Teacher Training Certificate Program was one of several preparation programs I participated in at the very start of my aerial teaching career. It was incredibly valuable- I entered teaching feeling more confident in my abilities and more ready for all the unpredictabilities of teaching than I had felt before taking the course. Now, years later, I am beginning a new chapter in my career as an aerial studio owner. The Paperdoll Militia teacher trainings are something I now look for when hiring new teachers. Thanks for everything!

Paper Doll Militia’s teacher training is a wonderfully thorough course with very knowledgeable instructors that focus on building foundational technique. I highly recommend this course, not only for someone beginning their aerial teaching journey, but also to improve on personal aerial skills.

I cannot recommend Paper Doll Militia Teacher Training enough. It is thorough and very well designed and Rain created a warm, welcoming environment for every student. I left feeling inspired, prepared and armed with a multitude of resources to assist me on my aerial journey.

I’ve taken four PDM teacher trainings. After the first two, I opened Aerial Ambition, an aerial silks & lyra training company. Each class I progressed as an aerialist from all of the feedback on the required skills. More importantly, I learned how to structure a class for both children and adults, how to break down and modify moves to make aerials approachable for everyone, and how to push both myself and my students theatrically to express feeling and emotions through performance. Our aerial business has exploded, no doubt, due in part to the incredible training that we received from PDM.

This course was fantastic! I learned how to break down skills into their separate components and how to identify what needs to happen at each point. I could immediately apply this to my own practice as well as the beginner classes at my studio. I feel more confident in my ability as an instructor, and I am excited to apply this knowledge and help my students grow as aerialists. All the instructors were fantastic and supportive, and the feedback they provided was invaluable.

It’s easy to feel disconnected from the very basics of aerial arts when you’ve reached a level in your own training where it’s appropriate to begin teaching. Paper Doll Militia’s teacher training takes you on a deep dive into the aerial ABCs, showing that not only can you always be fine-tuning your foundation, but it can be fun and interesting too! I left with a full teacher toolbox and new appreciation for the wide variety of creative movements and exercises accessible to level one students.

The paper doll militia training has been very helpful to my practice overall. They have provided many great resources and information about, rigging, how to teach, proper technique, etc.

Everyone that I got to work with and alongside during this training has been absolutely wonderful and very kind. Everyone has been very collaborative and has provided a great feedback and advice. I feel much more knowledgeable about the apparatus that I chose now. I also now feel like I have a great foundational knowledge of all of these different level one skills that I will be teaching.

I am definitely interested in doing more trainings with PDM in the future!

The Remote Teacher Training Course is amazing. It’s very complete, covering aspects like anatomy, technique, ethics, safety, rigging, creativity. The instructions provided are clear and easy to follow, the feedbacks about my videos assignments were so useful, teaching many things. What I’ve learned from the course I have already started to use in my practice as teacher and for my own personal practice and I really appreciate everything that I am learning. Excellent for teachers (or future teachers) interesting in learning how to teach in a safe, proper way, or even to learn extra drills and techniques.

The Paper Doll Militia teacher training was thoughtful, informative, well-designed, and above all- inspiring! I left feeling motivated and more determined than ever to continue along the path to becoming an aerial instructor. Thank you so much, Rain and Lena!

Since I have “seen” you last virtually, which I believe was your first online teacher training- I have made leaps towards my aerial career!

After completing teacher training with you, I had the confidence to apply to studios nearby and moved up rather quickly in my position. I started off as a coach at VITAL in socal, and within a few months I was promoted to director and lead instructor. I am also the competition coach at my local YMCA where I teach kids 4 and up!

I am comfortable teaching all levels and ages. I advocate for all body types to feel comfortable as my curriculum is designed to be accessible as possible. My goal as a teacher is always to keep bodies safe, while my students still remained challenged.

I feel that my training with paper doll militia gave me the confidence I needed to better prepare me for teaching and ultimately running my very own program.

I hope to one day open my own studio! Thank you Rain for instilling more than just important cues within me. Paper doll militia opened so many doors for me and I know there’s plenty more to come!

I had the pleasure of participating in Paper Doll Militia’s Level 1 Silks Teacher Training Beta Course. The thought put into this course is astounding. Each instructor showed up each weekend with the intention of sharing their years of knowledge and hard work with the students and gave us a positive and safe space to grow. The material that was covered is relevant and very useful. I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned into my teaching.

This program gives great information on all the big topics for level 1 teachers to better understand and help their students on their aerial journeys. I was happy to bring home lots of super helpful tips and techniques that I know my students (and myself) will really benefit from. The discussions with other teachers and insight from Rain and Sarah gave us all the chance the chat about how we can better manage our studios and our programs.

Teacher Training absolutely changed me! I walked in fully prepared to attend training that just taught me how to spot students and let that be that. However, I walked away from training with so many new perspectives. Rain and Lena broke down every single aspect of teaching in a practical way so that we as participants could gain a better understanding of what it is like to teach aerials. Seriously, they thought of everything, its incredible! We learned about spotting, correct technique in our own practice, rigging, class management, anatomy and so much more. I knew I wanted to teach, but I wasn’t sure if I would be good at it. I felt so unprepared before coming to training! After leaving training, I honestly feel I have the tools to help others begin their aerial journey. I also feel like I learned so much about my own aerial journey that will help me so much in moving forward. I met so many amazing people in training and made some wonderful friendships. The confidence I now have in myself and my potential as a future instructor is so refreshing to me and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I am just so grateful. Thank you Paper Doll Militia, I will never forget this experience!

I completed this course having no aerial teaching experience, and it has given me the tools needed to start my journey as an instructor. This course was so detailed, and the team at PDM is so kind and helpful. The knowledge I gained was not only beneficial for my future teaching practice, but also for my own training. I highly recommend PDM to anyone looking to become a new instructor, or even established instructors wanting to further their practice.

The Paper Doll Militia Level 1 Silks Teacher Training was my introduction to teaching. After taking their training, I got my first job teaching aerial silks, and started my own silks program at another gym space. The introductory level of the program I started is based 100% on the skills presented in Paper Doll Militia’s training. The feedback I received on my recorded classes during the certification process has been invaluable and I love that I can continue to speak with anyone on the PDM team for additional mentorship hours.

This was truly the best training I have ever received. From start to finish, it was organized, easy to follow, extremely clear as to what was expected, easy to ask questions and request information, very thorough and positive feedback given on all assignments, and the teachers were all so nice and welcoming! They WANT you to succeed and are so invested in making it happen! I felt loved and respected throughout the entire process. I can’t wait to do more training with them.

The 5-day teacher training programme was in itself an example of how to teach a programme comprehensively and professionally. I really enjoyed the combination of hands-on physical activities, the very valuable demonstrations and tips and practice in large and small groups with group discussions about the very relevant issues addressed -skills, spotting techniques, safety, rigging, anatomy, creativity, progression, motivation, teaching tips…
In addition, the atmosphere was totally conducive to learning, participating and developing a critical attitude towards aerial practice and teaching. Readings complemented physical practice and discussions and a great prompt for reflection.
The feeling of learning, sharing and belonging was really strong and contributed to make the course a really meaningful experience. The way the sessions were managed totally contributed to that achievement. Looking forward to the next one!!

This training was far beyond my expectations for a teacher training!!! Not only was there careful thought put into each segment of this training that I had never seen applied just to aerial hoop, but there was also a great collaborative and creative environment established that really helped round out the training in such a positive way! I can’t wait to continue on perusing my Born to Fly certification, and look forward the Lyra 2 training in the future!

This is the most legit aerial school that I have found.
I just finished my second remote training with them. They are professional and throughout in each aspect. I am satisfied with my experience in relation to content, covered areas, as well as customer service.
The course doesn’t leave areas uncovered: Rigging, Anatomy, Safety, Class Management, Teaching Methodology. The tutorial videos and the manual are easy to follow, covering skills, technique, injury prevention, common errors, and spotting. The instructors are responsive and prompt to help.

A brilliant, in-depth and comprehensive course on teaching aerial safely and knowledgeably. If everyone who wanted to become teachers and current teachers took this course the aerial world would be in a much better and safer place!

This is such a fun and thorough training! Even teachers with years of experience can benefit from participating. The information presented is the most current and the time allowed for practical application is invaluable.

I very much enjoyed learning from two of my favorite aerialists. Your knowledge base is clear and enthusiasm for teaching is so great to see. The group was very supportive and I enjoyed networking with them and feeling like a part of an aerial community.

Sarah is very knowledgeable and patient. It was a joy to have her as a teacher for an entire week. Her extensive experience teaching aerials reflects in her expertise in breaking down fundamental skills to chunks that are easily accessible for students of different levels. This will definitely help me to develop a curriculum that allows students to progress in a safe pace with attention for building technique, while minimizing frustration and maximizing fun.

If I had known how incredibly helpful to my teaching practice this would be, I would have done it months ago. To go through that level of technique helped my own practice and has already made a massive difference to my students.

I am so glad I took the Paper Doll Milita in person training: I feel different having had this experience: I have so many wonderful techniques to be a better teacher and human! I loved the structure of the course, the teacher, the delivery, the location… and also how I feel in myself after it! I am so grateful!

Amazing course! Not only learned how to instruct.. Learned so much about myself, my own training and habits. Realized I could do more than I knew and to have more confidence in my own abilities.

Rain, Sarah and Lena were a wonderful team.  They showed enthusiasm and  professionalism in every step of their training.  I learned a foundation to build my own aerial teaching practice in a solid and constructive manner.  I learned so many useful teaching tools, that make my life easier as an instructor, challenge me to grow professionally, and help my students progress with good technique.  Students notice a difference in my teaching already and I have been receiving lots of positive feedback.  I feel more confident in my knowledge base, knowing that it aligns with best practices.

I highly recommend Paper Doll Militia’s Level 1 Aerial Teacher Training Program to teachers of any level.  Whether you are just getting started or have been teaching for years I think there is a lot to be gained here.  Rain and Sarah have such a broad background from 10 years of traveling and teaching internationally.  The attention to safety as well as technique in this course was excellent.  Additionally the two are very active and educated on current trends not only in aerial arts but also in health and wellness which is important to convey to our students for longevity in this art.

This teacher training workshop provides excellent fundamental training both in terms of aerial skills coaching and classroom management technique for adult classrooms. These basic teaching tools should be standardized throughout aerial schools worldwide.

The course was extremely well thought out. Sarah and Rain were so well in tune with each other that every session went by smoothly and efficiently. They were so welcoming and approached every topic with great enthusiasm so I was always eager to listen and ready to participate. I am so grateful to have been a part of the course, and I feel 200% more confident as an instructor.

This program is exciting, fun, and engaging. It opened my eyes to new invigorating methods as a teacher and circus artist.

Rain and Jessica are both inspiration aerialists and I loved being able to learn from them in such a creative and welcoming environment. In the 5 days of training, I felt ten times more confident than when I started. I can’t wait to take Level 2!

If your aim is to become a complete and well rounded aerial teacher, this is the course for you! Sarah presents all of the course material in a clear, engaging and thoroughly entertaining manner. The course covers both practical aerial work and theory, with discussions, demonstrations and practice. No matter what stage you’re at in your teaching practice, there are skills to be learned or honed on this course. And it’s ridiculous amounts of fun to boot!

Thank you Rain and Paper Doll Militia! The training was extremely well organized and created a fun learning environment with the perfect mix of teaching and technique. I cannot wait to do another!!

I discovered my personal weaknesses and had time to work on them in order to make myself better! I feel like I gained more experience as I shared info with others and had time to go back to basics and clear my lines as well! The program was absolutely amazing!

This program helped me reassess how I learn and understand aerial, and it helped me build up confidence in myself and my practice. As a newcomer to the teaching side of aerial the content in the program was of great value to me. This was further complimented by working with the other students who had previous experience in teaching. I was able to learn from their experiences, and it was a safe environment in which to do this. The teaching was amazing, imparting years of knowledge and skills to us, but allowing us room to find our own way through. Thank you so much!

Teacher Training with Paper Doll Militia is an invaluable experience. The information shared at these trainings gives everyone involved a deeper level of understanding on how to be a good teacher, not just the ability to successfully do and model skills. Being an exceptional teacher is very complex, and this training hits all components of becoming a very well-rounded aerial instructor. Both Rain and Sarah are always open to everyone’s ideas and show respect to the skill/experience level of the participants of the trainings. I can’t wait for Level 3!

The opportunity to meet such an amazing bunch of open hearted and talented people at the same time being taught by such talented and giving artists left my heart full, my body tired and my desire to know more pushing me forward.  I felt that what I received from this training was so much more than I ever expected!

I am so thrilled to have taken this teacher training. I’ve done a lot of different trainings for various things in my life, but not once did I feel as excited and ready to apply what I learned as I did upon completing this one. It was incredibly comprehensive, and exceeded my expectations.  Sarah and Rain are amazing, inspired facilitators that genuinely love what they do, and love sharing it with others. It shines through their work, and into the hearts of their students. Thank you, ladies, for the time it took to create this training, and your dedication to fostering an intelligent, creative, and supportive aerial community.

This is an amazing program run by the incredible Paper Dolls! I highly recommend this program to anyone who would like to be an aerial arts teacher or even a professional performer.  You will be left inspired.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Paper Doll Militia teacher training course.  The value it’s given me will change me forever and has given me many tools in my toolbox how to approach teaching students using teaching methods.  I also enjoyed sharing ideas and the practical training with aerialist who are just as passionate about aerial, learning and teaching as me.  Thank you so much Sarah your knowledge and mastery of this beautiful art is breathtaking and I can only aspire to reach this level one day.