Spins, Swings & Other Sling Things

Sling Retreat | West Wales

Tamati Samson + Jess Allen

25-27 September 2026

Harness the momentum of spirals and pendulums for smooth and powerful aerial sling…


A sling retreat* for experienced aerialists that takes a deep-dive into all things spinning and dynamic: the complementary specialisms of aerial coaches Tamati Samson @tamatisamson and Jess Allen @awyrol.

Under the beautiful glass roof of Small World Theatre on the dramatic West Wales coast, we will dig deep into refining technique and building skills for seamless sequencing on this versatile apparatus; working with momentum and fine-tuning pathways for fluidity and ease in the air.

Immerse yourself in three days of training in a unique aerial circus space and experience the rugged Ceredigion coastline; discovering secret beaches, spectacular sunsets, dolphins, waterfalls and castles…

Apply now!

Places are limited 🐦‍⬛
Very Early bird pricing (25% off) only available for applications received before 26 April 2026

* This is a non-residential retreat, so you are responsible for your own accommodation and meals. But Cardigan has an abundance of these things for a wide range of budgets within walking distance of the venue, and we are happy to advise. All participants will receive an info pack.

Course content

Spinning and dynamics could be considered the yin and yang of aerial techniques; distinct and different yet complementary and interconnected. Balancing both in our aerial practice can offer technical versatility and choreographic diversity. And sling is a gloriously versatile apparatus for both spinning and swinging!

This retreat comprises 14 hours of training over 3 days. Spinning and dynamics sessions will be interleaved each day to provide a change of focus and effort.

Central to our coaching practices is the importance of longevity, body awareness and nervous system health - each session will include warm ups that thoroughly prepare the body for the specific demands of each technique.

Read on below for curriculum detail…

Spin curriculum

with Tamati

  • detailed breakdown of spin and flare technique

  • broad range of spin mounts for sling

  • transitions that take you straight into position to seamlessly wind up your spin

  • strategies for spin top ups and tips for maintaining a smooth centred spin

  • coping mechanisms for dizziness and unlocking those perfectly centred tornado spins

  • choreography expressly designed to work with the spin*with an emphasis on fluidity - moving, rolling, twisting, sliding seamlessly as though you are dancing with the loop

  • expect surprising transitions and taking the scenic route to some unusual tangles!

  • *participants are welcome to explore all choreography in static, especially if you’re newer to spinning

Dynamic curriculum

with Jess

  • clarifying and troubleshooting foundational beat pathways to maximise power and minimise effort

  • introducing intermediate and advanced beat pathways including breakbeats and armpit giants

  • playing with decorative beats

  • exploring core dynamic transitions and building mini sequences

  • learning a range of dynamic entries and initiations

  • drills and progressions for fast rolling technique - hip key roll ups and flag ole

  • breaking down classic dynamic tricks including elbow circles

  • opening the toybox of more diverse dynamic skills including S wrap saltos (adapted from rope to sling)

  • putting it all together into longer dynamic sequences with an emphasis on smoothly continuing momentum

Timetable

25-27 September 2026

Friday
3-5pm•5.30-7.30pm*

Saturday + Sunday
10am-12.30pm•1.30-4pm


*later start on the Friday to allow time to travel to West Wales if you’re coming on the day, or explore the area if you’ve arrived the night before!

Sign me up!

Pre-requisites

We like to make our material as accessible and fun as possible. That being said, this retreat is expressly designed for experienced aerialists who want to be challenged and level up their sling practice by drilling into technical nuance. You will get the most out of it if you have:

✅ strong invert technique in the air from an unsupported position (bent or straight arm hang)

✅ some experience of basic beats (any apparatus)

✅ reasonable spin tolerance

✅ decent level of stamina (some spin sequences are >1 min)

✅ curiosity or passion for sling as an apparatus

✅ playful approach to learning and challenge

If you have any concerns or questions about these pre-reqs, or if you’re super stoked to join us but still working towards one or two of them, we don’t want that to be a hard barrier to participation - please do get in touch with Jess or Tamati to get clarification and chat through how that might affect your experience of the retreat.

Register here!

Coaches

Tamati Samson

Tamati began aerial classes in Brighton 2017 at the age of 30. Starting at a late age without a background in dance or gymnastics presented challenges but he quickly became hooked, doing multiple sessions per week. He expressed an interest in coaching and was mentored by his tutors Philippa Vafadari of Bandbazi and Vicki McManus of the Circus Project and began teaching classes in 2018 alongside a career as a personal trainer and fitness instructor.

Gradually he transitioned to working as a full time aerial coach and performer. He is co-founder, co-director and senior instructor at Blue Moon Circus, Brighton.

His teaching on loop is heavily focused on sharp spin and flare technique with dramatic, unexpected transitions and visually striking, unique wraps. He is constantly striving to expand his knowledge and repertoire, attending festivals, conventions and classes on top of countless hours of research into his own choreography.

tamatisamson.com | bluemooncircus.co.uk

Jess Allen

Jess Allen is an aerialist and movement artist from West Wales. She performs and coaches rope and sling, teaching internationally online. She’s also part of the team at Syrcas Byd Bach, the circus school at Small World Theatre.

She trained as a contemporary dancer with a focus on improvisation and site-based performance then worked for over a decade as an aerial harness performer (counterweight/bungee) in touring outdoor shows.

She first fell in love with aerial rope at an intensive at Circus Maniacs in Bristol and went on to be coached by dynamics pioneers Allie Cooper and Alex Allan. Sling followed later and is now equal in her affections. Her dynamic sling practice draws from rope dynamics, with an infusion of trapeze via coaching from Camille Swift.

Her aerial teacher training includes: Dynamic Rope Teacher Training (Alex Allan), Rope Lab (Alex Allan and PJ Perry), Instructor Boost (Emily Scherb/The Circus Doc) and Cardinal Coaching Mentorship (Jessica John/Circus Mobility).

With a background in somatics and inclusive practice she loves finding ways to make aerial skills work for each individual’s body, focusing on sensation and cultivating a sustainable, enriching practice.

awyrol.co.uk/about

Location

Venue

Small World Theatre in Cardigan is an extraordinary near-zero carbon theatre, built from local and sustainable materials. It has a hexagonal structure and a glass roof, solar hot water and air source under-floor heating. It was first rigged for aerial in 2017 at the inception of Syrcas Byd Bach, its community circus programme. From three initial classes and one teacher, the school rapidly expanded and has gone on to teach over 600 students age 5 to 70+, with alumni at the major UK circus schools.

There are 6 × 10m aerial points on drop-in lines, and we will have access to a range of luxuriously long fabric and/or rope slings for our retreat.

Town and surrounds

Cardigan (Aberteifi) is a historic market town on the banks of the River Teifi, the border between the coastal counties Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro). This is, according to Conde Nast, ‘the Welsh region with the prettiest beaches’. Cardigan Bay has the largest population of dolphins in Europe. 

Ceredigion is a rural county with many attractive coastal towns, including the Regency architecture of harbour town Aberaeron and the university town Aberystwyth further up the coast, home to the National Library of Wales. There are many castles and other historic sites in the area, including Cardigan castle in the town itself, the impressive ramparts of nearby Cilgerran Castle on the Teifi gorge, and Pentre Ifan neolithic burial chamber in the Preseli hills. The Welsh language (Cymraeg) is widely spoken across the region.

Getting here

Small World Theatre is in the heart of Cardigan town, postcode SA43 1JY. If you plan to extend your trip and explore the area more fully, travelling by car is highly recommended. This will also give you the option of rural accommodation.

However, it is perfectly possible to get here on public transport and find ample accommodation within walking distance of the theatre.


Suggested public transport routes:

Travel from UK midlands/north, or Europe via Birmingham International Airport: direct train to Aberystwyth and TrawsCymru T1 coach direct to Cardigan.

Travel from UK south, or US via London airports: train to Carmarthen, bus or taxi to Cardigan (best shared!).

 

Pricing

The Very Early Bird offer is 25% off full price and available exclusively to our waitlist. It’s only valid for applications received before 26 April 2026.

Very Early Bird

🐦‍⬛
£347

£462 full price

*options to pay in $ or € available

Apply now for Very Early Bird pricing! 🐦‍⬛

Testimonials

  • "Tamati’s loop sequences are so interesting and unique with beautiful shapes and a stunning flow. When watching Tamati demonstrate a loop routine, I’m never sure that it’ll be something I can achieve, but with his clear instructions, guidance and support I always seem to manage; whilst constantly improving my technique that carries through to my other aerial disciplines too. Attending Tamati’s loop classes has made me a much stronger aerialist and the ability to spin has made me the performer I wanted to be too!"

  • "Jess is an amazing, talented and empowering aerial coach. She is such a lovely person and always brings her calm, kind and empathetic approach to her coaching. She takes a lot of time to understand you as a person and excels in adapting, whether its helping to find a way to make a skill work for your body proportions or a last minute change of lesson plan because you're tired… She is always understanding and you never feel inadequate or alone in your struggles. She is excellent at cueing and demystifying confusing skills- I've made many breakthroughs from working with Jess. When I'm struggling with something I often find Jess can look at it once and give me a cue that works for my body and enables me to unlock a goal."

    Laura Williams @asmallscientist

  • "Attending Tamati’s loop classes has made me a much stronger aerialist and the ability to spin has made me the performer I wanted to be too! I always loved watching aerialist spin in their performances, but after trying a few times I thought it would not be something I would ever be able to achieve. Training with Tamati has been a real game changer. He has a fantastic way of teaching and breaking down pathways that unlocks spinning in a way that I thought would not be posssible for me. He has an attention to detail that pin points issues and improving your spinning and teach the spin to assist your movements rather than fight against them."

  • "Every lesson involved wins for me. Jess helped me with very accessible progressions to help me work towards my goals with feedback that brought light to the areas that could use refining. I feel more confident in my skills that were really causing me a lot of frustration previously… Jess was able to provide the missing links I needed to actually achieve them. Always supportive and attentive to your needs as well as uplifting and understanding. A dream coach to work with."

    Carolina Wolohan @knotwitchway

  • "Jess is a detailed and conscientious teacher… she very clearly understands that people have different body proportions, different flexibility and mobility ranges, different ways of learning, and she tries to cater for each individual's needs. She is very knowledgeable on the relationship between the body, movement and the aerial apparatus. She is an all-round lovely person to work with and very supportive. You feel safe and driven when learning aerial with her”

    Bunmi Odumosu @_sassy_bee

  • "Tamati is a brilliant coach, he's improved my spin technique and tolerance from absolutely nonexistent to smooth and (mostly) centered... 
What I love about Tamati's loop classes is the combination of clear technique and excellent tips to improve spinning (so you feel like you flow with a spin, rather than fighting it) combined with delicious choreography that is so beautiful to watch and lovely to perform it makes you want to spin more and more! Cannot recommend his blend of artistry, encouragement and humour enough. An outstanding coach, performer and human."

FAQ

  • The form isn’t a test! It asks a few simple questions about your aerial practice and experience because we want to ensure that the retreat is a a good fit for participants to get the most from the curriculum we’ve designed.

  • The pre-reqs listed above are only a guide for getting the optimal experience - if you’re still working towards one or two of them then either (i) get in touch with Jess @awyrol or Tamati @tamatisamson to ask or (ii) go ahead and apply - there is space on the application form to tell us more.

  • This is a non-residential retreat so you’re responsible for your own accommodation and meals. However, as a popular tourist destination, Cardigan town and the surrounding rural area has ample accommodation for a range of budgets. The retreat is also towards the end of the main tourist season and outside of the school holidays when prices start to drop.

  • From major European cities, Birmingham International Airport is very convenient because you can get a direct train straight from the airport terminal to Aberystwyth and the TrawsCymru T1 coach direct to Cardigan.

    From US you would more normally enter the UK via London airports, but it’s also possible to fly into Birmingham, Bristol or Cardiff (closest).

    Hiring a car will give you most flexibility while in the area. Below are approx driving times:

    • from London airports - approx 4-5 hour drive
    • from Bristol airport - approx 3 hour drive)
    • from Cardiff airport - approx 2 hour drive

    Otherwise see ‘travelling by public transport’ in the next FAQ tab for more details .

  • The main public transport (national rail and coach) termini for West Wales are Aberystwyth (best from north/midlands) and Carmarthen (best from south/London) but bear in mind these are approx 1-1.5 hours road travel from Cardigan.

    The TrawsCymru T5 coach service goes from Aberystwyth railway station direct to Cardigan approx hourly (7am to 9.30pm)

    The 460 bus service goes from Carmarthen railway station to Cardigan approx hourly (8am to 7pm)

  • One of Jess’s favourite things is introducing folks to the little known bays and beaches or other delights of the area. Weather and transport permitting, we will make a plan to visit a couple of beaches and eat together around the retreat timetable.

  • Yes! Both Jess and Tamati will be available for private lessons on Friday morning (at the theatre) and Monday (at Jess’s house). We will confirm time slots and pricing nearer the time.

  • If you (or we) are able to fill your place then we can issue a refund (minus 10% admin fee). But we cannot offer refunds for last minute cancellations.

  • The West Wales weather is never predictable (hello West coast living) and in late September temperatures are slowly dropping but we often still have some very warm bright days, the sea is at its warmest from the summer’s heat and we still have daylight until about 7pm. Bring swimmers and T shirts, wool sweaters and waterproofs.

I'd like to apply!