FK
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APRIL 18,2018
LIFESnif
Time might be running out to fly with Zenitry Aerial Silks
The fate of an Elon yoga studio
remains a mystery for those
who call It home
GET ACTIVE
Zenitry offers
yoga, barre
and aerial
silks to the
Elon and
Burlington
area.
Rachel Ellis
Elon News Network | @ractieljllis)V
Within walking distance of Elon
University’s campus, you’ll find col
orful silks hanging from the ceiling,
as well as people hanging from them.
But that could all
go away soon. Ze
nitry, a yoga, barre
and aerial silks stu
dio, has become
not only a place to
workout, but also
a community for
many in the Elon
and Burlington
area.
Recently, members of the Zenitry
family received news that the own
er of the studio is stepping down in
order to care for her newborn baby,
and if a replacement is not found
soon, the studio will close by the end
of May.
Michelle Spurlock, the aerial silks
program director, moved to Elon
about two years ago, when her hus
band was offered a job at Elon in the
computer science department. Spur
lock used to work in higher educa
tion herself, but decided it was aerial
silks and yoga that was her true pas
sion, and started teaching full-time
at Zenitry.
When Spurlock learned about the
potential of the studio closing down,
she said while it was difficult to think
about losing such an amazing space,
she assured her students she will
never stop teaching, and that there
will always be a place to soar in Elon.
“We want to stay, but if we have to
move, we will find a barn, or a ware
house, and we will hang from the
ceiling. We will do whatever we have
to do. People who do aerial get a little
fanatic about it,” Spurlock said.
Growing up, she was always “the
kid on the sidelines,” because of se
vere exercise-induced asthma, which
often left her excluded from sports
or any form of physical activity. It
was when she discovered yoga and
aerial silks for the first time that her
life changed — both physically and
mentally.
The practice of yoga is what she
said “re^y started getting me stron
ger in terms of my lungs, but also my
body!’ After several years of practic
ing yoga, she discovered aerial silks,
and took her yoga practice “way up
with it.”
“I was like, ‘Wow, now Tm going
to get really strong and gain pow
er and strength that I have never
known before,’” Spurlock said.
The strength that took over her
body when she first tried silks has
KYRA LETSINGERI DESIGNER
played an instrumental role in her
life ever since, making her refuse to
stop teaching and growing the aerial
silks community, despite the given
circumstances. While she is sure she
will never stop teaching, she said,
“the space [Zenitry Studio] is just
amazing” and losing it would be a
great loss to the community.
“It’s just the perfect space. It’s just
the perfect location for this type of
thing. We are really hoping to stay
here. We’ve built our home here,”
Spurlock said.
Clarissa Whitmeir and Nicole
Murray are students of Spurlock’s,
who — like their instructor - have
seen changes in their everyday ft
because of what they’ve learned
through aerial silks. Whitmeir says
she feels stronger than she has ev r
felt before. "
“It’s been a little bit of a joume,
to find more confidence in mysej
and build strength and just tnistin,
my body more. I struggled growin
up with confidence, so I’ve looted
for things my whole life to kind of
make me feel empowered, and this
has really done that for me,” Whit-
meir said.
For Murray, when she saw the
silks for the first time, she immedi
ately wanted to get on them andwai
told she was a natural.
“I was like, ‘I don’t know about
that, do I have the money to?’ Hey
got me in here and it’s absolutely
amazing. I went from a little girl see
ing Cher in concert — that’s when
I first saw the silks — to now, when
I’m actually doing it.” Murray said
Spurlock says there is somethinj
about aerial silks that budds com
munity and confidence around ev
eryone cheering each other on and
supporting each other when tryinj
to master new skills, while challeng
ing yourself, both physically and
mentally.
“The fact of what you are doing is
risky. This is definitely risky and not
your average workout. You are in the
air and learning acrobatic tricks in
the air, and it’s fairly vigorous, and it’s
hard,” Spurlock said.
While the fate of Zenitry remains
a mystery, the passion for aerial sis
for members of this community wil
never come into question.
#ContestMovieLife
CONSIDER YOUR SUMMER STORAGE
.
•y
c • • L »* . X • ri , . CAROLINE 8REHMANI ELON NEWS NETWORK
Senior Jacob Major stars in Elon s commercial m the Regal Cinemas and Coca-Cola film competition.
Elon students have the chance to win
the Fan Favorite award, as measured
by the #ContestMovieFite
Alex Roat
Elon News Network | @elonnewsnetwork
The hashtag #ContestMovieLife has domi
nated social media around Elon University over
the past few months in support of a commercial
shot for Coca-Cola and Regal Cinemas.
Filmed by Elon students, alumni and profes
sionals, in association vdth the 2018 Coca-Cola
and Regal Films competition, the 35-second
commercial entitled “Movie Life” highlights
the importance of popcorn and Coca-Cola in
a moviegoer’s experience.
Elon was chosen as one of five universities,
out of 29 film schools around the country, such
as University of California, Los Angeles and
Ithaca, to compete and receive $15,000 to shoot
the commercid.
Written by sophomore Patrick Wei and
co-produced by seniors Hunter Strauch and
Katie Shannon, the commercial was shot over
a period of 12 hours in a Regal Cinemas movie
theater in Atlanta at the end of January.
“Working for Regal and Coca-Cola was a
once in a lifetime opportunity,” Strauch said.
“It allowed me and my crew members to work
in a professional environment with one of the
largest brands in the world. Some filmmakers
spend 10 or more years of their career waiting
for an opportunity like that.”
Though the Elon team is not one of the top
two finalists, the group is still eligible to win the
Fan Favorite award.
The winner of the Fan Favorite award, as
measured by the #ContestMovieLife hashtag
on social media, will receive a RED camera for
their university. When tweeted from a public
Twitter account, the hashtag will be counted
once per day, and if the video is shared, the vot
er can enter for a chance to win Regal Movie
tickets for a year.
“It’s been amazing seeing the support from
fellow Elon students so fitr, so let’s keep it going
in the last week of voting,” Sharmon said. To cel
ebrate the last days of voting, Elon’s Coca-Cola
and Regal Cinemas team added the tweet #Raf-
fleMovieLife, giving voters the chance to win a
gift card to The Oak House.
The voting period ends on April 20 and re
sults will be aimounced the following week at
the CinemaCon conference.
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