Aerial Escapades Retreat
Silks & Sling
All Levels!
with Sarah Bebe Holmes & Rain Anya of Paper Doll Militia
January 31 – February 7, 2026
Casa Chango Mexico
Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca
Half Tuition BIPOC Scholarship available! Apply here.
For more information on Week 1: Int/Adv Silks Retreat January 24 – 31, 2026
CLICK HERE!
a WEEK in beautiful Mexico – Silks & Sling Aerial Escapades Retreat with new friends, the beach, delicious, fresh, local food, and loads of fun!
Join Sarah Bebe Holmes and Rain Anya for an all inclusive aerial getaway, in beautiful Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Daily classes feature a balanced blend of technique, theory, and creativity. At the end of this epic week you’ll return home with new, unique sequences and a deeper understanding of the aerial concepts.
Paper Doll Militia’s love for creative expression is infused throughout the classes, with theatrical exercises to connect with your artistry and develop new approaches. With a focus on cleaning up pathways and biomechanics, you’ll leave feeling confident moving with efficiency, control, and flow in the air.
When you’re not in the circus gym, you’ll have plenty of time to rest and reset with healthy meals, ocean swims, hammock lounging, and tropical air.
This retreat features two daily class sessions: mornings focus on new material, theory, and sequencing, while afternoons dive into Vertical Theatre Method, exploring musicality, choreography, creativity, and ensemble work.
All Levels
We welcome people of all levels who have some experience with aerial arts.
We know it can be daunting to join a retreat without knowing how you’ll match up with the other retreaters in terms of experience and skill level. Will it be too challenging? Not challenging enough?
This retreat was intentionally designed using a group structure, to accommodate aerialists of all levels. For each apparatus, you’ll be placed in a workshop group that is similar to your aerial level*. The instructors are highly skilled at tailoring the workshops to each level accordingly.
*While we are able to accommodate a broad range of levels, including beginners, the retreat includes 2x daily aerial workshops, therefore we discourage attending the retreat if you have never taken circus classes before.
Daily Schedule Sample: Everything is optional!
- 7:30-9:30am Coffee, Tea and Breakfast
- 9:30-12:30pm Warm up, Aerial Skills & Technique
- 1pm Lunch
- 1:30-4pm Pool-time, relaxing
- 3:30pm Ice coffee and sweet treat
- 4-6pm Vertical Theater Method
- 6-7pm Sunset vibes
- 7pm Dinner
- 8-10pm Evening Activities
We will take you to our favorite beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, and releasing baby turtles into the sea. Optional evening adventures include a bioluminescent lagoon & local night market.
Read more about our excursions here.
A special retreat with the dynamic co-founders of Paper Doll Militia: Sarah Bebe Holmes & Rain Anya
These two visionary leaders have been igniting the aerial scene since 2006. They now live in different countries: Rain in Los Angeles, U.S. and Sarah in Ayr, Scotland . Though they run the company together, it is for unique projects only that they come together in-person to deliver their wonderful approach to aerial arts, which is creative, quirky and inclusive. Sarah and Rain have toured their original aerial theater productions all over the U.S. and the UK. When they’re not creating new work, they’re helping other artists get the support they need to achieve their dreams, through the company’s educational programs including Teacher Trainings, Retreats, and Specialty Workshops. Their style of teaching is a fusion of interesting choreography, fabric brain dweebiness, and unconventional transitions. Sarah and Rain cultivate an environment where participants discover their creative voice in a safe and supportive space.
Testimonials
“The retreat was tailored with different options to challenge both me (with just one year) as well as people who have been doing it for 10+ years. I gained a lot of building blocks to inspire my creativity and artistry back home. No matter what I was struggling with, they were instantly able to diagnose issues and share tips. Beyond the aerial itself, the sense of community and play they fostered on the retreat, and in such a beautiful setting, made it truly special. A lot of us were in tears when it ended (myself included).” – Jennifer Foster
A life changing experience! This retreat unlocked a whole new world of aerial for me. I learned how to bring joy to my practice, how to be curious and explorative in my sequences, and how to think about aerial in theory. There were so many ah-ha moments. I can’t say enough things about Sarah and Rain’s fantastic teaching, mentorship and support! – Bonsitu Kitaba-Gaviglio
“It was a privilege to learn from such accomplished individuals, not only are they super-talented performers but they are highly skilled and empathetic teachers (and also very down-to-earth and approachable). They seamlessly managed a group of different levels, whilst making sure everyone was appropriately challenged… My favourite part was the Vertical Theatre Method. I have never attended a class quite like it. They created a safe, judgement-free, and inclusive space. It was a delight to allow them to guide me to explore different theatrical and creative elements in the air. I have come home feeling inspired and motivated to continue that exploration on my own. “ – Emma Ayling
Retreat Pricing (in USD):
| Room | Early Bird Price | Full Price |
| Shared dorm (gender mixed) | $2050 | $2350 |
| Shared Private Room w Shared Bathroom (2 friends sharing a room) 1 king size bed or 2 individual beds | $2250 | $2550 |
| Shared Private Room w Private Bathroom (2 friends sharing a room) 1 king size bed or 2 individual beds | $2350 | $2650 |
| Private Room w shared bathroom | $2550 | $2850 |
| Private room w private bathroom | $2850 | $3150 |
Early bird tuition is due in full by Oct 1, 2025.
Full tuition is due by Dec 15, 2025.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition.
Couples must sign up together.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition.
Couples/SO’s are welcome at an additional price.
Half Tuition BIPOC scholarship available.
Apply here.
Prices for Aerial Escapades Retreat include:
- Ground transportation to/from the Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM) to our accommodations
- Jan 31-Feb 7 — Arrive on Jan 31. Depart on Feb 7.
- Accommodations for 7 nights
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner in our Casa Chango Kitchen
- 2 daily classes
- Aerial Photo Shoot
- Use of Swimming Pool, wi-fi, Hammocks, & all community spaces
- Day trips to a local beaches and night market
Links for more information:
- Accommodations – room descriptions
- Meals and Food
- How to get here. Info and advice on booking your travel
- Testimonials
- Weather in Puerto Escondido
- Sweet Retreats COVID Policy
- Excursions
Questions?
For questions about accommodations, meals, and getting to Puerto Escondido, email us at SweetRetreatsMexico@gmail.com.
For questions about classes and curriculum, email Rain & Sarah at info@PaperDollMilitia.com.
