Bellingham Aerial and Dance (B.A.D.) opened in late September 2024 and has already created waves in the arts community. The business idea came to Max Rodzon, the owner and founder of B.A.D., in July—they could tell Bellingham was in need of aerial dance.
“There was such a want for it that I was able to spin it up pretty quickly, start marketing, and get a feel for how many people were interested,” says Rodzon. It turns out that many people are.
The studio boasts a wide age range, averaging in the 20s-40s range, although “the range definitely goes later in life.” Anyone over 18 is welcome in their group classes, which include hammock, silks, lyra, flying pole, steel mace, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and flow, and more. Rodzen does private instruction for people under the age of 18 and has coached ages 12-70.
Dance is how Rodzon releases their emotions, so they make sure that all of these classes are designated safe spaces for others.
“Bellingham Aerial and Dance is another space for all types of movers to come together,” Rodzen says. “We start every session with names, pronouns, how your body is feeling, and some sort of icebreaker…Always a big part of who we are is [based in] community.”
Each class is meant to leave students happier and more content than when they entered, and B.A.D. is going to continue using this philosophy throughout their time in Bellingham.
“Sometimes [life] is hard; [our classes provide] that space to be able to be like, ‘Great, I’m here, and it may be a hard or anxious day, and I may cry,’” says Rozdon, “but as long as you leave feeling at least a little bit better, that’s the main thing for the studio.” 2138 Grant St., Ste. 102, Bellingham, bellinghamaerialanddance.com
