What is the AcroYoga?

A partner practice combining acrobatics, yoga and therapeutic flying, developed in two parallel lineages that both date themselves to 2003 and dispute nothing so much as priority.

Where did the AcroYoga originate?

The AcroYoga originated in Montreal, Canada and California, United States in the 2003s.

Dance History›Acro & Dance Acrobatics›AcroYoga

Acro & Dance AcrobaticsACR-AYG

AcroYoga

Q: What time signature is the AcroYoga danced in?

The AcroYoga is danced in Largely non-metric; flows and washing-machine sequences are paced by breath and verbal partner cueing rather than by counts..

Q: What tempo is the AcroYoga danced at?

The AcroYoga is typically danced at Typically unmetred in jams and classes; around 60-100 BPM when choreographed for performance..

Q: What is the character of the AcroYoga?

The AcroYoga is characterized as playful, trust-based and communal, closer to recreational practice than to stage repertoire, with therapeutic flying as a distinct softer strand..

Also known as: Acro Yoga, Partner Yoga Acrobatics, ContactAcro

OriginMontreal, Canada and California, United States

Era2003–2006

RhythmLargely non-metric; flows and washing-machine sequences are paced by breath and verbal partner cueing rather than by counts.

TempoTypically unmetred in jams and classes; around 60-100 BPM when choreographed for performance.

CharacterPlayful, trust-based and communal, closer to recreational practice than to stage repertoire, with therapeutic flying as a distinct softer strand.

History & Cultural Context

AcroYoga is a partner practice built from acrobatics, yoga and therapeutic bodywork, organised around three roles: base, flyer and spotter, and two principal styles, L-basing and standing. Its founding is genuinely ambiguous and is best represented as two parallel lineages rather than one origin. AcroYoga Montreal was founded by Eugene Poku and Jessie Goldberg, who had used the term informally since 1999 and formalised the school in 2003, working from a dance background and blending acrobatics with restorative and yin yoga. In the same year Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein began in California under the name ContactAcro, renamed the practice AcroYoga in 2005, and were the first to codify it in 2006 through manuals and a structured teacher training that had certified roughly a thousand teachers worldwide by 2017. Earlier contributors are widely credited by both camps, including Benjamin Marantz's AcroSage inversion therapy from 1985 and Ken Nateshvar Scott's Contact Yoga in the 1980s. Deeper antecedents are cited too: Krishnamacharya demonstrated L-basing in 1938, and the Indian pole discipline mallakhamba is documented from the 1135 CE Manasollasa. AcroYoga Montreal's own history page concedes that this list, like all history, is subjective.

Cultural Significance

AcroYoga grew as a community practice organised around jams and festivals rather than around stages or studios, and its social norms, consent-based cueing, calling for a spotter, and shared warm-ups, are as much a part of the form as the shapes. Two organisations with separate teacher trainings mean there is no single authority over the name.

Characteristic Movement & Technique

L-base foundations such as front bird, back bird, throne and folded leaf; standing-base work; washing machines that flow between shapes without dismounting; and therapeutic flying inversions derived from AcroSage.

Partnering Dynamics

Entirely partner-defined. The base carries load through stacked bones rather than muscular effort, the flyer maintains active tension and line, and the spotter is treated as a required third role in learning rather than an optional extra.

Competitive Context

AcroYoga is deliberately non-competitive and has no adjudicated category; progression is marked by teacher-training certification levels rather than by scores. Practitioners who want competition typically cross into acrobatic gymnastics or into studio acro.

Regional Variations

The Montreal lineage keeps a stronger dance and yin-yoga inflection; the California lineage exported a standardised curriculum and vocabulary that dominates most international jams. Regional festival scenes in Europe, Israel and Latin America have since developed their own transition repertoires.

Common Misconceptions

There is no single undisputed founder, and sources that name only Nemer and Sauer-Klein, or only Poku and Goldberg, are telling half the story. AcroYoga is also not a dance genre in the performance sense, and it is not the same as studio acro dance, where the acrobatic content sits inside choreography judged on dance quality.

Signature Figures

Eugene Poku
Jessie Goldberg
Jason Nemer
Jenny Sauer-Klein
Benjamin Marantz
Ken Nateshvar Scott

Notable Codifiers

AcroYoga Montreal
AcroYoga International (Acro-Yoga Inc.)

Dance Lineage

Evolved from:Partner Acrobatics (Adagio)

Sources & Further Reading

Cultural & Historical Context

AcroYoga emerged from Montreal, Canada and California, United States during the 2003s—2006s. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.

Formative Influences

Codifiers & Standardizers:

AcroYoga Montreal, AcroYoga International (Acro-Yoga Inc.)

Signature Movement Vocabulary:

Eugene Poku, Jessie Goldberg, Jason Nemer, Jenny Sauer-Klein, Benjamin Marantz, Ken Nateshvar Scott

Primary Source Documents

The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.

Last reviewed: August 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.