An entry · Work · Life
Circus Acrobat
No net, no retake, one body defying gravity while a room holds its breath.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
Contemporary circus in a small tent beats any screen; find a show.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
Full-time training in aerial, acrobatics, and performance.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Showing Los Angeles, and 3 elsewhere are hidden
Show every city →Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
- Course
Circus and physical theatre school
Full-time training in aerial, acrobatics, and performance.
- Class
Community circus classes
Silks, trapeze, and tumbling, taught to beginners in most cities.
- Route in
Join a troupe
Companies take trainees who can train hard and tour.
Ways in, gathered by hand. Bookable listings are on the way.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Places to begin
- Class
Cirque School LA
Adult circus and acrobatics classes
Los Angeles, CA
All-levels classes in acrobatics, aerial silks, trapeze and handstands taught by working circus artists.
- Class
Santa Monica Trapeze School
Flying trapeze and aerial classes
Santa Monica, Los Angeles
Beginner-friendly flying trapeze on the Santa Monica Pier, no experience needed.
Ways in
- Visit
See live circus
Contemporary circus in a small tent beats any screen; find a show.
- Class
Try an aerial class
One lesson on the silks and you will respect every performer.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
A screen can show you anything, which is exactly why it thrills no one anymore. An acrobat, twenty feet up with no net, is real: a human body doing what should not be possible, in the same room as you, right now, and if they fall you will see it. The held breath of the crowd is the whole art. Years of training buy one perfect, dangerous, unrepeatable minute. You cannot download the feeling of a room gasping together at a person who might not make it, and does.
Kept nearby
