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SITKA CIRQUE
Circus Arts for All
Cirque Equipment
How Our Students Soar
Trapeze
On the trapeze, students can swing, twist up in ropes, hang from one arm, and much more.
Silks
We use silks to climb, drop, roll, and spin through the air, finding exciting ways to move vertically through space.
Lyra
Glide, slide, spin, and drop around the bar with our flying hula hoop!
Circus for All Ages
Sitka Cirque offers classes for children, teens, and adults. Within each age range, classes are divided into levels 1 - 6. Students can advance through these levels with their teacher’s approval. Level evaluations take place at the end of the school year.
At level 3 and above, students will need to attend class twice a week to maintain the practice and skill needed to execute higher-level aerial moves.
We also offer classes where students can specialize in different aspects of performance skill, such as choreography, clowning, and partner acrobatics.
All aerial skills are taught at an age- and level-appropriate height, with safety spotters and crash mats. We design our curriculum to address the different physical issues students can face at different ages, while we continue to help students progress their skills.
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In our Kids’ classes (60 minutes per session), we focus on learning through games & creativity.
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In our Teen classes (90 minutes per session), we slow down on skill progression & refocus on building strength & flexibility as teens hit puberty.
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In Adult classes (90 minutes per session), we focus more on injury prevention & mobility with stability.
Workshops & Events
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8 New Workshops!
May 17 - 19
Aerialist Shannon McKenna will teach eight new workshops on fabrics, bars, conditioning and flexibility, with options for elementary school students, teens and adults. Don't miss this opportunity!
View all classes and class descriptions here. Sign up online in VAMP or find registration help here.
Our Classes
Intro to Aerial
$70/month for one 1hr class/week
This class is for all those people who want to try aerial, but don't think they are strong enough. We will slowly build your strength & mobility as we introduce you to aerial. This class is also a great option for advanced aerialists who want additional conditioning or are working on injury recovery.
Level 1 Teen & Adult
$100/month for one 1.5hr class/week
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
In this class students will learn the fundamental vocabulary and skills associated with aerial dance and build their confidence, strength and flexibility as they become familiar with being upside down and going into the air. Students will learn skills on trapeze, lyra (aerial hoop), and aerial silks.
Preschool (ages 3-4)
Kinder (ages 4-5)
Level 1 Youth (1st-5th grade)
$70/month for one 1hr class/week
$135/month for two 1hr classes/week
In this class, students will learn the fundamental vocabulary and skills associated with aerial dance and build their confidence, strength and flexibility as they become familiar with being upside down and going into the air. Students will learn skills on trapeze, lyra (aerial hoop), and aerial silks.
The skills covered in these classes are all similar, but taught with varying age-appropriate games & challenges. Kids’ intro-level circus classes are designed to help develop motor skills and cultivate imagination, creativity & social development in a caring environment.
Level 2 Youth
$70/month for one 1hr class/week
$135/month for two1hr class/week
Level 2 Teen & Adult
$100/month for one 1.5hr class/week
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
In this class, we will celebrate students' hard-won strength and skills and challenge them to take those skills into the air. Level two circus students will begin work on more difficult inversions and challenge their stamina by combining multiple skills into short sequences.
Teen and adult classes are 90 minutes per session rather than 60, allowing us more time to work on strength and mobility. Students will learn skills on trapeze, lyra (aerial hoop), and aerial silks. Similar skills are covered in each of these classes, but taught with age-appropriate games & challenges.
Level 3 Youth
$135/month for two 1hr class/week
Level 3 Teen
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
Level 3 Adult
$100/month for one 1.5hr class/week
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
At Level 3, students now have the strength to be introduced to more dynamic skills, like Royal Pike drop on fabrics and barrel rolls on the bars. Level 3 students will be able to easily invert in the air, complete monkey hang & foot locks in the air unassisted, and remember longer, more complex wraps and sequences. Memorization skills and stamina will be put to the test.
At this level, students will spend one day a week working on bar skills (lyra and trapeze) and one day per week working exclusively on aerial silks. Level 3 students will be spending much more time off the ground, and should be able to complete a 3-4 min sequence in the air by the end of the year. Needless to say, this level is all about building strength!
Level 4 Youth
$135/month for two1hr class/week
Level 4 Teen
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
Level 4 Adult
$100/month for one 1.5hr class/week
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
Once students have built the strength needed to complete all level 3 skills, a whole new world of aerial opportunities opens up. There are so many fun, crazy wrap sequences on fabrics and flow combos on bars that require a similar level of strength! We spend most of our classes learning new combos and challenging students' memorization skills, as well as refining technique and quality of movement.
Level 4 students will also be introduced to more variations on fabric drops and will begin to explore rope and above-the-bar work. Students will spend one day a week working on bar skills (lyra and trapeze) and one day per week working exclusively on aerial silks.
Level 5 Youth
$135/month for two 1hr class/week
Our youth level 5 class is for those fearless students that can’t absorb enough new material. We do a fair amount of strength & flexibility work, but focus mostly on longer sequences and new material.
Students will spend one day a week working on bar skills (lyra and trapeze) and one day per week working exclusively on aerial silks.
Level 5-6 Teen
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
Students will continue to advance their aerial skills as we introduce horizontal rolls, multi-directional drops and dynamic skills on bars. However, at level 5, we intentionally slow down the rate of new material and work on building the strength and flexibility they’ll need as teens grow into their adult bodies. This can be a challenging and frustrating time for aerial kids, as skills that were once easy may suddenly become difficult. We spend time revisiting familiar skills while challenging them to refine their quality of movement.
This age group generally loves group work and creative challenges, so we start to let them choreograph their own group pieces expressing their individuality while working within the safety of a group piece. This is an invaluable bonding experience for middle school kids who may be struggling to adjust to their rapidly changing bodies and often do not like to be singled out.
Level 5-6 Adults
$190/month for two 1.5hr class/week
Our adult 5 & 6 students have a hunger for new skills and are incredibly self-motivated. Students will be introduced to horizontal rolls, multi-directional drops and dynamic skills on bars while focusing on self-care. We trust our adults to know and respect their limitations.
Students will spend one day a week working on bar skills (lyra and trapeze) and one day per week working exclusively on aerial silks.
Youth Troupe $45/month
Teen & Adult Troupe $60/month
Troupe is open to all level 3-6 students that love performing and want to get more creative with their aerial skills. It is a great time to meet cirque students from other levels, compare skills, hang out and share your passion for flying!
In this class, students will focus on developing their individual style by exploring movement games, improvisation and joining in group discussions. They will learn to choreograph and create a piece by thinking about themes, costumes and music.
Students will have the opportunity to perform their piece for our Winter & Spring shows as well as school and community events. For students that don’t want to perform, troupe is still a great opportunity to learn choreography and develop material.
Partnering & Clowning Youth
$45/month
This class focuses on interacting with others in the air and on the ground. Students will learn skills with more than one person per piece of equipment, partner acro shapes on the ground, and the basics of clowning. Develop a clowning persona, explore storytelling through movement, and develop partnering skills!
Partnering Teen & Adult
$60/month
In this class, students will work on different styles of partnering. We will explore mirrored doubles (two people working separately on one piece of aerial equipment) as well as base/flier partnering where the flier is lifted, moved, and supported by the base. We will explore some ground work, but most of the focus will be on developing two person skills in the air.