Other aerial classes focus only on technique and learning tricks. But we believe when it comes to artistic expression and excellence you need to bring together all the elements that make up a performance rather than treating them separately. We focus on choreography, emotion and improvisation which we blend with the necessary skills, techniques and knowledge. The result is the creation of an experience rather than simply an exercise.

Careless students can sometimes put themselves and others at risk, which is why we ask students to sign a release, similar to those used by wall climbing establishments. But, like wall climbing, aerial arts are extremely well controlled and safe. Novices are taught proper stretching exercises and basic safety measures with mats and safety lines being used with the equipment.

Yes! Even if you are afraid of heights you can learn aerial arts. Apparatus can be lowered to two meters and you can perform without letting go of the equipment. Olga guarantees that her students will be comfortable and in control at all times. She believes too many people are put off by high trapeze and the perceived danger of circus acts. She wants everyone to experience the freedom of the air, even if it’s just a couple of steps off the ground.

You will be given the tools to create your own “unique” performances. Too often students of trapeze and other aerial arts spend years learning tricks but never learn how to tell a story. They have no connection to the equipment, no awareness of their body in space, no relationship with the music or costume. You will be shown in an afternoon secrets you might not learn in years anywhere else; how to create stories in the air! Serious students who wish to continue training will also be given an evaluation with an assessment of physical and artistic levels, strengths and weaknesses and what direction and recommendations are needed for improvement.

Our training process is very personalized. Most students come with some basic aerial skills.
We create for each student a blended learning program through the year covering,

• Creative skills
• Technical skills
• Fitness program

Our goal is to create at a minimum between 3 to 5 individual duo or group acts on different aerial equipment for different audiences. Mostly performances will be for a non-circus audience as that is the demand of the market. The emphasis of education is creativity and some comes from the personal dreams of the students. We focus their ability to be able to adapt their performance for different venues and audiences, based on the size, type and theme of the event. Every session has clear objectives for each individual student and they are evaluated at the end of the each class.

I would say trapeze could represent both:

Fun – People who looking for a thrill, an adrenalin rush or a once in a lifetime experience.

Fitness – Those seeking a fresh pathway to fitness and well being, that enables physical development beyond that which is possible with conventional sports. A work out on the trapeze requires a lot more stabilization so is a much more efficient work out than just working on the floor. Training in the air challenges all parts of the body, and provides a unique experience.

• Trapeze works on all six components of fitness
• Muscle strength
• Muscle endurance
• Flexibility
• Power
• Cardiovascular
• Balance

Many schools and coaches treat aerial students like they are on the ground. We believe that because the equipment is in the air and space it becomes a link between heaven and earth. So for the act to work the artist first has to acknowledge this link. Otherwise the audience never will, and you might as well be on the ground. This is the whole point to being an aerialist – to acknowledge this special, intimate link.

We believe aerialists share a special connection, because not everyone feels comfortable in the air. In duo and group acts the artists only have their equipment and each other. First, they must understand each other perfectly and learn to communicate with their bodies, without words, otherwise the act could be dangerous. But to tell a story in the air, to move people, the artists have to understand the strengths and limitations of each other and give each other the freedom of expression. This is most important when artists share a single apparatus at the same time.

I want the audience to see I am human like them and to connect with them at every point of the story. This will make us close to each other, even though we are far away.

Traditionally trapeze was a dangerous stunt to entertain families. Audiences responded with the emotions of awe and fear. We on the other hand try to create a more sophisticated experience that fills people with a sense of beauty and inspiration. Traditionally audiences sighed with relief when the aerialist was back on the ground. We want the opposite – we want them to feel our lightness when we are flying.

From a business side, circus and trapeze were small, family businesses, passed down from generation to generation, and closed to outsiders. The rise of the international corporate world has opened up the mysterious aerial arts to everyone, making it possible for anyone to learn and also giving artists alternate performance venues and career opportunities, such as festivals and corporate events.