Vancouver Circus School

So much fun! I’ve taken my 2 year old to the big tot drop in a number of times and I have so much fun myself. He loves the trampoline and running up and down the springed track. I’ve been so tempted to swing on a trapeze myself. I hope my husband and myself get a chance to do an adult drop in some day.

I train at both VCS and CircusWest and have also trained at Underground Circus (private facility) and Sideshow studios. What I like about VCS the most is the facility. It’s bright and most importantly to me, CLEAN (especially when you’re doing something like a chest stand with your face close to the floor). Thus far I’ve only taken 2 classes there. The handstand class, which I’m currently enrolled in is great with excellent instruction and is a lot of fun. I found the aerial hoop class for me was a bit lacking because it’s all levels and because I was a more advanced than other students there, I didn’t get a lot of instruction or learn anything new so it was like paying a lot of money for informal training for less amount of time. I’m still going to try out another aerial class though and see how it is.
I do prefer CircusWest for their informal training because there is more space for prop manipulation and cyr wheel. I also like that CircusWest has a bit more flexibility in that you can train whatever in informal training whereas at VCS you can only train what you have permission to train in.
This poses a problem for me as I train hula hoops on my own. There really aren’t classes in circus-​style hula hoops in Vancouver (but plenty of festival-​style hooping jams) and in the winter, practice space can be difficult to find. I completely understand why VCS has this rule because you wouldn’t want the liability of someone who hasn’t trained well enough on an aerial apparatus to go at it unsupervised. I hope that in the future though they more flexibility about informal training when it comes to props that they don’t teach though, because a school should be trying to grow a student’s skill set and encourage initiative and prop manipulation doesn’t carry the same kind of risk as aerials does. You might hit yourself in the face (or possibly someone else) with your juggling pin, staff or hula hoop but the worse thing that will happen is someone will get a bruise.
If VCS allowed for props training during information training, then I would probably spend most of my time there as CircusWest’s facility is a bit gnarly (because it’s on the PNE grounds) There isn’t really much they can do about the gnarly bathrooms, but I do wish they would run a vacuum over the mats now and again and maybe spray them down with tea tree oil or something?

Amazing staff, amazing experience! Went for the beginners course with my hubby for our anniversary — so glad I did. He was a bit hesitant at first but we both ended up having a blast! Thanks!

My friend texted me saying she bought a Groupon for circus school. I texted back, «WTF.“After checking out the actual Groupon description, my WTF moment softened as I was immediately drawn to Aerial Silks. Which girl doesn’t dream of doing something so graceful, especially in the air!
The school is located in the River Market in New Westminster, a kind of a new concept culinary destination slash community arts gathering place. It’s located on the 2^nd floor, right on top of Donald’s Market. A great grocery store to get your smoothie fix or power bar when you get hungry.
Our Groupon included 3 thirty minute sessions. I started off in Acrobalance, which is floor exercises. We were taught somersaults, shoulder roll, and eventually progressed up to headstand. The instructors are great at easing students with little or no experience into having fun with learning these new skills. Next up was Aerial Silk (what I had been looking forward to!) It was actually surprisingly difficult to accomplish a task that looked relatively simple. Glancing over at the more seasoned acrobats, our group definitely felt a new-​found respect for circus performers. Last up, we got to try Trampoline. What can I say? We were bouncing up and down — how could that not be fun? Other stations we didn’t get to experience were the Trapeze and Aerial Hoop.
All in all, Vancouver Circus School is a great place for everyone. It’s an environment that fosters kids to gain confidence and learn new skills. At the same time it’s for experience junkies who like to try everything once. And it’s great for those who are looking for a fun, recreational way to keep fit. Because really now… would you rather do reps at the gym or bounce on a trampoline?!

Way cooler than Clown College, Vancouver Circus School teaches people of all ages and abilities (and flexibilities) the arts of juggling, trampoline, aerial silks, trapeze, acrobatics, hoops, and more. It’s been many years since I have done a back bend, but when the opportunity came up to join one of the regularly scheduled Intro to Circus classes, I jumped on it. For joy. I might ache a wee bit now, but had a ball.
After a good warm-​up and stretch, our class included segments on juggling (including the fluid art of contact juggling — not so much from me, but the instructor was amazing — «Lots of lonely Friday nights,» he joked), trampoline, and aerial silks. My favourite part was learning how to make a little cocoon out of the silk — a long piece of fabric that hangs from the ceiling — and spin it around.
The owner of the school is an acrobatic/​artistic coach for Cirque Du Soleil and the instructors are all working coaches and performers themselves. They’ve created a happy, airy facility in the River Market with lots of natural light and views over the Fraser River. It was bustling on the night I went — everywhere you looked, someone was doing something amazing: tumbling and flipping across the floor, wrapping themselves around a silk and/​or a partner up close to the ceiling, elegantly writhing through the hoops.
If you’re curious or just want to watch, the troupe gives a free 15-​minute performance every Saturday afternoon at the school. As for me, I’m definitely going back for more (hello, I have a Circus School in my ‘hood!). The circus beats boring old yoga any day.