Fly School Circus Arts

I just booked my first physical therapy appointment for my broken arm… so rather than wallow in self pity, allow me to reminisce back to a time when I was active! For Throwback Thursday, I shall write a review for Fly Circus School.
I have lived in Philly for six years now and I am not exaggerating when I say this is the best activity I have ever done in our fair city. Back in September, we convinced two friends to join us for a two hour class (know that there will probably be other people with you, though, as there’s a ten person maximum). We booked our session easily via their website. On the day of, we arrived about a half hour before and watched the previous group finish up. This was both intimidating and exhilarating — we were excited, yet nervous to try all of the tricks!
The owner, Mary Kelly, and the other instructors showed us what they wanted us to do on the ground first. They also taught us some basic terms and harness safety. And then, just like that, they made us climb up the ladder and do it! They were patient with us, but they also had high expectations. Even when I didn’t think I was capable of doing something, they encouraged me to try it — over and over again. The instructors really do believe in you and they want you to trust them. I think when all was said and done, I had tried it at least ten times. I was exhausted by the end of the workout, but happy that I had finished such a cool activity! Our friend was even able to nail a catch on her final run.
So while it was slightly terrifying going up the ladder and reaching for the bar, hanging upside down while swinging high above the ground was a total rush. We actually had two girls under 12 in our group who were doing even more advanced tricks. They’re closed during the wintertime, but perhaps once my arm recovers, I’ll be back in the spring to try again!

I’ve been here 3 times now, so I figured I should finally get around to writing a review. I haven’t spent a ton of time taking flying trapeze lessons, but I’ve tried 4 different places and I can say definitively that some are better than others. Fly School Circus Arts is a good one.
The biggest difference is owner Mary Kelly, who is incredibly positive and energetic. You might think that’s a given with circus people, but trust me… it’s not. One place I went to (in California) was downright chilly to the students. Others are clique-​ish and make newcomers feel unwelcome, but FSCA seems very friendly.
Since most of the people reading this will probably be prospective first-​timers, I should mention that the newbie experience here seems much kinder and gentler than at any other place I’ve gone. Only one other comes close.
At some places, classes with first-​time students are very much like an assembly line. If someone doesn’t get things right quickly, they drop into the net and their turn is done. Some people can go through an entire class without ever getting the knee hang or doing the backflip into the net (not as scary as it sounds). Here, I watched a number of first-​timers swinging back and forth and back and forth so that they made a little progress with each turn. By the end of class, everybody made a catch. I’m not sure if that’s due to the skill of the catcher or the instruction throughout (or both), but I’ve seen classes at other places where there were more first-​timers and none of them made a catch.
For returning students, they’re very good about working with each person at their own pace. There’s no pressure to learn new tricks quickly, only constructive criticism as you’re learning and positive comments as you improve.
In terms of more practical issues, it’s a shame there’s no indoor facility for winter or after-​dark classes. I do love the online class registration, though. There were several times I meant to sign up for classes in California but didn’t because I forgot to call in during business hours. I’m guessing I’m not the only person who’s taken fewer classes because some places make it a pain to sign up. A+ for convenience :)

This is certainly the most fun that I’ve had in Philadelphia.
When my wife asked me if I wanted to take trapeze lessons, I agreed without thinking too much into the whole «swinging from a bar suspended above the ground by 30 feet» aspect of it. The morning of, it finally clicked for me. Well, I was all in at this point.
We began on the ground with basic exercises of hanging, swinging and even flipping upside down and hanging by our legs. Our instructor Mary Kelly was animated, informative and firm in her directions. She established a cadence with us which we would use for the rest of the lesson.
Her assistants, David, Mike and Hannah were excellent and the four of them (Mary included) had the game plan down pat. Each one knew exactly what the other had instructed so their was no confusion. I think this approach helps to keep you calm when you’re scaling a 25 foot ladder.
For me, this was a huge adrenaline rush. The first time I swung off the platform I just knew that I had made the right decision for my Sunday. Using the techniques Mary taught me and her cadence, I was able to flip upside down and hang by just my legs in what seemed like a matter of minutes.
I highly recommend Fly School Circus Arts to anyone who is even mildly curious. This was such a fun and engaging activity and just an FYI, you will be sore afterward due to the extreme use of your upper body and your core muscles. Soreness aside, this was well worth it and I would love to go back sometime.

Mary Kelley and her staff are great! Lots of fun and laughs! Trapeze is pretty much a full body workout but you can hardly tell because it’s so much fun! I had such a great experience, bucket list item checked off :-) Would def do again!

Mary Kelly and team are awesome. If you’re looking for a fun outdoor activity on a beautiful day, something unique to do with a group, or you just need an adventure; you have got to try your hand at flying trapeze.
The trapeze is located around Temple’s campus and it boasts a beautiful view of the city from a distance.
Do it!

I’ve got a bone to pick with whoever wrote that song about flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Maybe it’s just envy of the man on the flying trapeze…
I have no issues with heights. I thrive on adrenaline and love a new adventurous way of breaking a sweat. So when I was given a chance to try out Mary Kelly Rayel’s Fly School Circus Arts in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, I figured I’d grab life by the… well, the bar.
If you’re yearning for a way to kiss the sky WITHOUT jumping out of a plane, have a spare $ 60 bucks, and wanna test out that arm strength, look no further. Two hours may seem like barely any time, but after hardly any time «learning the ropes» if you will, it’s time to ascend.
I’ll be honest: my first attempt, I BLEW IT. I lost my grip on the bar and fell into the net, basically shaving my face against the rough ropes. It wasn’t pretty. It was scary, and unexpected, and jarring.
But, as they always say, life’s too short to let a net-​burn slow you down. I climbed back up. I repeated to myself «Just hold on. Just HOLD on.»
Wow, what a rush. Your body feels weightless for a moment at the top of your swing, and you can almost forget you’re ground-​bound.
Your next «trick» is scooping your leg’s up so that you can hang by your knees. Easier said than done, but I somehow managed. And, unlike Carrie Bradshaw in Season 5 (you like that reference? Flashback Friday), I was able to let go. And just let it all hang out…
Anyway, after 5 – 6 passes, I attempted one catch. That said, my hands were so shredded and blistered that, just as I did on my first attempt, I hit the net running (ok, flying). This time involved a lot less face-​grating (though a lot more hand-​shredding) and I knew I needed to call it a night.
Despite the sore hands and arms, and the almost-​laughable videos of these attempts (no, you won’t be seeing THOSE failures), I intend to head back to FlySchool for another attempts. Maybe with a few more callouses, and after a few more pull-​ups… but that said, you don’t have to be an Olympic weight lifter to have a great time. I managed 3 – 4 insane passes, including my very favorite, a backflip!
You leave high on heights, and SURPRISINGLY ravenous. An excellent full body workout without knowing it… Now I know why all the ladies flocked to that man on the flying trapeze. I bet he had excellent abs…
Thanks so much to Mary Kelly and her funky bunch for hosting us! Can’t wait to see y’all again!

Most exhilarating two hours ever. The staff is focused, while being fun. This is good because you can laugh and joke while still being serious (since you’re placing your life in a stranger’s hands). The lesson you learn from this is Trust. Without trusting the trainers, you won’t be able to do any of the routines. I won’t be joining the circus anytime soon, but i’d definitely return here for some trapeze training.