Circus Center

I arrived at the girl at the desk was super serious. I just finished a 9 hour PreNatal yoga teacher training so I was feeling super light hearted and silly. The girl seemed nervous and/​or intimidated and just shut down every little thing. A bit disheartening. Another thing i noticed immediately was two girls standing around like they were the top circus performers of the world. Lots of ego. Lots of I’m too cool for you business. (I just hate snobby ass circus people, drives me nuts) Turned out that these two girls were in my class and continued to shut down any move I was asking questions about. Like, we are too fucking cool to have names for our moves. The class was alright, teacher was very sweet, absolutely no warm up though and I strained my hammy.

There seems to be a common concern among Unilocalers that one’s experience here varies depending on the instructor/​administrative staff and I would agree. When I went, I found that there was a bit of favoritism shown to regulars and those who «got it» faster. Nonetheless, I like Circus Center. It offers fast-​paced instruction for a diverse range of aerial and acrobatic activities.
I think Circus Center best caters to serious, although not necessarily professional, aerialists/​acrobats and those who want to become serious aerialists/​acrobats. As a person who falls in the latter category, I would sign up for a session (a prepaid plan guaranteeing your spot in a class for three months) if I had the time, but as my schedule is too volatile at the moment to commit and classes are very expensive otherwise, I have to look to other place for aerial adventures.
3 Stars: one removed for the mildly «high school» environment and one removed for the not-​so-​great pricing options

If you have a fear of heights this place will cure you of it. Flying through the air with only your knees attached to the swing. It’s an intense and amazing feeling and the best part is that I got it through my Class Pass. I can’t wait to do it again. The only downside is that with big groups you have to wait in line for your turn during the 2 hour session.

I have a crush. Huge crush. On my Chinese pole instructor. What a badass. Ross Travis. Ugh, what a stud. What a gangsta!
Sooo, I’ve started taking Chinese pole, which I’ve dabbled in before, but never really taken to. I’ve observed Ross’ class from afar, but didn’t jump in until recently, when my friend urged me to take it with her. I loved it! Despite it being a «general» (as opposed to an advanced class), this is some haaaaard sh*t right thur, let me tell you. Warm-​ups are the basics: climbing with opposing and same-​side grip, tick tock, aka monkey climb, fish sit climbs, and a basic combo of fish/​superman, star. I really appreciate that we do these same things every week — my combo is getting better. The star isn’t as hard as it used to be — it’s not perfect, but it’s getting better and I’m getting less and less rotation.
Ross is an amazing instructor. Despite his doofy character look, he’s 100% serious about his craft. He’s incredibly strong, has a quiet and concentrated aura about him, and is committed to making you stronger/​better. Ugh I love him — he’s quiet, calm, intense and serious about his craft, all the thing that make me swoon. He’s very good at explaining the tricks and how to engage the right part of your body, and has a constant flow of exercises happening so you’re constantly working, even if you’re not working with him. By dance pole standards, the moves we work on are very challenging — handstands are not a beginner move, but we do them. Because very few but the strongest men somewhat successfully execute the handstand, Ross is there spotting every single one of us, which takes a lot of energy on his part. I’m sure he’s getting his work out on as well.
While I find dance pole much prettier, Chinese pole is extremely strength based and I am getting a lot out of the class. I have experience on pole already, but the shapes and grip in Chinese Pole are different, so it’s a completely different way of moving and I have to unlearn some of my prior training. After all that ass-​kicking in class, we do some challenging conditioning exercises using sliders and wide-​armed pull-​ups at the end, just when you’re ready to just curl up into the fetal position on the floor. The school has loaner shoes available, but if you come even 1x a week, just buy some for $ 20 on Amazon.
On the other classes: I also really like Sylphie’s Hoop class. She is also a gangster. That woman has active leg flexibility like you wouldn’t believe. You can find her on FB under Sylphie Ariella and I’m sure you can find her on IG as well (but I don’t dabble in that sh*t). She is a punk/​rock/​goth aerialist with beautiful lines and flexibility and like Ross, has a very thoughtful way of communicating how to improve. I feel really lucky that I get to take her classes, and often have a private with her on Wednesday nights since no one seems to sign up. Weird.
I used to take Xiaohong’s handstand and acro classes but have since fallen off of doing that regularly. He’s also incredibly strong and has a very challenging class. He knows how to push you. I was hoping to get my aerial cartwheel, but stopped going regularly, so… oh well. Things I love about Xiaohong: 1) his demonstrations of a bad handstand (like…only a gangster could show you how to hold a bad handstand); 2) his ability to tell you straight up when you suck. Nicely! But honestly; and 3) When he has to get his back brace on to support us fat Americans in handstands and such.
I also sometimes drop into Catie’s contortion classes as well. They are very different than Xia’s stretch class. Much more about micro movements and getting perfectly square (which I am bad at). Classes hurt and I wasn’t seeing much progress so I stopped going regularly and then I wasn’t seeing much progress, i.e. negative feedback loop. Sorry, couldn’t stay committed…
Overall, I have found new appreciation in the last month at Circus Center with Ross’ class. I needed something different. But on the cons:
1) Some front staff people are not nice, especially that girl with the red hair. She ALWAYS seems to be working on something personal and is openly annoyed when I arrive to check-​in. Or she does this other thing where, referring to the paper you sign when no one is at the desk, says rather brusquely, «Can you just sign here» without even looking up;
2) Classes are getting more and more expensive and depending on your instructor, can be boring, repetitive, or both; and
3) People are cliquey and not that friendly, though I have realized that people in ADVANCED classes are cliquey and not that friendly. I think that’s why I like Chinese pole so much — people are so much friendlier! So nice! They actually talk to you. And smile! I actually enjoy seeing people from week to week. But the class itself is not elementary at all. I heart Ross Travis so much and will genuinely miss him and the other students when I move.

I’m going to the circus center regularly now and when I came here, I was glad to find this place where I didn’t find anywhere else. It’s the kind of place I used to go in my country. It’s the place where everything could happens and where I improve myself. It’s the kind of house of artists. The team is awesome, and the shows are amazing ! Thank you circus center to exist ! If you want start something new, if you want just discovering the world of circus, just have fun, improve yourself, that is the perfect place. Circus center is the best place I found in my new life here.

I signed up for my first flying trapeze class a few months ago — thinking this would be a one-​time activity I can cross off my bucket list.
The instructors successfully encouraged me to overcome my fear of heights, and made me feel super safe while flying upside down! I couldn’t have asked for a better first time experience. It was so much fun — I signed up for a second class. And a third. And a fourth… and many, many more.
By now, I’m spending quite a few hours every week flying at the Circus Center, enjoy every minute of it, and cannot recommend this place enough. Kudos to all instructors for the ongoing patience and encouragement — I’m passionate, but not necessarily talented :)

First timer here at the trapeze class. I am fairly confident, and physically capable. So I expected to get a lot out of the experience. I saw a lot of really wonderful experiences being had at my class. I also saw some unacceptably deplorable behaviors. Some students were encouraged. A few were actually being heckled when they needed support the most. It was like watching a high school gym class. There were probably as many people too, with a good 15 people in the class at one point.
The cool kids (young beautiful white people) were given whatever support they needed to succeed. The students who really needed the support were shunned and encouraged to feel shamed and to give up. I even had my safety belt taken from me to assure the message was loud and clear that I would not be participating. I am sure there was some logic to this culling behavior. Who even knows what was motivating the leaders to be so horrible. They certainly didn’t communicate a rationale. But, being one of those who was embarrassed and removed from the game, I can’t help but see that one takes the risk of not feeling so hot by choosing to invest time, money and ego into the Circus Center.
I see similar reviews on here that indicate perhaps I just had a bad experience with the instructors. But seeing as how there were four or five horrible employees involved with our group, I am betting the odds are that the bad ones make up a large percentage of the faculty. That said, if you think you are cool kid, you might just have an awesomely fun time. I didn’t.
FOLOWING UP: The Executive Director, Barry Kendall called me to explain that my experience was discussed with the staff involved, who reportedly apologized for their behavior. He sounded sincere in his intention to remedy the situation by refunding my tuition and offered me a free class in the future. He also explained that they offer smaller classes at other times and that I would be more likely to get the instruction I need, rather than be culled out as a hinderance, in one of those classes. I am not entirely sure I would want to subject myself to trusting that scenario. But it was a notable gesture. I still think the service offered was reprehensible. But, I wanted to be fair in my review, so I am including this part of the story and I am giving them 2 stars instead of 1.

I have to preface this review by saying my experience at Circus Center varied significantly based on the instructor/​administrative staff I met. I met some really mean and awful people, and was ready to turn my back on Circus Center forever, but I’m glad I didn’t and gave it a second chance. In general the mean people are in the minority and most instructors here are super experienced, amazing and fun! Don’t let a few bad experiences turn you off from Circus classes!
Favorite Teachers:
1. Elena Panova — Elena is a total Russian style coach which means she’s super strict about your form, and having you point your toes. I absolutely love her classes and always find myself with new takeaways whenever I leave. She can be a little hard on you at first but she is really super caring and encouraging and is doing it all for your own good :) Super love her classes and would definitely be back!
2. Veronica Blair — OMG. SHE IS DA BOMB DOT COM. Took a flexibility class with Veronica and had the best time! Although her classes are really full, she really manages to give everyone a ton of individual attention and definitely pushes you to your limit. I seriously took away so much from her class and it is definitely my fav class at Circus Center so far.
3. Christine Lee — I never thought I would dare to try the flying trapeze, but taking a class with Christine was super fun and amazing! Christine is such an upbeat and energetic instructor, and is so encouraging. She makes everything seem super easy and her instructions are clear and easy to follow. She made the 90 minute class whizz right by and now I am actually thinking of taking a second flying trapeze class!
All in all, Circus Center provides quality instruction at really affordable prices. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in challenging yourself!

Came here for Circus Jam, a free 2 hour class they offer on Fridays. It was so cool! The instructors were great and really knew how to break down juggling and plate spinning so that we could actually do it before the end of the class. I wish I lived closer so I could go more often. They offer a lot of other classes too.

Signed up for a Flying Trapeze class on Sunday morning.
It was a great class! The instructors were all very professional but still were having a great time teaching and hanging out with each other and the students! They all really seem to enjoy their job and really try their best to make the whole class, not just while you’re flying, fun and exciting. They were very encouraging and really pushed me to attempt the knee hang even though I thought I couldn’t do it… Guess what? I did it and was caught!!!
Daniel, Andres, and Christine were the instructors.
Sunday mornings are definitely the time to go!

Went for my second class… Guess what? This time the instructor was 40 min late!!!
There was no way in hell that I was going to drive to SF in 5 pm traffic again, so I took the only other class happening at the same time (but I had no real interest in). The instructor, Elena, was very nice and supportive despite my complete lack of knowledge or skills. I only wish she was teaching the class that I came there for.

I took the Hang Tough class on Sunday at 1pm, taught by Christine Lee. The class was wonderfully intense and professionally held. My favorite part was the competition at the end with hanging leg waves.

I have mixed feelings about this place, since my experience here seems to to vary so much depending on the day and who’s around.
Well, firstly, Circus Center is more of a school rather than a studio, so don’t expect everything here to be super shiny and new like at some other studios around SF. It’s clean enough, so I’m not complaining or anything, just wanted to mention it so it’s not a surprise later when you get a waft of sweat. Also, don’t get it confused with AcroSports which is just down the street in an almost identical building.
Inner sunset isn’t too close for those of us who come from downtown or something, but it’s not too hard to get to. It’s easy to hop on the N (muni) to get there. I don’t have a car, so I’m unsure of the parking situation, but since it’s mainly residential it probably isn’t too bad.
There are people here of all ages (they have classes for kids and adults!) and skills levels. I come here as a beginner and a drop-​in student at that, but there are usually people around who are seriously practicing for performances and other stuff. Not to mention a lot of different skills! There’s flying trapeze, acrobatics, Chinese pole, parkour, tissu /​aerial silks, lyra /​aerial hoop, corde lisse /​aerial rope, static trapeze, etc. Definitely look at the full schedule if you want to see what else they have around.
The staff and students here vary. Like I mentioned, I’m mainly a drop-​in student (although I have done one full session too: D) To be honest, sometimes everyone is great from the time you walk in, throughout the class, then when you walk out after class. Sometimes they are super friendly and social, but other times they are more focused on efficiency and getting to work — it’s a school after all, so they don’t always walk you through things step by step if that’s what you’re always expecting. Just saying…
Bonus: It’s on a ClassPass and also has an intro package, which is great if you want to get little tastes of things. BUT the classes (ClassPass and even regular classes) tend to fill up fast so plan ahead if there’s something you want to try that might be in high demand with the students. The limited classes are both a pro and con since it’s hard to get in, but once you’re in, it’s nice to have the individualized attention

I purchased a Groupon deal for this place and am I so glad that I did! I took an Intro to Aerial class with Caroline last week. We started with warm-​up exercises and stretches for about an hour or so. Nothing too hard; however, some exercises were new and odd to me? Bear crawl… Yeah, I was weirded out at first, but by doing that exercise, Caroline was able to help me perfect my push-​up form, which I really needed to learn in order to, well… perk up my lady lumps, of course! We proceeded to the Trapeze room, and I psyched myself out. I am not a person who views the world upside down so it was strange for me to hang… upside down. (Go figure). But Caroline was extremely patient and taught me how to get on both the rope and tissu. Simply hanging and finding balance on both was good enough for me! I was sore for four days afterwards! Clearly, I need to work on my shoulder and arm muscles more often! This was such a fun class for anyone trying to learn and experience something new! Just be aware that if it is your first time exercising on a trapeze that your hands will hurt and blisters will form within a matter of minutes!
Intro to Handstand: I attended this course taught by Jives last night. We were in the main gym room doing exercises and stretches for a good 45 minutes or so before we were instructed on how to do handstands. Boy oh boy, even with 7 – 8 months of actively practicing yoga, I found out that my body is still as stiff as a 200 year old tree! I also discovered (again) that I am even more afraid of being upside down! Evidently, I would skip the handstand part and try to flip my body over to do a somersault because I am too in love with viewing the world right side up to replace it with another!
Jives really taught us the techniques of doing a tripod stand, headstand and various ways of doing a handstand. I was only comfortable with doing a tripod headstand — the rest I am still trying to master. Anywho, take this class if you want to do a handstand, headstand and every other stands! Jives is quirky, kind and knows his ishhhhh. I cannot wait until I take my Intro to Acrobatics course with him next week. Maybe I will get over the whole upside down thing by then. Most likely not, but I will try.
In addition, everyone here is ripppppped. All the girls and all the guys… Their bodies are protruding with muscles you never knew existed. I was seriously getting turned on by watching men walk up the Chinese poles. Who would’ve thought those things can be so smokin’ hottt?! Come one, come all. All the cool hot bodies are at Circus Center!

I’ve been taking classes (aerial conditioning, intro to rope and tissue, and tissue 1 & 2) for almost a year now. One of the things I love about this place is the camaraderie and support teachers and students have for one another. One of my regular instructors is Veronica, a bad ass and effective aerialist. I connect with her teaching style on multiple levels. She incorporates the art of performance with the technical skills to help her students understand what it takes to be a well rounded aerialist. Every class I’m in, Veronica makes sure I receive adequate attention, but also allows me to explore my individual creativity. Did I mention she makes the class fun?
P.S.
The other instructors I’ve had are fun as well, some were harder to connect than others, but they all really care about their students’ success.

I love Circus Center, it’s my happy place! Really love my instructors Veronica and Leticia, as they care about the success of the students and making you better.
CC is amazing and they are very committed to circus arts, hence it might not be so easy to be a beginner there, but I guarantee you it’s worth to stick around if you find the passion in you. There’s no better place to learn circus skills and the instructors are world class! Special shout out to Veronica!

I absolutely LOVE this place and have been training in aerial rope and tissu for a bit over 2 years. All of the coaches are very supportive of my goals and not afraid to challenge me. When I first started aerial classes with coach Veronica Blair, I couldn’t even climb half way up the rope. Within a few months, I was able to do basic drops and poses. Her incredible knack for finding her students’ strengths has helped my progress.
Veronica and Jeremy (my wonderful rope coach) recently helped me choreograph a sequence for the CC student showcase. These two coaches are very detail oriented and pointed out every possible way for me to improve and strengthen my act. They encouraged me to train harder and pushed my limits, which I appreciate and respect.
I highly recommend trying out some intro and conditioning classes. All the coaches are great but have distinct teaching styles. Also, look out for groupon deals. Circus training tends to gets a little pricey.

True to its name, the moment I walked into the main gym here for the first time, I immediately felt like I was joining some sort of circus — people swinging from the trapeze, climbing ropes and silk, balancing on others’ shoulders, and so forth.
I started doing aerial silks at other studios and saw some aerial silk classes at Circus Center on ClassPass, so I decided to try them out, hoping to build upon the current classes I take. The classes weren’t quite what I was looking for though. They’re much more circus-​oriented and don’t spend as much time on the silks.
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INTRO TO AERIAL SKILLS (Chloe)
Good intro class for exposure to the different apparatuses. We started class off with stretching and some strengthening/​conditioning exercises in the main gym and then moved into a smaller room that had 4 trapezes, 1 silk and 1 rope. I was hoping to be able to spend more time on the silk, but we spent most of the class on the trapeze. Chloe’s super friendly and helpful. My friend and I were somehwat new to aerial and she was more than happy to spot and assist us.
INTRO TO TISSU AND ROPE (Veronica)
I signed up for this class thinking that a rope and tissu class would be, well, rope and tissu. But I didn’t find it much different than the Aerial Skills class. We started class with some conditioning like in Aerial Skills, but no stretching. We were expected to stretch on our own, which is fine by me — just more time working on actual aerial things. After conditioning in the main gym, we moved to the smaller room and did some exercises on the trapeze, which were supposed to mirror things we’d do on the rope and tissu. I think maybe only the final 30 min of class was on rope/​tissu, where we did some basic climbs, hip keys and foot locks.
I didn’t find Veronica to be a very personable or invested teacher. Usually in a small class (4 people), a teacher at any studio or gym would at least try to learn the students’ names, but she never even asked for any of ours. She also wasn’t as friendly or approachable, and while she spotted us now and then, she mostly just demonstrated how to do things and watched from the sidelines with the expectation that we all had the core and arm strength to do everything on our own. I do like that she emphasized proper technique, but it was hard to keep or even think about technique when we were lacking the physical ability to do things like invert using just our muscles.

These people are not messing around. You will be in pain, you will be uncomfortable, but you will also improve. Not for the squeamish (especially flexibility classes).

We came here for a work event, and had such a blast! I could only stay for a short time, but luckily I was in the first group that tried the trapeze. The staff is really patient, calm, and they are understanding and sensitive to people’s fears and hang-​ups of heights and etc., but once you do it, you’ll have so much fun and will want to do it again! I left with such a huge smile on my face after swinging on the high trapeze back and forth, jumping on the trampoline and flipping over on a low bar to feel what it is like to put your legs up and over the bar and hang down. I recommend this to friends to try — you have to try it at least once!

Went with a group of nine for a (33^rd) birthday party — flying trapeze and trampoline. The staff were all pleasant, though kind of a mixed bag in terms of attitude/​demeanor towards us. To our surprise and delight, all 9 of us were able to make a catch (though it took a second try for me and a few others!) One tip: be sure to wear pants that cover the inside of your knees and at least a few inches below. I wore knee-​length yoga pants and got some chafing on my upper calves that doesn’t feel so nice a day later.
The only thing I felt was missing was seeing the staff or more advanced students do some tricks — I read on Unilocal that some people saw some pretty cool stuff when they were there, but it was empty on a Saturday afternoon with the exception of our group. Oh well. Cost-​wise, $ 40/​person seemed somewhat steep, but I understand that it’s a specialty class and all. Good times overall.

If you’ve ever wanted to run away and join the circus, you don’t have to quit your day job (if you do, they can help you with that too). Circus Center enables you to see what your niche is. I’ve always wanted to learn trapeze. I got the intro to aerial skills class (perfect present). This class is an intro to all things Aerial, Static Trapeze, Rope, Hoop and Tissu. You get the basics of each one and a great work out to boot. You warm up with jumping jacks, stretching and such and then get into the good stuff. It definitely helps you with strength training and flexibility. It’s a mixed group of students that take the class for a variety of reasons. The teachers are nice and no one is judgmental. If I do pick up and run away for circus life, I now know that I prefer Tissu (silks) to the trapeze. The trapeze was rough on your hands and legs.
Flying trapeze and trampoline also looked like fun and a good alternative workout as well.