Your Circus Journey Starts Here!
Experience the thrill of learning acrobatic and aerial skills while improving fitness, strength, and flexibility. Our students learn to achieve their maximum potential while experiencing high quality instruction in a safe, supportive and creative environment. Turn your life upside down at the Firefly Circus Academy, Alberta’s pioneer Aerial Arts Program.
News!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & WORKSHOP SERIES 2018
We are delighted to host Guest Artist Terry Crane at Firefly Circus Academy, July 2nd – 3rd, 2018!
Who is Terry Crane?
Terry Crane has been practicing vertical rope since 2001, and performing and teaching rope for over 10 years. He has taught workshops at the Fratellini Academy, FLIC Scuola in Torino, and all across the United States in various circus schools and studios. He is a respected leader in dynamic rope technique and convoluted knotwork on this apparatus. A growing number of his students have gone on to be accepted at the National Circus School of Montréal, where he also graduated in 2006. He regularly performs his own fiercely unique style of rope at Teatro Zinzanni Seattle and with his circus company, Acrobatic Conundrum.
Facility with Abandon
Level: Advanced
In this workshop, students will practice moving dynamically with a sense of ease and effortlessness on the vertical rope. We’ll practice a progression of beats and exercises to generate momentum, and then explore using this momentum to maximum effect, either in flashy power moves or to wrap the rope hands-free. Time allowing, other topics may include: fake release moves, building large drops, using body shape to roll up, and some sequences of movement to take home.
Pre-requisites: 1 year of rope or tissue training, ability to do 8 pull-ups, ability to do 8 bent arm, or 4 straight-arm straddle-ups.
Rope Partnering
Level: Advanced
Rope partnering basics through advanced movements. Two people on a single rope demands some creativity and practice to move gracefully through the air. This workshop will give experienced aerialists some basic building blocks for rope partnering, such as positions we can base from, ways of climbing and dropping together, as well as some practice working and communicating as a duo.
These workshops are only open to Firefly Staff
Guest Instructor & Performer Camille Swift to visit the Firefly Circus Academy, June 13th – 16th!
Saturday June 16 @4:00pm Performance By Camille Swift
Followed by a talk back about creation and performing
Smoldering at the core of Camille Swift’s artistic vision is a quest to find beauty and elegance in what is savage and strange. Swift is a Chicago-based circus artist, specializing in static trapeze and dance trapeze. Whether she is disguised as a quirky clockwork chameleon or a seductive dancer à la Carmen or Scheherazade, she strives to embody both ferocity and finesse in her performances. With extensive training in traditional arts (ballet, piano, oil painting) and a few less conventional ones (breakdancing, Japanese swordsmanship), Swift is a polymath who works to create acts that are highly skilled yet imaginative, expressive and visually striking. She speaks fluent French and has traveled to Paris and Montreal to develop her acts and pursue her training. She is also a visual artist, whose paintings are every bit as fanciful and bizarre as her aerial acts. Her classes focus on proper technique, building strength, flexibility and aerial awareness.
Static Trapeze – Technique Fundamentals & Imperatives:
Static trapeze has been described as the ballet of the aerial arts world, a fundamental art form at the root of all aerial disciplines and a crucial starting point for anyone looking to delve into the world of aerial arts. Learn the technique and conditioning required to put real power in a pull-over, to do big and beautiful knee beats, fast and smooth hip circles, etc!
- Wednesday June 13th: 6 – 8 pm Level 2.5 & Up
- Wednesday June 13th: 8-9:30 Advanced/By Invitation Only
- Friday June 15th : 6-8pm Level 2.5 & Up
- Friday June 15th: 8-9:30pm Advanced/By Invitation Only
Dance Trapeze Fundamentals:
Take your trapeze skills to the next level and learn to move with confidence on a trapeze that spins, orbits and swings! A technique-focused class that will teach the basics of orbiting, spinning and swinging.
The advanced version of this class will incorporate floorwork, sequences and improv exercises. Students must be able to pull over out of a beat and have strong single-knee hangs.
- Thursday June 14th: 6:00 – 8:00pm Dance Trapeze Fundamentals Level 2.5 & Up
- Thursday June 14th: 8:00 – 9:30pm Dance Trapeze Fundamentals & More Advanced/By Invitation Only
Trapeze: Character & Artistry:
As the Caterpillar demanded of Alice, “Who are YOU…on the trapeze?” Explore the infinite possibilities of shape, movement and expression in the aerial discipline of static trapeze. Learn to find new and expressive transitions between classic tricks and poses. Shake up your usual habits and discover a spectrum of creative movement, from bizarre to beautiful, pretty to peculiar, both on and off the apparatus.
- Saturday June 16th: 11-noon Level 2.5 & Up
- Saturday June 16th: noon – 2pm Advanced/By Invitation Only
Adult Classes
Turn your life upside down or inside out! We’ve got Silks, Rope, Trapeze, Hoop, Hand Balancing, Extreme Stretching & Contortion, Aerial Fitness & more.
Kids Classes
Got Kids? We’ve got Saturday Morning Circus, classes for Homeschoolers, and a special Kids Contortion class. All for ages 9 – 16.
Private and Semi Private Instruction
For individuals, parties or groups.
Sometimes your schedule doesn’t fit with ours. Or perhaps you want to fly with six of your best friends. We can help you with that.
Special Workshops
Just starting out? Try our Taste of the Circus workshop to see what we are all about. Looking for something even more unique? Click here to see what is coming up.
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