Prepare to be amazed: your kids that love to swing on the refrigerator doors now have an appropriate (and safe!) outlet for their acrobatic desires. Enjoy the excitement of the circus at one of these fantastic acrobatic and trapeze studios with classes catered to kids.
photo credit: Le Studio
Relax Mama, It’s Safety First: There’s no clowning around with safety at these studios. All venues listed are insured with certified/licensed rigging and trained instructors. Also, if you’re looking to mix up your own workout routine, classes are offered for adults too (go for it!).
Le Studio
Focused on personal growth, flexibility and fun, Le Studio offers a one-on-one empowerment program, started by a successful vet of the entertainment business. A warm, engaging environment festooned with cozy seating areas amidst hanging silks, trapeze, aerial hoop (lyra), and a mini-tight rope, Le Studio concentrates on youth programs, with the smallest tykes (age 3 & up) safely learning self-esteem and building confidence through aerial arts. At Le Studio, private or semi-private study prevails, allowing kids to work at their own pace and focus on specific skills and routines with one of their coaches, who are performers themselves. Beginner’s Recreation Classes are a great introduction to all the fun. Advanced Acrobats are for kids age 6-9 where kids with unusual strength, potential, and determination can try out for a team.
Location: 9500 B Jefferson Blvd., Culver City
Phone: 310-855-4353
Online: lestudiola.com
photo credit: Kinetic Theory via yelp
Kinetic Theory
“Join the circus without leaving home,” invites Kinetic Theory. 25-foot ceilings and 10,000 sq. ft. of training space in a converted Culver City warehouse summon kids to defy gravity on ropes, ribbons and static trapeze, enjoying a safe, soft landing, guided by professionally trained acrobats who are experienced performers. The school offers weekly small group classes for bouncy youngsters, 4 years old & up. Fundamentals of acrobatics, juggling and coordination skills can be combined with tumbling and hand balancing. Private instruction is also available and advanced students age 8 & up are eligible to join a performance troupe.
Location: 3604 Holdrege Ave. (at Jefferson), Los Angeles
Phone: 310-606-2617
Online: kinetictheorytheatre.com
Cirque School
Envisioned by a veteran of Cirque du Soleil, Cirque School in Hollywood offers a safe, non-competitive environment for “anybody with any body” to embrace circus arts. A 6,000 foot converted industrial loft with beamed ceilings and exposed brick walls, the studio holds weekly workshops for Cirque Kids beginning at age 7. Walking a low wire and spinning on fabric with a partner fosters teamwork like no other sport. Young ones learn balance and coordination while building strength, in an outlet that feeds their imaginations.
Location: 5640 ½ Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Phone: 424-226-2477
Online: cirqueschoolla.com
photo credit: Sharyn Morrow via flickr
Trapeze School
A.k.a. TSNY (Trapeze School New York, in Los Angeles): with an outpost at the Santa Monica Pier, it’s easy for the aspiring trapeze artists to get into the swing of things. With a serious focus on safety, kids ages 6 & up can experience the ease of the flying trapeze ‘en plein air’ over a nice stretchy net at the Pier. At TSNY’s indoor studio at 7th and Wilshire, also in Santa Monica, kids can also learn conditioning and body awareness through classes in trampoline, silks, lyra and static trapeze.
Location: 370 Santa Monica Pier & 1207 7th St., Santa Monica
Phone: 310-394-5800
Online: losangeles.trapezeschool.com
Hollywood Aerial Arts
Named for its proximity to Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Hollywood Aerial Arts offers aerial production and design as well as instruction for all ages. Started by a trapeze and tightrope artist with more than 40 years experience, the studio has daily group classes in tissue, hoop, Spanish web (rope) and high flying trapeze. Kids as young as 4 are invited to take a leap; all participants must start with an introductory 2-hour class. Drop-ins are accommodated as space is available.
Location: 3838 W. 102nd St., Inglewood
Phone: 310-412-7171
Online: hollywoodaerialarts.com
photo credit: Hugo’s Gymfitness
Hugo’s Gymfitness
Hugo’s packs a lot of fitness in one place, from gymnastics to rock climbing to, you guessed it, aerial and acrobatic training. Instructors are incredibly talented performers, and they’re charming and enthusiastic with kids in the weekly Kids Aerial/Circus Arts class. Held in a special area of a gigantic 12,000 square foot gym, parents can sit and watch (or cringe) as their kids (ages 6 & up) learn to flip, twirl and spin on apparatus like the hoop, cube and trapeze. Students who love to show off their skills may be invited to perform at the yearly “Hugo Olympics.”
Location: 21107 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita
Phone: 661-255-2700
Online: hugosgymfitness.com
Have your little acrobats ever hit the silks? We’d love to hear about your kid’s experiences walking the tightrope or flying through the air!
–Kim Orchen Cooper & Shannon Guyton
