Overview
Do you need to be acrobatic to enjoy circus arts? Do you need to be especially athletic, have incredible strength or be particularly coordinated to have a good time? The answer is no.
How do I know this? I went to the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) for its Come & Try Circus Day as a graceless, confused beginner and absolutely loved it. If you want to know more, read on to find out exactly how my first day at circus school went down.
THE SCHOOL
In addition to being the only institution in Australia that offers a Circus Arts degree, NICA also runs term classes and holds public open days four times a year — which is where I dipped my toe in the circus-school pool. The classes were led by expert trainers and explored a broad range of skills, apparatus and fitness activities for newbies and advanced practitioners alike.
To be honest, I was terrified walking in, and fully prepared for a day of failure and falling over. But, once I met the instructors and shared a few smiles with my classmates, the first-day nerves disappeared.
There was a range of abilities and ages at the adult open day, all checking out the venue and teaching style on offer. With enthusiastic beginners taking part alongside more advanced attendees, I am testament to the fact that you can approach circus arts as an absolute novice and still have a great time.
THE SESSIONS
There were three sessions on offer, with each featuring multiple circus skills for you to try. On offer was everything from trapeze and rope to tumbling, trampolining, juggling, hand balancing and more. Each session started with a quick warm-up activity and some stretching to get the group and your body ready for action.
First up for me was aerial hoop. I wasn't perfect, but everyone in the class was supportive, which made me feel like I could give it a red-hot go without embarrassment. We started with exercises to prepare the shoulders for taking our body weight, followed by mounting and dismounting. To finish, we executed a few different shapes including mermaid, DreamWorks and pixie. Shockingly, I was able to do them all.
It was the confidence boost I needed to carry me through juggling — at which I was, in fact, terrible. Despite not being able to nail a single 'cascade' juggle, I enjoyed learning about timing, how to arc my throws and the art of letting the balls fall without trying to catch them on impulse. Turns out it was pretty difficult for me to let things go (is this a metaphor for my life?). Regardless, I redeemed myself on the hula hoop by managing a few quick tricks.
After lunch it was handstand time. I thought I had chosen something pretty basic and, even though I had never done a handstand in my life, was fairly confident I had the upper body and core strength to manage it.
I did not.
I did, however, get closer than ever before. Turns out it's important to spread your hands, look down and do your best to fight that fear of falling. Don't want to follow the advice of a writer who couldn't manage a single free-standing handstand the entire session? Go and learn from an expert at NICA instead. I'm told it takes a while to build up from nothing, but as a beginner, this was still an enjoyable and entirely embarrassment-free experience.
THE VERDICT
If the gym doesn't spark joy, or you want to diversify your physical activity, NICA's term time classes are a brilliant way to get your body moving in interesting and challenging ways. There are prerequisites for certain levels of the term time classes, so make sure to check the website or chat with the staff before enrolling. Then get prepped to unlock skills and talents you never knew you had.
As for me, I've just signed up to the Aerial Preparation term course. The sky's the limit.
Keen to turn your world upside down in the best way possible? The National Institute of Circus Arts run term time classes and open days throughout the year. The next Come & Try Circus Day will take place on Saturday, September 24. For more information and to find a class that suits, visit the website.
Images: Julia Sansone.