Have you ever wanted to run away and join the circus?  It’s never too late!

I‘ve been training at the Toronto School of Circus Arts for a couple of years now (after a long hiatus), which is Toronto’s premier Circus School, and the new schedule is out for the fall session.  Don’t let the older website distract you, just concentrate on the schedule pdf itself.  Since I’ve been going for a while, I sign up for “Package A” which gives me 4 classes for a discounted price (plus some open gym time), so on Monday nights I do two (I might do 3 this time around), and on Saturdays while my son is doing his class I do some conditions and stretching as well (an important component that lets you do your best on your apparatus).

I’ve made a few videos of classes from last year if you’re a curious what a recreational student can do.

Last year they added ‘Chinese Poles’ back to the schedule, which is something I had wanted to try for a while.

Last spring, after my son had shown me a few of the things he had learned, I tried out the aerial silks for the first time and I’m really enjoying the effort required for this apparatus (note you might not want to start with this class as it requires lots of strength). Note the video says ‘Silks 1A’ — they’ve renamed the levels this term so it’s ‘Silks Beginner (Level 1)’ this term.

New to the schedule this term are ‘Straps’ and ‘Mobile’.  I took an aerial straps workshop over the summer and if it didn’t conflict with silks I’d be doing more of it.  ‘Mobile’ isn’t something I know much about, but I’ve seen them hanging around the school.

They’ve also introduced some new baby & toddler programs to the schedule for those of us home during the day with our kids and looking to keep busy.

Oh, and just so you know you will be sore (for days) after each class. It’ll probably feel really hard the first time, but you’ll be surprised how quickly it’ll come if you stick with it.

If Downsview Parc isn’t an ideal location for you, there are other circus training options available in Toronto these days too.  I don’t have any direct experience with them, but I’ll leave the ones I know of listed here for your research purposes: Zero Gravity Circus/Centre of Gravity, Cirque-ability, FACT Aerial, Harbour Front Centre (only during the summer).  If you know of others, feel free to leave a comment.

And now for your amusement some of the stunts the kids do

And a recent article from the Toronto Sun introducing the school (mostly regarding flying trapeze).