FAQ

Circus Academy New York is a school for youth and adults offering daily flying trapeze, trampoline, aerial, juggling, and clowning group classes for all levels. We also offer private sessions, parties, corporate and team-building events, and sessions for school and community groups.

We have two locations in New York City: Our year-round indoor facility is located in the South Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn (at the intersection of Tompkins and Flushing Avenues). Our seasonal outdoor facility – open from April through October – is located in lower Manhattan atop of Pier 40 in Hudson River Park (West Street at Houston Street).

Tights, yoga pants, or snug sweat pants work well, and shirts which cover your midriff with sleeves (even very short ones) are a good idea: You will be wearing a safety belt around your waist and will be hooking your knees over the bar, so it's best to wear clothes that fit snugly so they don't get in your way. Bring a pair of socks to wear while you're flying. Although the net is soft to land in, it can be a little rough on exposed knees, shoulders, and toes. If you have long hair, put it up with an elastic band (not plastic hair clips).

Our classes are designed for individuals, ages six (6) and older, of varying fitness levels and movement backgrounds. Important Restrictions: Students with certain health conditions, or existing or previous injuries may be discouraged from or denied participation if management feels the risk of injury is too great. Upon initial registration, as well as if changes should occur post-registration, you are required to inform us if you have any special conditions that may affect your safe participation in our physical activities. Women who are pregnant should not participate in any of our classes including, but not limited to, flying trapeze, aerials, acrobatics, and trampoline. Anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol will NOT be allowed to participate. Our staff is empowered to deny access to our facility to anyone who they believe may be a danger to themselves or others. Additionally, any person who behaves in a rude, threatening, or otherwise uncooperative manner may be denied entrance or asked to leave the grounds. PLEASE NOTE: While children are always able to sign up for any class offered at our school designated as "All Levels", we also have specialized programs for students ages 6 - 17 as specified in the program description. Once a spot is reserved, you are responsible for the full payment even if the participant is unwilling to complete part or all of the session.

Actually it is more complicated than that. The participation basis for Flying Trapeze is determined by a combination of factors - most significantly: WEIGHT. 205 lbs. is what we call the "weight hesitation." If you weigh more than 205 lbs., we have increasing concerns about safety. The higher above the 205-pound weight hesitation, the more important the other factors become. BODY SHAPE. The distribution of your weight is important, regardless of how much you weigh. If you are heavy around your middle and your waist is wider than your chest, then our safety belt might ride up and cannot effectively protect you. GRIP. Another consideration is whether your hands can support your full body weight. If you are over 205 lbs and cannot hang from a bar with your feet completely off the ground you should not participate at this time. Please contact us if you have concerns. We are committed to working with individuals of all abilities, shapes and sizes to experience the transformative power of flying trapeze. If flying trapeze isn't the right place for you to start, our staff will be happy to suggest other options to help you achieve your goals. We would love to work with you to identify other classes (such as conditioning, acrobatics, silks or trampoline, etc.) that can serve as a starting point towards the goal of flying trapeze. If we feel it would be unsafe for either you or our instructors due to your weight, body shape or physical fitness considerations, Circus Academy New York reserves the right to deny participation. Safety is Circus Academy New York's number one concern.

Students must be at least six (6) years old in order to participate in classes at Circus Academy New York. Bear in mind that, while younger children may have the required coordination and awareness, they may not have the attention span to last through a 1- to 2-hour class. A parent or guardian must be present when their children under age 12 are in the class, unless they are enrolled in a camp program or special arrangements have been made with the school. All of the child's information must be up-to-date, and we must have a waiver signed by a parent or court-appointed legal guardian for any student under the age of 18: Relatives, friends and nannies cannot sign the waiver unless they have been designated by a court as the legal guardian for that child. Please contact us if you are unsure about signing up a child for a session. Once a spot is reserved, you are responsible for the full payment even if the child is unwilling or unable to complete the session.

Your safety is our number one priority. All of our equipment is maintained well above the required safety standards, and we employ a fully-rated spotting system and safe comfortable belts to protect you when you fly. We use state-of–the-art equipment and procedures to ensure the safety of our students and staff from the time they enter the site. Students are also trained on our safety procedures in order to protect themselves and their fellow students. Bear in mind that scrapes, sore muscles, and blisters are a part of any sport, and are no less a part of ours. We work closely with local care services to ensure efficient action should a serious issue arise.

Beginners are welcome to sign up for any class with no level distinction in the title. "All Levels" classes are conducive for participants with skills ranging from beginner through advanced. "Introductory" classes are great for first-time flyers as well as students that do attend on a regular basis. The nature of flying trapeze and aerial arts allows for one student to be on the equipment at a time, so it is not necessary for everyone in the session to be working on the same skill. Classes begin with a safety lesson for all first-time students, after which they should expect to work on the apparatus. In the event that there are not enough students at the designated level to fill a class, we may choose to open the class to all levels rather than cancel the class.

For flying trapeze classes, we have the following requirements for classes that are not all levels: Intermediate: We ask that students be comfortable working their own board and board for other students, and be over 18. Advanced: We ask that students have their swing out of lines, be comfortable working their own board and board for other students, and be over 18. If you are interested in an intermediate or advanced class and are unsure if you meet the requirements, please speak with your trapeze coach during class or email office@trapezeschool.com with any questions.

A few of our classes have a Pay Later option. If selected, this option will charge either the membership options available on your profile or the card on file 72 hours before class starts, in compliance with our 72 hour cancelation policy.

The waiver is a document designed to protect both the student you and the school. It is designed to inform you of the risk you are taking and to make sure that you (or your parent or court-appointed legal guardian) take full responsibility for that risk. The waiver also allows our insurance to be effective for any situation that warrants its use. It is important to read the waiver carefully and to fully understand it before you sign. You (or your parent or court-appointed legal guardian) will be asked to read and sign a waiver upon registration for your first class. The waiver can be signed online via our booking platform (Momence). STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 must have a waiver signed by their parent or court-appointed legal guardian before they will be allowed to participate in any of our classes. Relatives, friends, and nannies cannot sign unless they have been designated by a court as the legal guardian for that child. If you have any questions please contact us. ​ GROUPS: If you are signing up a group of children, a signed waiver as described above is required for each child.

No... and yes! Once you've signed up for a class, you may not change locations without cancelling and re-booking the class. Your confirmation e-mail will contain the location of the class for which you signed up. However, in the event of an issue in that location (i.e. inclement weather prediction, construction, etc.), we may move the class to our other location if at all possible. You will be notified in advance when the class has been moved, and given the option to cancel if necessary, without penalty.

Assuming that we've received your cancellation notice within the timeframe specified in our Cancellation Policy, most reservations can be rescheduled. You can either cancel through the Momence app, or email the office at office@trapezeschool.com for assistance.

Yes! The Circus Academy New York newsletter is a great way to stay up to date with all the latest school happenings and announcements! If you have have taken a class with us since April 2024 you should already be on our mailing list, if not you can sign up at the bottom of this page. If you have any other FAQ suggestions please send them to office@circusacademy.com.