Please bring a full water bottle. We suggest that you also bring a snack that fuels you in the case that you need an extra boost of energy during class. 

We do not have a formal dress code policy. We suggest that you wear clothing that you feel at home in that works well for movement, including going upside down.

Most students practicing circus prefer to wear apparel that covers the knee pits and arm pits to avoid abrasions.  We do not suggest clothing with zippers, snaps, or other metal parts as it can snag your skin or the equipment. We recommend, but don’t require, that students remove their jewelry for the same reason. Your own personal circus style will evolve and we love to see it!

When class starts, teachers will check students into our system, followed by a check in about preferred names and pronouns, a group warm up and/or game, and then diving into circus learning. We are here to offer a supportive community and risk taking on your terms!

There will likely be a mixture of age and experience levels, depending on which classes you’ve chosen! If you have specific needs, questions, or curiosities and want to know more before you arrive, email us at info@circusculture.org so we can support you.

Circus Culture does not have formal access to a designated parking lot. We recommend street parking on Geneva St between Clinton and Green Streets where there is free 2 hour parking until 4pm, after which it is free.

Hot tip… after 5pm the lots behind our studio are not monitored.

Our infections disease protocol is ever evolving in relationship to scientific research, national circus community standards, and conversations with the Tompkins County Health Department. View our current policies here.

Circus Culture never turns anyone away due to lack of funds. Check out our financial aid policy here.

There is a loading zone on Green street right in front of our entrance for drop off. We do not monitor the drop off for minors - please walk your youth in if you are not comfortable with them walking from the car to the studio.

For drop in classes during summer 2023, sessions are 75 minutes to account for time checking in and welcoming students. Please note that teachers may not be available to engage prior to the listed start time of your class because they are either teaching, or taking a much needed break!

If youth are dropped off prior to the start time of the class, please note that while we all do our best to exercise community care, there may not be supervision available for them on site until class starts so please do so at your own comfort.

Circus Culture does not currently monitor who picks up minors at Circus Culture, nor do we keep a written record of pickups. If you would like us to monitor this for a minor for any reason, please contact us and we will create a personalized approach.

Ages 0-3: Students remain with their parent or guardian at all times.

Ages 3-7: Students will remain in their circus room or in the vestibule with their circus teacher after class until their parent/guardian has connected with the teacher directly and picked them up.

Ages 8-11: Students may remain in their circus room after class, go to the vestibule or stay in the outdoor waiting area right out side the vestibule with a teaching assistant. They must connect verbally with their teacher before leaving so we know they have connected with the person who is there to pick them up.

Students in this age range who wish to leave Circus Culture without a parent/guardian (to walk home, to the library, etc) are welcome to do so with consent from their family, and we trust your young person to tell us if this is the case - many of our students do exercise this autonomy.

We are aware that our policy for 8-11 year olds is more relaxed than most places, so if you require more rigorous protocol, please contact us directly.

Ages 12 - 17: Students ages 12-17 are not monitored after class is over and are given autonomy to leave as/how they wish.

Circus Culture is happy to discuss our capacity to enact stricter policies for any families wishing to have more oversight than the above. Contact us at info@circusculture.org for a customized approach.

Parents, guardians, partners, or family members are welcome to watch class when a related student is participating from the waiting area vestibule only (not inside the space).

We only allow parents and guardians to watch from inside the space if they have kids in the 3/4 or 5-7 year old class, or have an individual circumstance that requires proximity for health and safety. 

Please do not watch or encourage others to watch classes that they do not have a direct relationship to, as this can make students uncomfortable. If you are curious about a class you aren’t familiar with yet, contact us to arrange a formal visit to check it out!

No one may take photo or video of anyone in the space without their explicit consent. Please respect that there are many community members who do not wish to be photographed and always ask first! You are welcome to record yourself, just check that anyone in the background is ok with it first!

Circus Culture provides make up opportunities for those who have missed classes and, on occasion, in exchange for a class that we had to cancel due to extenuating circumstances.

Options for students 12+:

Any drop in class or open practice that matches your age/experience level can be used as a make up. For drop in classes, simply sign up online, then tell the teacher that you are using it as a make up class. The teacher will put in a special code that ensures you are not charged. When you sign up you are NOT charged in our system (although you will need to have a credit card on file).

Options for students under 12:

If the make up class is for a child under 12, our preference is that you attend our Saturday drop in class for the age of your child. In some cases, you may be able to attend another class for the same age during the week, but please email claire@circusculture.org ahead of time and get approval so we can notify the teacher.

Make up classes are offered via honor code, and can be completed during a different week/session than you missed class on your own terms/time. We trust you!

Depending on the session, demand, and teacher preference, Circus Culture separates classes by age and also offers multigenerational learning opportunities. Occasionally, we make age exceptions - please contact us first if you have a question about age ranges or wish for us to consider making an exception to the listed age for a class.

Our classes aim to be structured around thematic learning, and every teacher has their own unique style which you can read about here. Many classes are inclusive of two of the levels below. If you are not sure what the right fit is, please contact us at info@circusculture.org. We may contact you if we feel that a different class would be a more appropriate fit and work with you to find this.

FOR ALL: If classes do not have a level designated, they are for everyone/for all. All things circus classes are all this style of class.

INTRO: Intro level courses are designed for people who have never done that particular skill before, or who want to start from the beginning again. If you are new to circus arts or a certain discipline this is where you start (not beginner!).

PLEASE NOTE: Students who see themselves as having circus adjacent skills such as dance and gymnastics but are new to circus patterns and pedagogy should still start at the "intro" level.

BEGINNER: Beginner students have completed at least 12 hours of leaning in their discipline and have a framework for understanding the basic skills involved, including a desire to retain the patterning of fundamental poses and shapes and executing them safely. Students have a curiosity about the theoretical context of what they are learning and are new to connecting movements together.

INTERMEDIATE: Intermediate students have at least one year of experience in the chosen discipline/s, and have strong motivation to develop skills, retain patterns, and connect with both the theory and practice of their discipline. They have a strong vocabulary that includes both skills and sequences that connect movements and are interested in being both creative and technical.

ADVANCED: Advanced students have a clear self assessment about what types of risks are appropriate for their skill level, strong vocabulary, theoretical understanding of the class material, and the mental and/or physical stamina and focus to participate through the entire class time. Many students who meet the "advanced" criteria above enjoy classes that are labeled beg/int and we love that!

MIXED LEVEL: Mixed level classes are designed for student who already have experience but are appropriate for those who are either beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Students who are completely new to the class subject should not take a mixed level class as a baseline vocabulary is necessary for a positive experience.

If you have previous circus experience from a different circus school or context, please contact us so we can help you find the right fit!

There are so many circus disciplines that often we rotate which classes are available in a given session. We keep intro to aerial and all things circus classes on all the time to ensure access to a myriad of disciplines.

This is based on a myriad of factors, including space, staff, and student demand. If you are interested in something we don’t have on offer right now, let us know!

We offer classes in multi week “sessions” during the fall and spring academic semesters (Sept - Dec + Jan - May) because it is the best fit for our studio holistically. During the summer we shift to drop in classes.

The best way to figure out what class to take is to email us at info@circusculture.org and we can provide customized support!

We process refunds and/or credit upon request only, and on a case by case basis. We engage with each student individually to make sure we come to a mutual agreement. We sincerely value the time, energy, and resources that it requires to engage in circus learning and community.

Baseline policies:

Full refunds are available up until 24 hours before the first class of the session - you must email us to arrange this if needed.

After the start of a session (after your first class), if you wish to cancel enrollment we offer class credit via your online account.

We understand that it is a large financial undertaking to join us for many people - if you have concerns about investing in your circus education financially please email us as we offer customized support and work with students to find the right fit for their budget.

In general, we do not allow students to “try” a class as most of our classes tend to fill up and this takes a spot away from someone who is in a position to commit to the class. Try a drop in class instead!

For the fiscal health of our organization, all session classes will need 4 students minimum before the start of the session to run. In the case that a class you signed up for doesn't get to 4 students, we will contact you directly to resolve the situation. Classes not meeting the minimum will be removed from the schedule.

Drop in classes may be removed from the schedule if they do not have sign ups at 12 noon the day prior to the class being offered. Sign up in advance to avoid your desired class being cancelled!

To redeem a gift card, email claire@circusculture.org. Unfortunately the gift cards do not sync with our registration site, but we can help you out!

Circus practice, specifically aerial arts, requires tightly managed risk assessment which is hard to get right in a home setting.

Before considering rigging at home, please review this crucial packet of information, which we have put together to inform our community about the implications of rigging on your own, outside the studio.

If you are considering home rigging, please reach out to us so that we can have an open and transparent conversation about your plans. We will focus on risk assessment, evaluating if this is the right choice for your circumstances, and which things we share at Circus Culture do and do not translate to the set up you have at home.

Spoiler… home set ups rarely, if ever, are simple and easy to make happen, and they are never cheap. Nor do they allow for the practicing of dynamic, bouncing, dropping, or rotating movements on aerial apparatus for a variety of reasons. No matter, we are always here to risk assess with you openly.

We take this very seriously and have dozens of these conversations every year - usually only 0-1 of them result in a home setup. It’s not impossible, but it requires transparency and diligence, a financial investment, and open communication.