Trio Tuesday
MAY 8th- Trio Tuesday. Purchase three tickets, and save 15%! Share the Code TRIO (good for one day only).
https://acrosf2018.eventbrite.com?discount=trio
MAY 8th- Trio Tuesday. Purchase three tickets, and save 15%! Share the Code TRIO (good for one day only).
https://acrosf2018.eventbrite.com?discount=trio
Learn the basics of handstand, the foundation of circus. Students are introduced to the three pillars of handstand—thinner, lighter, more alive—and also practice the basic handstand form. Both acrobatic and aerial students can benefit from practicing handstands.
Xiaohong Weng started training in gymnastics at the age of 7, before he joined the famed Nanjing Acrobatics Troupe. He had 4 years of professional training in gymnastics and was a high level competitive gymnast in China. He joined the circus and learned many traditional Chinese acrobatics acts, such as Chinese Pole, Chair-balancing, Hoop Diving, Chinese Lion Dance, and Partner Hand-balancing. As a skilled tumbler and hand-balancer, Xiaohong has performed extensively in China, the USA, and internationally. For the last decade he has been a senior instructor at Circus Center. He currently performs with Jennings McCown in an elegant double hand-to-hand acrobatics act.
Jiggidy Jives is a jack-of-all-trades performer. Jives has been teaching acrobatics and flying trapeze at Circus Center for 14 years. He specializes in meteor bowls, acrobatics, and Chinese pole.
Take your standing Acro skills and share them with friends! We will play pass and toss the flyer in some dynamic ways using some simple positions like cradle, camel and bird, as well as more advanced ones like h2h and ft2h.
Pre-Reqs: Standing Bird, Camel, 20 sec standing Ft2H. Standing h2h is helpful, but not required…those that have it will have some fun things to play with. Bases must be willing and able to spot people in high flying Acro maneuvers!
In Acro Playground we will play with fun warm-ups, handstand games, pass the flyer and lots of mixing and mingling with new friends.
We can run a few games at a time with different levels. example: a basic pass the flyer line next to more advanced
An exploration of beginners concepts in partner movement. There are no pre-reqs and what we will not do is bird and throne. Screw that.
An exploration of advanced concepts in washing machines. Pre-reqs include 30 second handstand against a wall and a headstand in the middle of the room.
Want to get your first ever hand to hand? Want to learn the technique behind it all? Or maybe you want to clean up your form and make yourself more of a finely tuned H2H machine? You have come to the right place….
Prerequisites: Base 15 second low-lbasing foot to hand OR fly 15 second handstand against the wall + star
When we hit the flow with our partners we want to feel that freedom to move seamlessly and gracefully through our practice.
By meeting our partners where we are at rather than where we wish to be this opens up the possibilities to create that magic feeling we like to call the present moment.
Prerequisites: Mono Star, mono Rev Star, foot 2 hand
Learn basics of spinning poi, a fun flow art that is both mesmerizing and meditative. Learn the handful of basic patterns of spinning the poi to unlock the ability to flow with freedom of movement and expression. Very beginner friendly, practice poi will be provided
This session will offer specific techniques to release some of the most important and difficult spots in movers from all disciplines. Through a guided partner sequence that will include both deep tissue techniques and myofascial release principles, we will address piriformis, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis minor, infraspinatus, wrist extensors, and more. Playing as hard as we do requires maintenance – come and learn how to take care of each other safely and effectively.
ALL
Students will go through a progression of skills leading to Knot and Reverse Knot (2 flyer hands in 1 base hand)
Prerequisites: Solid standing H2H and RH2H. Experience with holding low liberty L base and standing
This class will cover hand pops, foot pops, and a number of one-legged pops where the flyer and base learn to work together using technique and timing to co-created tempo popping magic.
We will weave together fifth position pops. straddle bat pops and reverse bird spins into a popping machine that symmetrically goes through both sides.
Prerequisites Barroll Roll, Ninja Star ( straddle bat version), basic popping experience an asset
This session will focus on a washing machine we call Super Fesch – it’s an excuse to focus on different intermediate level acro skills and transitions that will require you to master slow asymmetrical movements.
Prerequisites: L-basing Star, Reverse Star
This class is designed for anyone looking to gain functional strength and active flexibility. The general sequence includes a dynamic warm-up, core work, shoulder/hip mobility exercises, myofascial release and restorative cool down. ALL LEVELS are welcome.
SF Circus Center instructors bring you Clowning 101
Prerequisites: Standing Hand to Hand for 30 seconds with no spotter and no steps
Want to fly effortlessly into the air? Toe pitching is the basic foundation for entering many standing acrobatics positions. We will start with the basics and work up towards more advanced variations. There will be something for everybody from those just learning to the most advanced students.
Pre-reqs: Standing Foot to Hand, Standing Reverse Foot to Hand, Excellent Spotting
We will focus on entering and exiting inverted poses from the back side to develop awareness and unlock more advanced transitions.
Prerequisites: L-basing Star
Start your journey toward the fun tumbling skills including forward roll, backward roll, cartwheel, walkovers, handsprings, and backtucks. We will go over technique and drills to work up to these skills and provide assisted spots to go for the skill.
No fancy tricks here. Learn how to move your bodies efficiently under load (aka another human). There is no right or wrong way to acroyoga, so let’s prepare our bodies to handle whatever they need and find the style that will allow us to play into old age.
ALL
Tempo skills add degrees of challenge that require high levels of precision from base and flyer, Learn how to combine Icarian skills into flowing passes.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with single Icarian skills: Bird to Throne, Throne to Bird, Throne to Foot to Foot, Bird to Reverse Throne, Bases straight throws in front plank to mastery, 1-minute minimum hollow body hold for flyers a must.
In this class, you will learn the physics of popping as it pertains to the human form. What makes pops float, how to get them higher, how to work together, how to keep them safe, how to start letting go! This will be intermediate acro class.
some experience with throne pops, bird pops, extended arm foot 2 hand 60 sec, bird Prerequisites: hold 60 seconds, back plank hold 60 seconds, shoulder stand rev and regular holds 60 seconds.
Learn original washing machines by Adam and Jenna that are super challenging and fun! We will work through 2 of our favorite original washing machines – and if you know us you know, they’ll be tricky 🙂
Prereqs: Star, Reverse Star, Side Star, Shoulderstand, Foot to Hand
Partnering repertory, acrobatics, and contact improvisation.
Come lose your head and fly. Learn to track and catch the flying pelvis. We will practice flying, catching, landing, fluid acrobatics, deft maneuvers. For the acrobatics, everyone will work at their own level and will learn best by building group safety and trust– everyone will do something new. We will learn some repertory and practice taking the aerial work into improv. Jumping ≠ Flying because jumping is a muscular action, whereas flying is in the bones and is affected greatly by emotions and attitude.
Choreo – take your acro practice out of the gym and onto the stage as we go over the fundamentals of stage performance, choreo and presence, geared towards acrobats, taught by two performers who have made their living on stage for the last decade.
Intermediate
Join us for a two hour workshop on standing hand-to-hand. The focus will be on refining tempos, offering variations on entries, playing with leg variations for the flyers, drills to help bases create a more stable platform, and techniques to improve your grace and ease with standing hand to hand. Note: this workshop is geared towards folks who have some familiarity with this skill.
Prerequisites: Flyers: clean lines in a lightly spotted, 30 second HS, clean lines in L-basing h2h, familiarity with tempo entry to standing h2h, ability to stay calm and be spotted in standing skills; Bases: solid L-basing h2h, standing f2h, familiarity with standing h2h, solid spotting skills for standing acro
Explore partner flips, rolls, interchanging partner roles, and dynamic mounts & dismounts. Fusing the energy and fluidity of Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, with acrobatic movement, this workshop will focus on airborne transitions as well as creative, non L-basing shapes and counterbalances.
Prerequisites: CartWheel; forward roll; 5 sec hand stand; backbend; willingness to try new things
Transitioning between L-Basing and Standing Acrobatics is essential for sequences that move between those two worlds.
Come explore different methods of shifting seamlessly between these two practices.
We are going to cover reverse star and shoulder stand mono’s and a way to put them together into transitions. We will share tips and tricks to making mono work accessible and sustainable.
Prerequisites: Star, Shoulder stand, experience with Reverse Star
Beginner +
We love the creative process, and putting together fun flows using unique transitions, using both L-base and standing disciplines. Let us show you how to go with the flow.
Prerequisites: Comfortable with bird, side star, star, and reverse star. Also comfortable with basic standing poses like thigh stand, flag, and two high.
All levels
Discover how functional movement can vastly improve your acro practice, prevent/heal injuries, and create sustainable patterns for life. We’ll explore quadrupedal travel, rolling, and specific warm-ups and muscle activations for the most injury-prone areas. This is the prehab to your rehab… Necessity is the mother of invention and these practices are game-changers!
Prerequisites: None
For years, Scott & Jaimie have been consistently pushing the boundaries of L-basing. We will bring you some of our most devious creations, never before glimpsed in the bay area. These movements will encompass full range pressing movements, powerful pops, and precarious balance. Come challenge new muscle groups and push your sense of stability to the edge….. and beyond.
Prerequisites: Comfort in a full range of L-basing postures including bicep stand, R. Star, foot to hand, etc… with ease of movement between them
This class will teach you creative, original flows from The Handstand Nation. Strong flyer, Strong base moves and build on foundations of Barrel Rolls and fun spins.
Prerequisites: Ninja star or barrel rolls, be ready to play and get creative.
Explore creative counterbalances, handstands and shoulder stands on all the things, and interchanging roles with similar-size players. Play with strange, sexy mounts, dismounts, and transitions, all while not laying down.
Prerequisites: supported handstand, shoulder stand, front roll, thigh stands, cartwheel
Learn from a professional stuntman and a former gymnast how to fall safely. We will go over techniques for falling in just about any direction with the goal of preventing injury, increasing confidence when trying new skills, and by knowing how to save yourself when no one else can.
Prerequisites: None
Creativity isn’t something you GAIN, its something you PRACTICE. Step outside the box of washing machines and executing tricks and amplify your innately human ability to co-create in a dynamic flow state! This session begins with inspired yoga & dance movement foundations to prime your body and breath. We will dive into the improvisation of flow and acro, following the points of contact to see where we go together.
Prerequisites:30 sec handstand against a wall, spotting skills
Students will learn grips and alignment drills for stability in liberty (mono f2h) that will culminate in graceful pirouettes in standing F2H.
Prerequisites: 1 minute standing F2H, some experience with L-base and standing low liberty
This section will focus on learning the extended F2H position
Prerequisites: Standing F2H for 20 seconds, extended F2H for 5 seconds
Intermediate +
Come learn a variety of dynamic entrances into Vliender (aka high butterfly) to unlock this playful and beautiful skill. Over the years we have learned several fun ways to get into this particular skill that involve tempo, finesse, and a bit of flare. We have found this to be one of the more accessible standing skills and are excited to share our favorite entrances with you!
Prerequisites: two high, camel, L-basing side-star
Learn the basic skills and techniques to begin and grow your acro practice. Base, Fly, and Spot.
Prerequisites: none
Pop Exploration and Refinement. Begintermediate. Prereques: bird, throne, whale. This goes into the finer points of what makes pops occur, how each person generates power, stability, grace, and a SUPER SOFT LANDING so you can keep doing them forever. This is a great choice for those who are looking to start pops, or for those who are looking to refine and really dial in their pops.