How Much does it Cost?

The pricing will depend a bit on cost of materials, but approximately $1200 for the full week and $725 for partial week. The cost includes materials but not lodging, transportation, or meals (snacks are included). There are also add-on options for items like books, silks, CPR/Frist Aid Certification, and evening classes.

What apparatus and what level is this for?

This training is not apparatus or level specific! The focus is on learning the process of breaking down, cueing, and modifying any skill. You will choose which apparatus you prefer to work on, and you will also choose which skills you will be working on breaking down to teach. Everyone will be required to have a beginner and an intermediate skill, but the others you choose can be any level. There is somewhat more content for fabrics (silks and sling) as it's typically harder to find modification information for fabric than bar apparatus.

What are the prerequisites?

• You must be 18 years of age or over (or attend with a parent!)
• You must have been continuously studying the apparatus you work on for one full year or longer.
• There are no auditions or specific skill requirements, and prospective teachers in all body sizes and abilities are welcome.

Where is it?

The training currently being planned will be in Jan or Feb 2025, at the Frankfort Circus Center in Frankfort, IL, a suburb south of Chicago. Teacher training can also come to you - I will travel to other studios anywhere in the world! Future trainings in the Chicago, IL, Madison, WI, Austin, TX areas are very likely.

Is there an online option?

Currently, no. We piloted an online training but it didn't live up to our quality standards. In the future, we hope to offer a hybrid version with a weekend intensive for in-studio content, with online classes for information and discussion based content.

How many hours is it?

The full week training is 40 hours, the partial-week is 24 hours. You also have the option to attend additional hours in the evening!

Do I get certified?

There are no certifications in the US in aerial arts, as there is no governing body to set the standards or to accredit training programs as meeting those standards. You do get a certificate of completion! You CAN get Red Cross CPR/First Aid certified or re-certified during this training, but that is optional if you already are.

Is this just for new teachers?

The training was created with new or novice teachers in mind, but there are options to attend just the part of the week that includes the content about teaching diverse body sizes and abilities for current teachers who didn't get that information the first time around because it didn't exist!

How do I get there?

Travel around the Chicago area is plentiful, but Frankfort is a bit more out of the way. There are two trains that get fairly close to the Frankfort Circus Center, and then shuttles can be arranged from the stations to FCC, or you may take an uber. You may also want to rent a car. If you are flying, you can fly into O'Hare or Midway airports.

Where should I stay?

You can either stay in Frankfort itself, any of the other suburbs nearby (Joliet is very close), or stay in Chicago itself and travel to Frankfort each day. Visit this Google Map Search of Hotels near Frankfort for ideas!

It's winter! It's cold!

We know, we live here! We will be nice and warm inside! While we will have lots of fun and make amazing connections during this week, it's not intended as a retreat or a train-cation so much as a professional development week. It's also a great time to stay inside and train - you aren't missing much outside and using a not very exciting time of year to grow your practice!

What happens if there's a weather interruption?

We will respond to any issues with weather on a case-by-case basis. That may include things like rescheduling, partial refunds, some content going online, a credit for a future session, etc. The Chicago area has fairly mild winters compared to other training hotspots like Montreal and Vermont!

What excursions will be offered?

Excursions are not planned yet, but may include things like a tour of other Chicago area studios, seeing a show, a fancy dinner, an evening at the Museum or Aquarium. People registered or submitting the interest form will be polled to vote on excursions!

What about food?

Snacks and drinks will be provided each day. Lunch will be decided as a group each day. Dinner is on your own or with the excursion group on excursion days.