Upcoming Cycropia Workshops:

Children's Introductory Trapeze Class

12 Week Adult introductory workshop

Cycropia Aerial Dance will offer a 12-week introduction to low-flying trapeze in Fall, 2007. The cost is $210.

This session is scheduled for Sundays, Sept. 30-Dec. 16, from 2-4 p.m. Our classes are held at the State St. Center, 122 State St. in downtown Madison.

Pre-registration is required and enrollment is limited to 12 students.

To register, please print this form, fill it out and mail with a check payable to Cycropia Aerial Dance (for the full amount or a $60 deposit, with balance due at the first class) to:

Marcia Miquelon, 106 Grand Ave., Madison, WI 53705.
If you have trouble printing the form or have any other questions, please contact Marcia at marcianitaus@yahoo.com, or (608) 795-0014.

The State Street Center is located in the first block of State Street, a few doors down from the Madison Children’s Museum and Michelangelo’s coffee. There’s a dancewear shop on the ground floor. Take stairs or elevator to the third floor, the studio is directly above the main entrance.

Other Aerial Dance Workshops

Cycropia member Marcia Miquelon teaches aerial dance for kids and adults at the Mazomanie Movement Arts Center, 2 Brodhead St., Mazomanie, WI (608) 795-0014, marcianitaus@yahoo.com.

Experience the joy of swinging, floating, spinning, climbing and circling on the low-flying, single point trapeze. Students will learn the basic techniques of swinging big and changing directions in midair, flying in circles, and hanging upside down, right side up and sideways. They will also have opportunities for play, exploration and self-expression in a safe, supportive environment. Pre-registration required.

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Teaching Philosophy

The discovery process is key to our style of teaching aerial dance. Along with structured trapeze technique exercises, students are encouraged to creatively explore movement at their own pace. Safety and awareness of the body, the dance space, other dancers and your partner—the trapeze—are integral to the class. Warm-up exercises and our approach are inspired both by modern dance and releasing technique.

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Workshop FAQ

What should I wear?

You should wear comfortable, warm dance or exercise clothing that allows freedom of movement. Long sleeves and long pants or leggings are recommended, since bare skin rubbing on the trapeze or ropes can cause discomfort. You’ll most likely be going upside down, so wear a shirt that won’t flip up in your face. Not recommended are: Jeans, belts, clothes with buckles, zippers or other protrusions, dangly earrings or other dangly jewelry. You may wish to have ballet shoes or other soft-soled shoes on hand, although usually we work barefoot.

What can I expect?

Hard work, fun, an exhilarating sense of wonder, brief moments of weightlessness, the sensation of floating, spinning and flying through the air. You will learn basic aerial dance movement technique—sweeps, circles, tracking and tapping and hangs, all in a safe and supportive environment. You’ll also be given ample opportunities for exploration; finding your own dance with your new partner, the single-point trapeze. Some adults who are new to trapeze may experience some dizziness initially, associated with going upside down and spinning. Kids usually don’t get dizzy, and some adults don’t ever get dizzy either. You will grow accustomed to these new sensations within a few weeks. We recommend not showing up to class on an empty stomach, and taking a break from going upside down and spinning as soon as you begin to feel dizzy. You’ll build up tolerance over time.

What can I start doing now to prepare?

Find a chin-up bar at your local playground or gym, and hang off it with your hands. This will help you to begin to build hand strength and endurance (and is a great stretch, besides!). Full-body exercise such as Yoga and Pilates, which emphasize breath, flexibility and core strength, such as provide good all-around conditioning for trapeze.

Please feel free to submit any questions you still have about our workshops to info@cycropia.org.