July 26th, 2017
I recently had an experience as a student that, while stressful and fairly traumatic, was useful in that it reminded me of what our aerial beginners go through when learning scary new tricks, and reinforced my belief in structured progressions. It’s often tempting to skip the first steps in learning something new — whether you’re […]
January 23rd, 2017
It is not lost on me that our annual “Manuary” show fell on the weekend of the biggest march for women’s rights in the history of ever. I’ve been sitting for a bit with how I feel about the fact that we spent the weekend showing off our men-folk., and I’ve come to this conclusion: […]
June 4th, 2016
Thanks to the Magic of the Internet, it is easier than ever to learn new skills from instructional videos: how to put on makeup, how to change your oil, how to do a crazy silks drop. Which of these things is not like the others? The one that could leave you paralyzed or dead if […]
February 17th, 2014
By T Lawrence-Simon Circus is an amazing blend of physical effort and conceptual art. Whether it’s for fitness, fun, professional, semi-professional goals, circus always requires a fully concentrated effort. With such a full on art/sport, it’s a totally understandable and inevitable feeling to hit a plateau.
May 25th, 2013
A week ago, about two thirds of the way through the act I was performing, I felt a crrrrrunch in my rib cage. I was lifting into a meathook from a bit of a side-to-side sway, a move I had rehearsed dozens of times, but this time, as my hips lifted to bring my legs […]
February 4th, 2013
By Adrienne Mays, aerial student and soon-to-be mother “I’m so excited I’m pregnant! Oh, I still have 5 weeks of this session of aerials left. And there’s that class I really want to take next session, plus I just started rehearsing for a new act.
January 7th, 2013
If you look around the walls in the main studio at Versatile Arts, you see a variety of brightly-colored signs: “Point Your Toes!” “Remember to Breathe!” “Wrap Your Thumbs!
December 12th, 2012
My teaching specialty over the 11 or so years I’ve been involved in aerial has become teaching beginners, and I really love it. It takes a special type of skill and patience to teach an absolute beginner once you’ve been doing something for a while, and while I might not have guessed it would appeal […]
September 11th, 2012
One of the questions I get asked most often is “How do I increase my grip strength?” which is almost immediately followed by “How do I prevent injury, cramping and fatigue while working on grip strength?” Two questions, one answer: by harnessing the power of the Rice Bucket.
July 17th, 2012
At first glance, “Versatile Arts” might seem like a strange choice of name for an aerial studio. Most aerial schools have “circus” or “trapeze” or at least something relating to the air in their name; this one could just as easily be a photography studio or music school. To understand the logic behind the name, […]
May 19th, 2011
Versatile Arts is a proud member of the American Circus Educators Safety Network for our dedication to creating a culture of safety in the circus world. [hoops name=”ace_script”]