Welcome to Encore's Circus Conservatory!

The skills and abilities that comprise the circus arts have been mystifying and inspiring spectators for generations. As circus continues to grow in popularity and esteem all over the globe, Encore Jr./Sr. High School has taken on the prospect of bringing this exciting, unique, and physically impressive art form to its current and future students. Encore offers a variety of circus skills to the student body, including: Aerial Silks, Lyra, Static Trapeze, Hammock, Net, Cube, Pyramid Acro, Tumbling, Hand Balancing, Juggling, and Unicycling.  In our school we have employed professional circus performers who all have real world experience in the circus arts. Many of them still perform professionally, and are dedicated to bestowing their knowledge and skill set to the Encore students. Whether your child wants to perform professionally, improve overall fitness, or is just interested in acquiring amazingly impressive abilities, this conservatory will help them obtain their ambitions.

“Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all workout in the end”

―David Niven

Ground Arts

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OUTCOME:

This course is for students who wish to learn and perform circus skills that are primarily done on the floor. The disciplines we primarily focus on are: Pyramid Acro, Juggling, Unicycle, Hand Balancing, and Tumbling. Students will have a chance to try all of these unique art forms and choose their favorites to begin mastering.

·    Pyramid Acro- Utilizes two or more artists to create incredible feats of strength, balance and skill to essentially build human pyramids of varying style and difficulty.

· Hand Balancing- Instilling the proper technique, strength and skill to effectively balance on one’s hands on a multitude of different objects. In different poses.

· Juggling- Teaching numerous patterns created by throwing and catching various objects, most often balls, rings and clubs but not limited to; thus effectively increasing hand-eye coordination as well as mental discipline.

· Tumbling-An art form that focuses on skills such as flips, aerials, rolls, kart wheels, forward and back hand springs, etc… while increasing body awareness, strength and overall coordination. Advanced tricks have greater inherent risks by nature, and will take much time and practice to perfect.

· Unicycle- The ability to ride on nothing more than a single-wheeled piece of equipment. Can be combined with juggling, tight rope, and even acro at more advanced levels.

Aerial

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OUTCOME:

This course is for students who wish to learn basic to advanced aerial skills. The students in this class will learn to perform on aerial equipment, handle and maintain the aerial equipment, as well as body awareness and control. By the end of the school year, the students should be able to choreograph and perform at least a two-minute routine on the apparatus of their choice. Students in this course will be required to wear proper workout attire at all times during the class and to maintain a positive attitude.

· Ribbon: Two pieces of fabric used for climbing, wrapping and drops.

· Trapeze: solid bar with two ropes on either side used for static strength training and trick building.

· Hammock: One continuous piece of fabric, similar to a ribbon, except that it can be sat on or laid inside of.

· Lyra: A metal hoop used for similar tricks to trapeze and for spinning.

· Net: A large cargo net set up similar to a hammock with similar choreography.

· Cube: A cube-shaped metal device involving group tricks similar to trapeze or lyra.

Gymnastics

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OUTCOME:

This course is for students who wish to learn basic to advanced tumbling skills. The students in this class will learn to perform skills that use one’s own body primarily, equipment, as well as body awareness and control. By the end of the school year, the students should be able to demonstrate a variety of tumbling skills with good form and proper technique. Students in this course will be required to wear proper workout attire at all times during the class and to maintain a positive attitude throughout the class.

• Tumbling- An art form that focuses on skills such as flips, aerials, rolls, kart wheels, forward and  back hand springs, etc… while increasing body awareness, strength and overall coordination. Advanced tricks have greater inherent risks by nature, and will take much time and practice to perfect.