Circus Student Performers
If you have ever dreamed of performing as an aerialist, dancer, hand balancer or contortionist, then join Cirque Art Studio to become a student performer. If you have the desire to learn and the willingness to train consistently, we welcome you to perform in our upcoming studio shows!
Below are a few tips to help you become performance ready.
Take classes at least three times a week.
We ask that our performers train at least three times a week. We want to make sure you will be completely comfortable and confident with your artistic piece by showtime. We do not have any dedicated performance classes to enroll in, you simply show up to your regular aerial, hand balancing, flexibility or contortion, class to work on your performance piece.
We aim to have you go through your performance at least three times in each class to gain confidence and endurance. We also want to make sure you have your performance choreography ready six to eight weeks prior to the show. This will give you enough time to practice your performance and perfect it.
Find music that matches your performance style.
Music is as important as the actual choreography. We recommend music with no lyrics to make it easier to time the moves in your performance piece. It may also prevent copyright infringements. Consider the pace of your moves and choose music that naturally matches that pace.
We encourage you to run through your performance to more than one song selection; this helps ensure you find the best song for your style. Also, it ensures that the song length matches your choreography. You will discover how you can make your song shorter or longer to match your performance. Lastly, make sure you can download your song and send it to us to have it in our lineup for the show!
Make each pose purposeful. Do not rush.
Often, students will focus so much on getting through their piece in practice that they rush through it. We encourage you to take your time. Do not rush! We will help you find beautiful poses in each move so that you can make your performance more meaningful. The audience will have time to cheer for you on each pose!
Finalize your costume ideas weeks in advance.
A great costume can really transform your performance. Once you have your choreography and song, choose a costume that will be appropriate for the performance and that matches your performance theme. We work with local costume designers to help get nice, discounted, costumes that are made with aerial and contortion performers in mind.
If you need to customize your costume, we recommend that you contact the costume designer weeks in advance to make sure the final costume is ready for dress rehearsal. Also, remember that your hair and makeup is another part of your costume. You will want to figure out what kind of makeup and accessories you need on show day, such as face paint, fake eyelashes, hairpieces, and or rhinestones.
Remember to point your toes!
We encourage you to point your toes when learning any move so that you have the habit of being performance ready. While there are times when flexed feet add drama to your piece, you generally want to point your toes at every possible moment. Pointed toes create beautiful lines, make great photo opportunities, and can also help you prepare for aerial competitions.