Youth Aerial Silks Classes in Stuart and Jupiter, Florida
Aerial silk is a circus art in which performers climb, wrap, suspend, spin, and create shapes on long lengths of fabric hung from above. Despite the name, aerial silks are not actually made of silk. The term comes from the French chiffon, meaning cloth or fabric, and modern aerial fabrics are typically made from strong synthetic materials designed to stretch slightly and support an aerialist’s weight. For that reason, at FADCA you will often hear us simply call the apparatus “fabric” rather than “silks.”
At Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts (FADCA), our aerial rigs have been professionally installed by ETCP-certified rigging professionals, an important part of our commitment to proper aerial safety and professional circus standards. Aerial fabric combines strength, flexibility, dance, acrobatics, and theatrical expression—transforming a simple piece of cloth into an apparatus for climbing, flying, falling, and storytelling in the air.
Lyra (Aerial Hoop)
Aerial Lyra is a circus art performed on a suspended metal ring, where aerialists create shapes, balances, spins, transitions, and acrobatic movements both inside and around the apparatus. You may commonly hear this apparatus called an “aerial hoop,” but at Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts (FADCA), we prefer the traditional circus term “Lyra.” In our circus lexicon, hoop refers to a manipulation art—the family of skills involving hoops manipulated around or by the body—while Lyra clearly identifies the suspended aerial apparatus.
At FADCA, Lyra is not limited to one configuration. You may see it suspended from a single point, connected by a pair of bridled points, or even turned horizontally as a Tippy Lyra. These different configurations invite young artists to problem-solve, adapt their movement, and discover entirely new ways of using a familiar apparatus. In a world where so much of childhood is increasingly structured, scheduled, and screen-based, we believe there is real value in giving young people a place to experiment, create, move, take appropriate risks, and experience the joy of discovering what their bodies and imaginations can do. FADCA uses circus to stretch the boundaries of creativity—not simply to teach tricks, but to help develop curious, confident and expressive young artists.
Our aerial rigs have been professionally installed by ETCP-certified rigging professionals, an important part of FADCA's commitment to proper aerial safety and professional circus standards. Lyra combines strength, flexibility, balance, timing, dance, and theatrical expression, allowing an artist to move above, below, inside, and around the circle—and sometimes to completely rethink what a circle can be.
Trapeze — Strength, Balance & Artistry
Trapeze is one of the most recognizable apparatuses in circus, but there are many different forms of trapeze. At Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts (FADCA), we study Static Trapeze, not Flying Trapeze. Unlike its famous flying cousin, the static trapeze is designed to remain relatively in axis rather than travel through a large swinging arc. This gives the aerialist an extraordinary playground for balances, hangs, rolls, rotations, strength skills, flexibility, transitions, and creative movement on the bar and ropes.
And one trapeze is only the beginning. FADCA students explore Solo Trapeze, Double Trapeze, where two artists share an apparatus and learn the art of partnering, and our audience favorite, Triple Trapeze, where multiple performers create moving pictures together. Partner and ensemble trapeze demand something especially valuable: communication, trust, spatial awareness, timing, and the ability to contribute to something larger than yourself. In a world that increasingly pulls young people toward individual screens and individual experiences, circus gives them a very physical reason to look up, pay attention to one another, cooperate, and create together.
Our aerial rigs have been professionally installed by ETCP-certified rigging professionals, an important part of FADCA's commitment to proper aerial safety and professional circus standards. Static Trapeze may appear beautifully simple—a bar and two ropes—but in the hands of imaginative young artists, there are many, many things it can become.
Aerial Straps
Aerial Straps
Where aerial training progresses. Taught by aerial straps artist Brent Durham, advanced students build exceptional strength, control, precision, and artistry while exploring one of circus’s most demanding aerial disciplines.
German Wheel — Rhönrad
The German Wheel, or Rhönrad, is a large circular apparatus that allows the artist to roll, rock, spin, balance, and travel through space using the entire body. Equal parts circus apparatus and athletic challenge, German Wheel develops balance, coordination, spatial awareness, strength, and confidence — and it is tremendous fun.
At FADCA, we do not train competitive German Wheel. Instead, we teach a foundational recreational syllabus designed for fitness, fun, circus performance, and the pure joy of learning an unusual skill. Students develop strong basic technique while exploring ways to incorporate the Wheel into theatrical and ensemble performances.
FADCA trains on Ukrainian-made German Wheels with a larger diameter, particularly well suited to our recreational and performance-based approach. The larger wheels provide plenty of room for developing artists and create a wonderful visual presence onstage — because at FADCA, the Wheel isn't only something to master; it's something to perform with.