The circus has always held a certain allure, from the Ringling Bros. Circus of the late-19th century to the artistic stylings of today’s Cirque du Soleil. We even reference the adventure the circus promises when we use the common phrase “running away and joining the circus.” In Calgary, these would-be circus performers don’t have to run far to participate in the art form. In fact, they need only go to the Calgary Circus Studio in the Inglewood district, one of the city’s only schools dedicated to recreational circus art.
In the back of a church-cum-circus studio, students from the ages of seven through adulthood can take classes in disciplines ranging from silks and trapeze to prop manipulation (such as juggling).