Exercise Like an Acrobat at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts

Story, photos by Dana J. Prophet

From humble beginnings and moving to a brand new location in Mt. Airy, the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts held an open house to invite their new neighbors and curious onlookers to see the magic happen.

Inside the church and school, 28,000 square feet will be available for classes, training space, performances, private sessions, rentals and weddings, special events, birthday parties, office space, staff lounge and kitchen, student lounge, storage and more. The 5,000-square-foot sanctuary features a 40 foot high ceiling, stained glass windows, a viewing gallery and additional space for new trampoline classes. Under the sanctuary rests a 5,000-square-foot gymnasium with a 17 foot high ceiling that will also be outfitted with aerial rigs and features a performance stage.

Inside the school building, each floor features approximately 6,000 square feet of space per each of the three floors and a total of ten classrooms.On the recreational side of operations, Philadelphia School of Circus Arts will offer 100+ classes open to the general public, from children to teens to adults, from intro to advanced levels.On the professional side of operations, the non-profit arts school Circadium School of Contemporary Circus will offer 35 to 40 hours of training and classes each week for its first students from around the globe.The two schools will operate in tandem with each other keeping the new circus facility operational at least 12 hours a day with the most talented and acclaimed instructors from Philadelphia, the United States and around the world.Down the road, future plans include renovating the home on campus for dorms or an artist in residence program. The organ room will become a phase two observation deck constructed in 2018. The grounds also leave room for future expansion of programs down the road.

The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts new location will provide a sky’s the limit opportunity to learn and perform amazing skills that one only saw under the Big Top. No matter if you are a beginner or well-versed in acrobats, you’ll find a class right for you.