Ever wanted to become a professional acrobat, juggler or mime artist? Fancy practising your aerial or clowning skills?

Circomedia, the UK’s largest circus and physical theatre school, is based in Bristol and now offers a two year foundation degree in partnership with Bath Spa University. During this time, students can develop and hone their circus knowledge which includes a range of aerial skills, juggling and acrobatics. But it’s not all clowning around and the two year course is not a walk in the park (at least use a pair of stilts). The course is full time, intensive and very physical and there is certainly no time to snooze at the back of the class because with regular fitness tests to look forward to, you simply would not keep up.

Alice Ellerby is a recent recruit to Circomedia. She joined with 25 other students in October and has already begun to focus on her specialist skill; physical theatre and aerial work, in particular, the Corde Lisse and static trapeze. This course offered her the perfect opportunity to centre on two of her skills, yet also developing movement techniques and fitness. The tutors want the students to be as well rounded as possible in order for them to find work once they graduate. Alice has always loved the theatre but wasn’t sure how to take it further. Following her degree, she didn’t want to go to drama school with lots of eager youths and after finding out about Circomedia, she realised this was what she wanted. Come 2010, she will have graduated and will have built up the skills needed to perform at festivals like Glastonbury or Croissant Neuf who base their summer festivals on cabaret, music and performance workshops. Alice is hoping to join a physical theatre company or form her own troupe with fellow students. Whatever the future may hold, it’s definitely going to be a hard graft, but rounded off with a whole lot of fun!

Circus schools with classes for the mere mortals are cropping up all over the place. Anyone with a whim for the big top can wet their whistle with evening classes and short courses. Indeed, training for the circus is breaking into the mainstream and is becoming less isolated. Circomedia offers evening classes in the static trapeze, flying trapeze, the Corde Lisse (strong thighs required) and acrobatics. This is a fantastic opportunity to try what you’ve always dreamt about, or to have that total body work out which definitely beats the boring gym into submission.

Circomedia was founded fifteen years ago and is the progeny of Fooltime, Britain’s first circus school. You have probably noticed the recently reformed St Paul’s Church in Portland Square, but the full time students are based in Kingswood in an old Victorian school. Alice and her fellow students will have finished their first year by the end of June. They will then be going on tour for a month which will culminate in a performance at the Glastonbury stages along with the regular end of year show at St Paul’s Church, so look out for them this summer!

www.circomedia.com

Lizzie Woodall