ALOFTCIRCUSARTS
CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS ARTS TRAINING
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"Just when you think you've challenged your body and know your limitations, leave it to the folks at Aloft to change your perspective."
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Check out a great article about Full Time Program in ACE magazine!
Listen to director, Shayna Swanson, talk about the program on the Artist Athlete podcast!
The Two year professional training program at Aloft
The mission of our program is to create curious and questioning artists committed to advancing the role of circus the US and abroad. We aim to inspire our students to aim to inspire others and give them the tools to make physically and emotionally rigorous work that challenges ideas of who we are and what we can do, as individuals and a unified force. We want a circus revolution and we are building an army.
We are pleased to introduce a new and improved Aloft Professional Training Program, developed to deliver the same excellent artistic and technical training that Aloft is known for in a more accessible and efficient package. Our updated program lowers the cost of training, the revised schedule provides more options for students to work and make a living outside of the program, and expedites the process of skill acquisition in the first year.
Year One of the program will focus on building foundational skills and techniques, with 9 months dedicated to exploring new disciplines, developing generalist skills, and starting to develop your own unique work. The additional 3 months at the end of this year will combine the Lab Coach model and the Show Creation model that was previously only accessible in Year Two.
Year Two will be a personalized residency focused on the creation of an exquisite graduation act which will combine intensive private coaching, a prescribed independent training plan, personalized career guidance and a final show creation process featuring your act. Depending on student progress, this second year may also allow for outside paid performance opportunities and, if desired, teacher training. Year Two will also culminate in the Lab Weeks and Show Creation.
dates and prices
IMPORTANT DATES
Applications due: Feb 15, 2023
Auditions: March 30-31
Notification of acceptance: April 7, 2023
Year One Program Start Date: June 12, 2023
Year Two Program Start Date: Sept 5, 2023
PRICING
Year One: $11,660 (12 months of training)
Year Two: $9350 (9 months of training)
“Aloft’s full time program has helped me grow physically, mentally, and artistically. The coaches are so talented and helpful! The program gives you time to explore a variety of circus arts, then allows you to hone in on what you are passionate about. In addition to outstanding aerial training, Aloft offers a variety of apparatuses that are not often available, including tightwire and tramp wall. The lab year gives you the opportunity to work with circus professionals that share their experience, training methods, and practical advice about succeeding as a circus professional. I consider myself extremely lucky to have participated in it, and would recommend it to anyone hoping to become more technically proficient, creative, and physically expressive.” Christine Conroy
“I am a graduate of two training programs and Aloft’s full time training program was by far the most valuable one to me. It pushed me to grow in ways both professionally and personally and to reach my career goals. Some of my favorite aspects of it were the comprehensive group disciplines and classes, working one on one with my instructor on the development of my ideas and act creation, the classroom knowledge we received about the business side and the beautiful show we put together at the end. I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to be challenged, changed and deeply moved by this unique experience.” Kristi Taff
“I came in to Aloft’s full time training program with a burning desire to be a badass successful rope artist, the program not only offered me the opportunity to advance significantly in my rope skills, but also allowed me to grow as a generalist. For that I will forever be grateful. Post the program, I continued to work with my coach and within a year found myself working as a professional rope artist. Within a year of graduating the program I had performed my act at festivals throughout the United States as well as being invited to perform as the 5th US artist at the 16th International Festival of Circus CIRCUBA in Havana, Cuba in 2017”. - Bre Lawson 2016
“The full-time program at Aloft is more than a circus school. It's a spiritual journey. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and I've done a lot of cool things. I gained so much as a result of the life-changing Aloft full-time program, including a supportive community, a group of lifelong friends, tremendous mental and physical strength, and a safe place and time for creative free expression. The coaches in the program will help you get stronger both as an acrobat and as an artist. Here muscular strength goes hand in hand with the strength to speak up with your own unique voice. The world outside is trying to crush your beautiful spirit; don't let it! Join the circus! Get strong! Fight back with style! Being an artist today takes strength and guts. The full-time program at Aloft will give you both. The full-time program at Aloft has found the perfect balance between the development of technical skill and the fostering of artistic creativity. Itt has so much to offer: incredible professional coaches, an enormous variety of classes and disciplines, a beautiful training space, and a community on the forefront of circus in the U.S.” -Whitni Battle (Gyata Dingo)