Getting into shape and living a healthier lifestyle is a New Year’s resolution as old as time.
Every January people pack up their bags and flood local gyms in an attempt to work on their fitness levels, but with high expectations it can become hard to maintain over the 365 days ahead. Lack of motivation and becoming bored with the same old routine are common factors in resolutions being abandoned.
That’s where TriCity Centre for Circus Arts can help shake up the routine.
“Circus arts are physically rigorous, so it's definitely going to develop strength and flexibility that not only feels good, but is going to help you in everyday life,” Lindsay Bellaire, president and co-owner of TriCity Centre for Circus Arts said.
“For adults, it also builds creative problem-solving skills, all while doing something fun with very clear goals. It provides a place of belonging and community, where everyone encourages each other and works together.”
The training facility didn’t open until 2020, but its origins date back to 2015 when Bellaire and her partner Phillip Psutka met in the BFA in Acting Program at the University of Windsor.
Upon graduating, Bellaire began training at the Toronto School of Circus Arts, eventually becoming a coach.
While there, the pair created a professional company creating and producing shows that blend theatre with aerial arts. They then decided to return and open their current studio located at 1-560 Thompson Dr.
The centre runs programs for kids, youth and adults.
“Programming for kids and youth, it develops their motor skills and spatial awareness, builds physical and mental resilience as they learn to overcome challenges and gives them a space for creative expression where they can develop their own ideas with the skills they're learning,” Bellaire said.
“We gear our beginner classes to people who have never trained in circus arts before. It's not even a requirement that they be at a certain fitness level. We believe that at the recreational level, circus arts are for everyone to participate in and we always do our best to meet new students where they're at.”
Kids and youth will start on silks, hoop and acro within the same class so that they get to work on everything.
Adults choose the apparatus they would like to train on and register for that specific class. Every class begins with a warm up and incorporates review, conditioning, and new moves.
Eva Chartran saw other people doing circus arts and thought it looked like a fun experience, prompting her to join TriCity Centre for Circus Arts as a youth student.
“I did dance and I didn’t really like dance, but this is almost like a combination of dance and gymnastics,” Chartran said.
“There’s a really good energy here.”
Chartran agrees that the workout you get from being up on the rings or on the silks is different from anything else she’s seen.
“It’s a way to get a good workout in without having to lift weights,” she said.
“Getting up on the bar over and over again is hard. I feel like it’s a great arm and core workout.”
Just as important as the physical workout is the mental benefits, Bellaire says.
“I would say that the mental benefits almost surpass the physical,” she said.
“Exercise helps us de-stress. For kids and youth, it builds mental resilience and confidence as they learn how to overcome obstacles and deal with challenges. Best of all, it gets you into a room with other people.”
Watching students progress and enjoy the process of learning something new is what it’s all about for Bellaire and her staff.
“I love anything in our programming that makes the TriCity Centre for Circus Arts more than just a place to take classes,” she said.
“My favourite parts of the programming are the initiatives that pull the community together and give the students an opportunity to apply and share what they've learned.”
Programming runs in 12 week sessions. For scheduling details visit tricitycircus.com, email [email protected] or call 548-994-9443.
