Understanding the difference between tricks and skills is the key to understanding acrobatics. Let us break down & explain that difference for you!

This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to write: the base is not always right.  Too frequently in both our own training, and that we see of others,...

There’s one piece of advice I see given that I think is a ‘catch 22’. Self Assessment. It’s a phrase that you hear a lot but without much explanation or...

We get asked a lot ‘How do I make an act?’. Which is a very loaded question. I’m going to try and outline a simplified, three step approach to go...

Here’s the thing about Hand to Hand: it’s really, really, incredibly simple. It’s just that it’s also really, really, incredibly hard. Within the entire discipline of Hand to Hand there...

Today we settle a dispute older than time itself. Knees in? Or knees out? And in the process, I will likely infuriate people who think that there is a ‘winner...

A picture is worth a thousand words, and actions speak louder than words. So rather than speaking, take a photo of yourself doing something and show it to people instead....

We’ve warmed up, we’ve worked on improving some of our existing skills, now we want to tackle learning new ones. Learning a new skill is an exhilarating, fun and rewarding...

Ok, so we’ve taken the time to warm up. Super. What’s next? This week we’re going to take a look at methods to refine, and improve, some of your existing...

You, in your busy 21st-century modern life, have a finite amount of time to spend on training. So you’d better use your time wisely. Let’s look at how to structure...

Mythconceptions is a word I have officially made up. It is part myth, part mis-conception. It’s a mythconception. And there are two I see in handstands all the time. The...

Last June we started creation on a brand new show for Cirque du Soleil. We’ve visited over 50 cities, done three hundred and something shows, created complicated tax liability in...

 Welcome back! If you haven't already I suggest you read What It Means To Be A Base - Part 1 before you start reading Part 2. I think that 'Being a...

Today is the first part of a two part blog where we’re going to take a look at what I think are the unique responsibilities of being a base, and...

I think that’s amazing. I 100% support you in that decision, and I’d like to do whatever I can to help you. If you’re someone who’s been doing acro or...

Don't let your training get slowed down! Avoid these 3 common training mistakes to catapult your acrobatic and handstand practice to the next level!

Ever have a training session where you’re trying new things, and you’re nailing all of them on the first couple tries and you feel like a total badass? And have...

We’re constantly looking at the technique of the Acrobatics itself, but rarely do we look at the ‘technique’ of being part of a duo/trio/group. One major aspect of this is...

If you’re currently practising Hand to Hand, Handstands or potentially some higher level acroyoga, you will spend the majority of your training time without a coach or instructor. This is...

Why a Circus Contract Is One of the Best Ways to Save Money Most people think of circus contracts in terms of what they earn.Not many think about what they...

Do your finances balance as well as your handstand? Working in circus often means an unstable, inconsistent income—leaving you stranded between contracts with little money and no idea where the...

Sick of writing emails to casting directors? Never get a reply? Always wondering—did they even see it?Here’s the secret: top casting directors are flooded with hundreds of emails a week. Even if...

It's Not Always About Your Skill Level Why Applications Get Rejected and What It Actually Means You submitted the video. You waited.You didn't hear back or you got a polite...

Three Months Off Is Not Three Months Behind What the Gap Between Contracts Is Actually For No contract. No rehearsals. No schedule.Just you, your training space, and the quiet that...

Eating to Perform, Not to Impress One of the quietest performance killers in circus isn’t lack of strength. It’s hesitation. You approach a skill and something feels slightly off. Timing...

Why Circus People Are Built Differently Circus artists choose a path most people actively avoid. You train without guarantees.You commit years to skills that may never be seen by the...

Touring NutritionTouring turns food into logistics.Different countries, late-night shows, catering you can’t control — it’s easy to survive on caffeine and carbs. But performance is fuel-sensitive. What you eat doesn’t...

The Injury WhisperYour body talks — but most of us only listen once it starts screaming.  That ache in your wrist? The tightness in your shoulder? The knee that never...

Learning From Auditions Didn’t get the job? Perfect.You just got a free feedback session from the real world. Every “no” teaches you something that a “yes” never will.A “yes” feels...

Injuries Whilst Working How do you deal with it? Do you tell your boss?Do you work through the pain?Do you fear losing your job from missing a show? I’ve definitely...

When Passion Becomes ProfessionRemember when circus was the highlight of your week? The late-night training jams. The thrill of learning something new. The fun.Then it became your job. Now it’s eight shows...

What Really Makes a Great Circus Act? An act isn’t just a bunch of tricks strung together with music and a sparkly costume.(Though… for some people, it unfortunately is.) But...

The best advice we ever received for becoming a performer! Aside from - train hard, have passion, and be safe Watch shows, and watch as many as you can.  When we...

In circus, whether you're flying, basing, juggling, or clowning, you're rarely working alone. But have you ever noticed how easy it is to slip into saying, “You need to do...

You Were There. You Know What Happened.Trust Your Own Read Before You Look for Anyone Else's You just came off stage.You know in your body whether that was your best...

The Weight You Carry Doesn't Have to Feel HeavyResponsibility Without Resentment: How Circus Artists Stay Steady Under Pressure You're the base holding it together when your partner is off.You're the...

Training When Motivation Is Average Not every training session feels inspiring. Some days you feel focused and energized. Other days you simply show up because it’s part of your routine....

Redefining “Progress” in Circus Progress in circus is rarely linear. Some weeks you unlock a new skill. Other weeks you repeat basics that feel unchanged. It’s easy to believe progress...

Remembering Why You Started - Back when you didn't need Motivation Motivation comes and goes.That’s normal. What keeps artists training long-term isn’t motivation, it’s connection to why they started, even...

Identity Beyond AcrobaticsAt some point, every artist steps off stage.It might be a break, a season, or a transition — but it comes for all of us. The ones who...

Trust your grip.And I don’t just mean your hands. Your mental grip matters even more. Every artist knows that moment — the slippery second before you jump, release, or balance....

The Backstage Mindset The moments before you step on stage are where the real performance begins.It’s in those few seconds that your thoughts, breath, and focus decide what kind of...

The Comparison Trap Ever scroll through Instagram and think, “They’re doing so much better than me…”?Yeah, we’ve all been there. It’s easy to forget that what you’re seeing is a...

Lonely on the Road They don’t tell you this in circus school:Touring the world is exciting… until it isn’t. After the applause fades, you’re alone in a hotel room, scrolling...

How to Control Pre-Show Nerves That intense mix of excitement and dread before a show?Yeah—that feeling.It makes your hair stand, you start to sweat or even need to 💩All of...

The Secret to Becoming an Injury-Free Performer Let’s be real—if there’s one thing that can end your career faster than bad timing or a missed cue, it’s an injury.And no,...

Are you a critic—or an acclaimer? The moment your feet touch the ground or you step offstage, what’s your instinct?“Here’s what went wrong,” or “That felt amazing”? Neither reaction is...

What Strong Circus Partnerships Actually Do Well Strong circus partnerships aren’t built on perfect skills. They’re built on consistency, communication, and trust developed long before the audience ever watches. Good...

Training Is the Community, Not Just the Skills Training isn’t only about learning tricks. It’s where trust is built slowly, rep by rep.Where partners learn how to communicate without words.It's...

Circus — The Stage Where Rivals Share SecretsIn most sports, competitors guard their secrets. In circus, we teach them.That’s what makes this world so rare — and so powerful.Circus communities are...

Circus Is a Team Sport Even the most “solo” act isn’t truly solo.Behind every performer is a small army — riggers, techs, stage managers, coaches, costumers, physios, and friends who...

The Power of a Musical PauseThe most powerful moment in your act might not be your hardest trick —It might be the silence before it. When everything stops — the...

Performing TiredLet’s be honest — sometimes you walk into a show already running on fumes. The travel, the lights, the endless repetitions — it’s not glamorous, it’s grind. But here’s...

Owning the StageBefore you do a single trick, before you hit your first pose — the audience already feels you.Your energy enters before your movement does.You can have the best...

Show Shape vs. Strength ShapePerforming eight shows a week feels like training… until you realize it’s not.Show shape and strength shape are two completely different animals.Show shape is endurance —...

The Spotlight Syndrome When you’re performing every night, training every day, and constantly chasing the next contract — it’s easy to forget that you exist outside the stage. You start...

The Hardest Skills Are the Least Appreciated Ever spent years mastering a skill—only to have the crowd react more to something you learned in your first month? You’re not alone....

The Secret to Being a Great Performer? 🕺Take class in dance, theatre and movement! Circus skills are impressive, but performance is about connection. If you want to truly captivate your audience,...

The Sign You're Overdue for a Break Not Just Getting Tired You come off stage and immediately negatively pick it apart.Every skill. Every moment that wasn't quite right.The warm-up feels...

When the Skill You Owned Stops WorkingRegression Is Real and Nobody Talks About It Enough You had it clean.Consistent. Reliable. Show-ready.Now it's gone and you don't know why.This is one...

One Focused Hour Beats Three Distracted OnesQuality Training Is the Cheat Code Nobody Talks AboutMore hours doesn't mean more progress. More focused hours does.The artists who improve fastest aren't always...

Plateaus Are Proof You’re Doing It Right Plateaus can feel frustrating. You show up, train consistently, and nothing seems to change. Skills feel the same. Progress feels slow. It’s easy...

The Power of Small Daily Improvements What you repeat quietly shapes what you become. Big breakthroughs are easy to notice.Small improvements often go unseen. One cleaner entry.One slightly better line.One choice...

The Plateau MythYou know that feeling when your training suddenly flatlines?You’re putting in the hours, showing up every day — but the trick won’t clean up, your strength won’t increase,...

Why Good Liquid Chalk Isn’t OptionalLet’s be blunt—bad grip ruins everything.Slipping off your apparatus…Dropping your partner…Fingers stuck together from a glue rosin sprayOr having to reapply chalk every 30 seconds...

The Best-Kept Secret for Unlocking a Stubborn Skill You’ve been drilling a skill every session…And it’s still not getting better.Worse—it might even feel like it’s getting worse. Here’s the twist:...

When Should You Train Your Hardest Skills? Be honest—how often do you save your new or hardest skills for the end of training? You warm up, do some conditioning, polish...

Why Aren’t You Getting Better? Chances are…You’re stuck in the maintenance phase. If you're not regularly pushing yourself 5–10% beyond your current level, you're not progressing—you're just maintaining. Or worse…...

Grip Strength Needs a Warm-Up Too! The one thing holding your life—or your partner’s life —on the line…and most people don’t even warm it up. Your GRIP. Training grip strength...

The 1% Rule – How Real Progress Happens Want to get 37x better at circus in one year? You don’t need giant breakthroughs.You need to improve just 1% every day....

The Hidden Cost of Progress Ever feel like your training hits a wall?Like one day a skill feels great—light, effortless, smooth—and the next it feels like you've never done it...

Pick Your Battles – One Fix at a Time  So, you filmed the trick. Watched it back. And—ouch—you spotted 13 issues. Bent legs. Uneven hands. No toe point. Awkward timing....

Your Warm-Up Isn’t Working (Here’s Why) If you can do your warm-up without thinking, it’s probably not preparing you for anything. Warm-ups should switch on everything from you mind, co-ordination,...

Strength is Nothing Without Mobility In circus, raw strength alone won’t get you far. You can have the strongest arms in the world, but if you can’t move through a...

The Power of Micro AdjustmentsThe biggest improvements in your technique don’t come from huge overhauls. They come from tiny, intentional tweaks. A slight shift in weight, a subtle engagement of...

Spotting isn’t just for beginners—it’s a tool the best acrobats in the world still use to refine their skills. A good spotter doesn’t just catch you when things go wrong;...

Don't Rush the Build – Mastery Takes TimeEver feel like you're stuck in training, just drilling the same skills over and over? It’s tempting to push for faster results, but...

Every trick has a beginning, middle, and end. But too often, we focus so much on getting the skill that we forget about the landing. A clean exit isn’t just...

The Secret to Coaching Yourself Ever feel lost without a coach? The best acrobats don’t just train harder—they train smarter by breaking tricks into smaller parts. Ever feel stuck on a trick no...

The Floor is Lava – Your #1 Job as a Base/Porter “Your job is to keep the flyer off the floor. Period.” Think of porting like playing ‘The Floor is Lava.’...

Understand Skill Floors and Ceilings Ever feel like some tricks come easy while others feel impossible?  That’s because every skill has a Skill Floor (how easy it is to start)...