High-flying hobbies: Learn about Michigan’s aerial gyms from locals

We talked to several high-flying Michiganders involved in aerial performances and circus gyms. Here’s what they had to say about the trend.

The gym is no place for clowning around … or is it? While you may have seen acrobats and trapeze artists perform at circuses and other shows, there are people across the Mitten who are taking it a step further and learning how to perform aerial acts themselves.

Circus gyms are places where people of all skill levels can learn and practice circus arts, from aerial silks, to acrobatics, to juggling! But, if you’ll pardon the pun, trying out a circus gym is no place for, well, clowning around.

Katie Janecke Soltesz is an amateur aerialist based in Grand Rapids who has been soaring on silks for seven years now. We sat down with her to talk a bit about how she got involved in circus arts, what the future might hold for circus gyms, and how Michiganders who want to “run away and join the circus,” if only for a few hours, can get started.

For this aerialist, it was love at first height

Soltesz began her circus gym journey back in 2017 with an aerial silks class. “A friend of mine wanted to try out a new studio, and she convinced me to attend a trial class, even though I was afraid of heights and hadn’t been to a gym in years,” she told us. From there, it was love at first height. 

“Silks quickly became my favorite hobby, with its mixture of physical challenge and the joy of learning a new skill. Now, I’ve tried a half dozen other aerial apparatuses, gained skills in flow arts, and have found physical strength, coordination, and flexibility that I would never have thought possible. The most impactful thing has been the community. I’ve met many close friends through circus classes, and the support and encouragement at my home studio, Great Lakes Circus Center, is honestly life-changing.”

Today, circus is a huge part of her life, both at her home studio and elsewhere. “I’ve been with Hire the Circus since 2019, and I perform aerial silks, lyra, and other sideshow acts across the Midwest. I would never have guessed that taking one aerial silks class would have me one day running away with the circus.”

Michigan’s circus gyms

Closer to home, Great Lakes Circus Center, or GLCC for short, officially opened in 2023, but founders Katherine Rodge and Jenn Young have been teaching and training people in circus arts for years. After losing their previous space, they set up a studio of their own to teach circus arts to the southeast Michigan community, including Soltesz, who describes the founding of GLCC as a labor of love.

“Aerialists and acrobats came in to scrub bathrooms, paint walls, install flooring, and make a beautiful space where we could train together as a community. Circus studio owners and instructors from across the state and beyond sent advice to Jenn and Katherine, and the messages of support speak to how well these two can connect with other circus professionals.”

Their efforts have been a success according to Rodge and Young. “The community in West Michigan is small compared to larger cities but with access to platforms like Instagram and TikTok awareness of circus as a recreational option is increasing,” they say, “and we are seeing steady growth.”

Rodge and Young encourage anyone interested to give circus gyms a try. “Don’t be afraid of looking silly!” they say; “Everyone looks silly when they first start out.”

Inclusivity is top of mind

There’s been a push in the Michigan circus community to make these high-flying hobbies more inclusive. Soltesz cites the efforts to address a history of racism in circus arts and gymnastics, as well as trying to make circus courses more affordable and accessible for a wider group of people.

She mentioned the work of nonprofit Cirque Bouclé, which seeks to build a more inclusive circus community in southwest Michigan, partnering with Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs to give kids their first aerial lessons, as well as weekly free classes at the GLCC.

Get flying!

On the whole, Soltesz agrees with Rodge and Young, stating that the important thing for anyone interested in circus arts is to give it a try, and not let insecurities hold you back.

“There’s been a phrase going around lately that ‘Every Body is a Circus Body.’ Different proportions, body weights, ability levels, movement knowledge — all of that doesn’t make someone capable or incapable of doing aerial arts, it just changes how they train,” she told us. “What I’ve been seeing at Great Lakes Circus Center proves that. Everyone finds success at their own pace. Finding a place where everyone cheers for your new move, whether it’s a simpler hold or complicated drop, that’s what builds good aerialists.”

It’s a far cry indeed from “clowning around,” but for anyone who’s ever dreamed of running off with the circus, there’s never been a better time.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.