Class Types

Beginner

The place to start! Learn the basic skills and conditioning to start your circus journey. You might enjoy staying in a beginner class for several terms to develop your technique and confidence.

All Abilities

If the class doesn’t state a skill level, it’s All Abilities! These classes cater to all skill levels and often combine newer students and those with some experience. Coaches will adjust the lesson to suit the abilities of the students.

Experienced

For students who have been at Ruccis for more than a year, and wish to push their skills further. Experienced classes have prerequisites for specific skills. See below for details and consult your coach before enrolling.

Advanced

Suitable for teen and adult students who have trained their speciality for at least a year and are looking for more complex skills with more intense conditioning and advanced tricks.

Class Descriptions

Circus Mix

Try a little bit of everything in Circus Mix! These classes are the perfect place to explore general circus skills as students work through rotations of aerial, tumbling, manipulation and balance. Find out more about each discipline:

Manipulation

Develop fine motor skills through thorwing, catching, spinning and twirling objects. Example include juggling, hula hoops, devil sticks, plate spinning, poi, scarves diablo and more.

Aerial

Get up in the air and build your strength through climbing, hanging, swinging and spinning on various apparatuses including static and dance trapeze, silks (tissu), aerial hoop (lyra), cloudswing, spanish web, corde lisse, slings and cube.

Tumbling

Learn body control and incorporate some of the skills of artistic gymnastics on the floor and trampolining. Some examples of specific skills are ground tumbling, handstands, mini-tramp, double-mini-tramp, conditioning and acrobalance (partner acrobatics)

Balance

Balance, sometimes called Equilibrium, is the art of balancing on static or moving objects. Find your centre on the tightwire, unicycle, walking globe, rolla bolla or stilt walking.

Aerial

Perfect for students wanting to get up in the air! These classes cover both tissu and trapeze, and we’ll cover basic climbs and wraps on tissu and shapes and sequences on trapeze and aerial hoop.  

Tissu

Sometime called Silks, Tissu are the long lengths of material suspended from ceiling where you can climb, wrap and perform drops.  Build your strength, learn tricks and poses, and then how to sting them all together.

Trapeze & Hoop

A dedicated class for the bar apparatuses. Explore dynamic tricks and transitions on the aerial hoop (also called Lyra), as well as on our static and single point trapezes. Great for working on your core and upper body strength.

Yah Yahs

Yah-Yahs is for the Young at Heart – a Circus Mix class designed for adults who want a gentler approach to circus training or who are coming back to regular exercise after some time away. This class covers everything a Circus Mix class covers: manipulation, tumbling, balance and aerial.

Pre-School Circus

A super fun circus class just for toddlers. Kids will have a chance to play with various circus equipment, work through an obstacle course and try aerial equipment in a safe environment. A great place for toddlers to develop gross motor skills, body awareness and confidence, and most importantly have fun! Parents are welcome to assist or watch.

Circus Buddies

A Circus Mix class where 3 – 5 year olds get to try circus with an adult buddy! Kids work with a parent, family member or friend through all the elements of a Circus Mix class and adults will get to work on skills as well!

Hula Hoops

Focus on hula hoop skills in a fun, social class for all abilities. Get a fantastic cardio workout covering a range of skills including traditional body hooping, hand manipulation skills, and more!  It’s a great way to get fit and welcomes beginners as well as experienced hoopers.

Tumbling

For students who love to be airborne! This class will cover rolls, jumps, flips and saults using floor, mini tramp and our double mini trampoline. Learn body control to also work on handstands and conditioning.

Globe & Tightrope

Covering all things balance, this class will help you polish your tightrope and globe walking skills as well as working on complimentary balancing conditioning.

Unicycle

Learn how to ride a unicycle! Cover the basics as well as more complicated skills. Suitable for all abilities, and students are encouraged to bring their own unicycle if they have one. Closed toe shoes must be worn.

Handstands

Handstands make you better at handstands! Train with like-minded folk and learn the tips and tricks to build your strength and correct technique to be upside down. A great way to prepare you for cane and chair balancing too. 

Prerequisite Classes

Your student’s coach will be able to let you know if your student has achieved the required prerequisites. Speak to you coach before enrolling in these classes.

Experienced Circus Mix

If you’ve been at Ruccis for at least two terms and are looking for more of a challenge, but don’t want to limit yourself to one speciality, Experienced Circus Mix is for you! We’ll go more in depth into aerial skills, tumbling and acro, manipulation and equilibrium. Check with your coach before enrolling.

Prerequisites

  • able to climb the tissu to the top
  • straddle from a climb on tissu
  • confidently dive roll and cartwheel
  • show an intermediate level of skill in manipulation OR equilibrium (ie: can walk the tightrope and globe independently, can consistently spin a plate, juggle three balls, manipulate two hoops, or similar)

Experienced Tissu

For students 8-13 years, who have been training tissu for at least 12 months and are ready to move on to more challenging tricks and sequences. 

Prerequisites:
Students must have attended a class with tissu for at least a year. Students must be able to:

  • climb to the top in both French and Russian climbs
  • 20sec dead hang
  • flair into a hiplock from a climb
  • demonstrate a candy cane drop
  • demonstrate catcher’s drop
  • demonstrate bluebird drop
  • evenly footlock on both feet from a climb

Students must have these skills checked off by their current coach BEFORE enrolling in this class. 

Performance Troupe and Troupe Xtreme

Suited to experienced Ruccis students who want to expand their repertoire and spend more time on stage. Each student will develop a solo or duo act as well as work on their group act skills. Students will be expected to participate in a main performance each term as well as smaller fetes and festivals through the year.

Prerequisites: have been at Ruccis for at least 12 months, and have at least one year of experience in their main specialty. Student will also have an entry interview with the lead coach prior to attending a trial class. This can be booked by emailing.

Advanced Tissu

Develop your tissu skills with more intense conditioning and advanced tricks. Suitable for students who have trained aerial for at least a year and are looking for more complex tissu or rope sequences including climbs, release moves, developing movement quality and bigger drops.

Prerequisites:

SKILLS:

  • 5x climbs to the top
  • French left and right
  • Russian left and right
  • Straddle climb
  • Even foot locks in the air
  • 3x Hiplocks in the air left and right from a climb no break

Drops:

  • Curly Whirly
  • Catches climb above
  • Swan Dive
  • Blue Bird
  • Continuous Cartwheel

STRENGTH:

  • 5x chin ups on silks
  • 30 second egg hang
  • 30 second egg hang upside down

PERFORMANCE/ENDURANCE:

  • 4 min improvised aerial act. No coming down and no verbal assistance.

NOT TESTED BUT EXPECTED KNOWLEDGE:

  • Flamingo
  • Girl in the moon
  • 360 drop
  • Hiplock saulto
  • Catches drop
  • Double ankle hang (dead penguin)
  • Cutie pie
  • Cradle

Experienced Aerial Hoop

A dedicated class for the Lyra. Develop your skills on the Aerial Hoop (or Lyra) and Trapeze and work more complex and dynamic tricks and transitions. 

Prerequisites:

  • have been training lyra or trapeze for at least 12 months.
  • mermaid roll through
  • hang by knees on the top and bottom bar of the lyra
  • pullover on top bar
  • 3 chinups
Red Tissu icon

Experienced Aerial Hammock

The only place you can learn the most impressive tricks on Aerial Hammock.

Prerequisites:

  • Straddle from a climb on silks
  • Catchers Climb above on silks
  • Pull-over a bar
  • Cross back straddle