Variety Staffer Mzée Pavlić writes about his experience taking an introductory class at Canopy Studio.
As a student at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, I remember seeing students leave to attend classes at something called Canopy Studio every Wednesday after school.
I’d wondered what it was, but the concept of swinging from a bar never quite piqued my interest. I never would’ve guessed that, nine years later, I’d be taking the studio’s adult Intro to Everything trapeze class.
Canopy Studio, located at 160-6 Tracy St., is an aerial arts studio that has offered various classes and private lessons on trapeze, fabrics, poles and more since 2002.
The class took place in a large, high-ceilinged room with firm mats along the floor and ropes lining the walls, all lit by sunlight streaming through high windows.
First, Full-Time Instructor, Ana Madrid, led the class through a round of stretching. I’ve never been very flexible, so my body didn’t appreciate my attempts at contorting it into various shapes, but I gradually felt myself relax.
The class had a simple structure throughout. First, Madrid would demonstrate the proper form for a new trick, then the class would follow and attempt the trick themselves while Madrid offered help and advice.
We began with simply sitting on the bar, which was easy enough, reminiscent of a playground swing. Then, the class moved on to leaning back while sitting on the bar, which was just a basic trick, but exciting nonetheless and gave me a glimpse into how fun the trapeze could be.
However, the next trick we learned was a lot harder. To do it, I had to sit near one of the bar’s ropes, lean back, then raise one of my legs up and press it against the opposite rope to support myself. I felt like I was going to fall off at several points, but with some effort, I succeeded and felt relieved that my hard work was paying off.
We then moved to standing on the bar. The arm strength it took to stand on the bar surprised me, but other than that, it was pretty simple. But of course the class didn’t stay so simple for long.
Next, I had to stand sideways on the trapeze with one heel at the very end of the bar, press my back against the rope, and then let go.
This was the first time I would be letting go with both of my hands, meaning only my back on the rope would be keeping me on the bar. After relying so much on my arms to keep me upright, I was worried that I would fall the moment I took my hands off the ropes. Still, I let go, and to my surprise, I didn’t come face-to-face with the mats below.
I pushed myself and it paid off.
Even though my experience at Canopy Studio only lasted an hour, I learned so much from it, from the strength and skill it takes to perform on a trapeze bar to how fun something I’d never imagined myself doing could be.
More from Mzée Pavlić
Variety staffer Mzée Pavlić performs on the trapeze during an adult Intro to Everything class at Canopy Studio on Aug. 31. From simply sitting on the bar to standing on it without hands, Pavlić learned a lot about the trapeze during the class. “However, the next trick we learned was a lot harder,” Pavlić wrote. “To do it, I had to sit near one of the bar’s ropes, lean back, then raise one of my legs up and press it against the opposite rope to support myself.” Photo by Illiana Tejada
Variety staffer Mzée Pavlić performs on the trapeze during an adult Intro to Everything class at Canopy Studio on Aug. 31. From simply sitting on the bar to standing on it without hands, Pavlić learned a lot about the trapeze during the class. “However, the next trick we learned was a lot harder,” Pavlić wrote. “To do it, I had to sit near one of the bar’s ropes, lean back, then raise one of my legs up and press it against the opposite rope to support myself.” Photo by Illiana Tejada
Variety Staffer Mzée Pavlić writes about his experience taking an introductory class at Canopy Studio.
As a student at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, I remember seeing students leave to attend classes at something called Canopy Studio every Wednesday after school.
I’d wondered what it was, but the concept of swinging from a bar never quite piqued my interest. I never would’ve guessed that, nine years later, I’d be taking the studio’s adult Intro to Everything trapeze class.
Canopy Studio, located at 160-6 Tracy St., is an aerial arts studio that has offered various classes and private lessons on trapeze, fabrics, poles and more since 2002.
The class took place in a large, high-ceilinged room with firm mats along the floor and ropes lining the walls, all lit by sunlight streaming through high windows.
First, Full-Time Instructor, Ana Madrid, led the class through a round of stretching. I’ve never been very flexible, so my body didn’t appreciate my attempts at contorting it into various shapes, but I gradually felt myself relax.
The class had a simple structure throughout. First, Madrid would demonstrate the proper form for a new trick, then the class would follow and attempt the trick themselves while Madrid offered help and advice.
We began with simply sitting on the bar, which was easy enough, reminiscent of a playground swing. Then, the class moved on to leaning back while sitting on the bar, which was just a basic trick, but exciting nonetheless and gave me a glimpse into how fun the trapeze could be.
I pushed myself and it paid off.
However, the next trick we learned was a lot harder. To do it, I had to sit near one of the bar’s ropes, lean back, then raise one of my legs up and press it against the opposite rope to support myself. I felt like I was going to fall off at several points, but with some effort, I succeeded and felt relieved that my hard work was paying off.
We then moved to standing on the bar. The arm strength it took to stand on the bar surprised me, but other than that, it was pretty simple. But of course the class didn’t stay so simple for long.
Next, I had to stand sideways on the trapeze with one heel at the very end of the bar, press my back against the rope, and then let go.
This was the first time I would be letting go with both of my hands, meaning only my back on the rope would be keeping me on the bar. After relying so much on my arms to keep me upright, I was worried that I would fall the moment I took my hands off the ropes. Still, I let go, and to my surprise, I didn’t come face-to-face with the mats below.
I pushed myself and it paid off.
Even though my experience at Canopy Studio only lasted an hour, I learned so much from it, from the strength and skill it takes to perform on a trapeze bar to how fun something I’d never imagined myself doing could be.
