Professional Prep Program

The Professional Preparatory Program at Esh Circus Arts is designed to help dedicated circus students develop their technical, choreographic, and performance skills in their chosen discipline.

About the Professional Prep Program

Program focuses include aerial fabric, aerial sling/hammock, static trapeze, single point/dance trapeze, aerial rope, aerial hoop/lyra, aerial straps, partner acrobatics/hand-to-hand, hand balancing, and contortion.

PROGRAM GOALS

Provide a structured training program for circus students with professional performance aspirations.
Help students develop strength, flexibility, technical mastery, and performance skills in a supportive community.
Foster mentoring relationships between students and Esh coaches.

Program Elements

In addition to the Program elements, students are required to register for at least one weekly group class at Esh each session in their chosen focus, and to attend a weekly dance class. The dance class may be in any style that emphasizes solo work (ie, not partner/social dancing), and may be at Esh or at another studio.

Students must also commit to at least 10 hours of self-directed training time each week.

PRO-PREP GROUP CLASS

A two hour block of class time on Sunday mornings that includes training in physical theater, movement improv, conditioning, and flexibility.

PRIVATE LESSONS

Students receive 120 minutes of private lesson time each month, which may be booked in 30 or 60 minute increments.

MONTHLY WORKSHOPS

In a variety of topics, including injury prevention, nutrition, audition skills, business skills, and more.

RESIDENCY TRAINING TIMES

To practice skills in a focused, small group environment.

OPEN STUDIOS

Access to multiple weekly Open Studio times for even more practice time.

Admissions

Admission to the program is via video audition and in-person interview. Audition videos must be received at least one month before the desired start date. New students are admitted quarterly to begin on Sept. 1st (video due August 1st), Dec. 1st (video due November 1st), and March 1st (video due February 1st). PPP does not run over the summer months of June, July, and August.

Email audition videos to ellen@eshcircusarts.com.

AUDITION VIDEO REQUIREMENTS

Introduction: Tell us your name and age and a brief summary of your training background – how long, where, and with whom have you trained?
Flexibility: Center splits, right/left splits, pike, side bending, back bending, and shoulders.
Strength: Demonstrate the following with the best form you can: 20 second hollow body; plank position; pull-ups; toes-to-bar (straight arms and straight legs); push-ups; handstand (against a wall if needed); squat; no-leg rope/silks climb.
Focus discipline: Include at least 2 minutes of a continuous sequence in your primary discipline. You may use training video or performance video. If you are using footage from a group act, be sure we can clearly tell who you are. You may include additional footage of your focus discipline to showcase specific skills.

Tumbling: Demonstrate the following with the best form you can – forward roll; backward roll; cartwheel on both sides; handstand kick-up from standing lunge. Please include additional tumbling skills if you have them.
Dance: Include a 1 minute dance sequence showcasing any dance styles in which you have training. If you do not have formal dance training, show us 1 minute of solo improv to music.
Additional skills: Include any secondary circus or movement skills, including tumbling and dance.

If you have questions about any of these requirements, contact ellen@eshcircusarts.com.

Tuition

Program tuition is $325 per month, and includes all program elements. There is a 3 month minimum commitment for the Pro Prep Program. Tuition is due monthly.

The cost of weekly group session classes and the weekly dance class requirement is not included in program tuition.

EMAIL YOUR VIDEO