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, contortion, tight wire, and juggling.
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.
Admissions
PPP is on pause from Fall 2024 – Spring 2025. The program will return beginning in September 2025. Applications for Fall Semester 2025 will be accepted beginning June 1st 2025.
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. PPP is designed as a 9-month curriculum, and we recommend beginning with the Fall Semester on Sept. 1st (video due August 1st).
Those with particularly strong circus skills and a background in dance and theater may apply to begin with the Winter Semester on Dec. 1st (video due November 1st). Strong applicants who are coming from other pre-professional programs may apply to begin with the Spring Semester on 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? What are your performance goals or aspirations?
- Flexibility: Center splits, right/left splits, pike, side bending, back bending, and shoulder mobility
- 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.
