Author: Kristen Shaw

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WCCO-TV Interview with Sherry and Lynn

Sherry Walling and Lynn Lunny talk about healing heartache through movement specifically through circus arts during their interview today with WCCO/CBS News.

Dr. Sherry Walling is a psychologist, author and aerial arts performer. Lynn Lunny is a circus arts performer and teacher. Both women tragically lost their brothers to suicide, and it was movement that helped them cope and manage their grief. During Mental Health Awareness month, they share their personal stories about how they found their outlet to heal.

If you’re interested in exploring and healing your own heartache through aerial movement, check out Circus for the Broken-Hearted workshop happening Sunday, June 4, 2023 at Stomping Ground Studio. No aerial experience required.

Sherry standing in background as Lynn holds a handstand with staggered legs on her handstand bench at a live interview with WCCO-TV
Touching Two Worlds: How circus arts and movement can help people cope with mental illness
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Private Parties & Events

Private group parties are the best way to celebrate your special time! Get your group together and schedule a private birthday or bachelorette party, or whatever else you’re celebrating!

Click here to fill out a brief questionnaire about your event. We’ll then check our books, and get back to you about scheduling as soon as we can! We usually have availability on Friday evenings and Saturdays mornings or afternoons. Please note that private events are scheduled around weekly classes. Click here to see the weekly class schedule.

Aerial arts studio showing tall ceiling and multiple apparatuses in us including a long haired person inverted on a trapeze, two people on blue slings, one person on straps, with a couple others in the background.
Celebrate with us!
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Vivid Conversations About Race Intensive Experience

April AWAKEN Cohort | Vivid Conversations About Race

This experience includes about 25hrs of Professional Development in Race Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, 3 consecutive sessions + 1 follow session, your workbook and tools, and so much more confidence and clarity in how to engage this very important and impactful work.

About this Intensive Experience:

This 3 part experience, taking individuals from [A]WAKEned, to [A]WOKEned, to WORKin’, is one stepping stone in a lifelong process of curating more welcoming and supportive spaces with regards to race equity.

This series is especially curated for those in the Twin Cities Circus & Performing Arts Community, a metro with some of the worst race disparities in the country. This disparity is constantly showing up in Twin Cities performing arts spaces of both instruction and performance.

Individuals will take part in this intensive because they want opportunities to get to know black and brown people trying alternative arts more often AND they want to be a part of welcoming people of all races to come, to stay, to play, and to authentically take up space.

Register Here

Check out other Vivid Black Paint sponsored events here.

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Spring Performance Prep Class and Showcase!

Click here to read our March Newsletter!

Spring Performance Prep Class Series Starts the Week of March 19th! 

Join us for our Spring Student Showcase Performance Prep Class and show!

In this is a seven-week class session, beginning the week of March 19th, you will meet weekly to work on creating and choreographing a piece on your apparatus of choice!

After the seven weekly classes, you get to debut your new act in our showcase happening the weekend of May 5th and 6th.

Experience on your apparatus is required. Come with tricks and sequences in mind that you would like to incorporate into your choreography. Please note this is not a learn-new-skills type of class. Your coach will be there to assist you in creating flow between your tricks and sequences to compile a new piece of artistry!

You may miss up to one class and make it up during an Open Gym.

Classes start the week of March 19th

Performance Prep with Lynn – Sundays 10:30am – FULL

Performance Prep with Alissa – Sundays 1:15pm 

Performance Prep with Kristen – Tuesdays 5:45pm – FULL

Spring Student Showcase – May 5th and 6th, 2023

Schedule Performance Prep Class

 

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December Pop-Up Classes

December Pop-Up Classes

Acro Coaches Katie Capistrant and Dylan Porteguese by Clock Work Steve Photography

Check out our December Pop-Up Classes! Throughout December, some of our regular classes will be replaced with pop-up classes with some of our amazing instructors! A lot of these pop-ups will be in lieu of our normal class schedule, so sign up to try something different! Choose from a plethora of subjects including:

Intro to Straps
Rope Palooza
Rope is Fun
Above the Bar Spanset Lyra
Lollipop Lyra
Duo Aerial
Experimental Partner Movement
Basic Floorwork Concepts
Floorwork Choreography
Belay for Days
Silks Theory
Beginner Circus

Each pop-up class is $25. You may use your class packages to purchase these one-off classes.

Purchase Class Pack Here
Sign Up for Classes Here

Also, check out Handstand Happy Hour with Lynn!

Bored of working on your handstands alone in your living room? Us too! Come hang out at the studio and work on the ever-elusive handstand with friends. All levels are welcome! Not a class, just an open gym dedicated to handstands. There might be games… or after handstand cocktails at Norseman. $10/Drop-In

Click here to read more!

Check out other training options with our membership program! It includes all open gyms, acro jam, handstand happy hour, and dedicated member training times. Read more here.

 

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Collaboration with Vivid Black Paint

We are so thrilled to be collaborating with the amazing organization Vivid Black Paint.

A Bit About Vivid Black Paint (from their website)
Mission
Vivid Black Paint provides supportive programming to Honor and Uplift Aspiring and Established Artists who identify as black and as persons of color and to provide welcoming space for people to smile, laugh and be entertained with circus and art as a vital service to mental well being and social-emotional development.
Purpose

Vivid Black Paint is a non-profit corporation and shall operate exclusively for educational and charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future Federal Tax Code.

To maximize impact and reach, we may collaborate with other initiatives and entities. Vivid Black Paint accomplishes Our Purpose through events and supportive programming for established and aspiring black artists, indigenous artists, and artists of color to provide their Creative Services to the world and build up their Supportive Networks. We also serve the community at large with joy and entertainment, primarily through art and circus.

Our Programming allows space for our artists to come together, build community, collaborate, exchange, mentor, and witness one another’s art.

Vivid Black Paint will also provide career pathways, internships, and volunteer opportunities within the organization for our artists. In turn, further deepening Vivid Black Paint’s Impact and Mission.

Take a Class
In collaboration with Vivid Black Paint, we are offering a $5/class discount for persons identifying as POC. Please contact us for the code!

There are also 4-class packs for persons identifying as POC available to purchase for Vivid Black Paint classes. This can be purchased here.

Check out more about this amazing organization here! https://www.vividblackpaint.org

Schedule a class with Staaj!

Donate to Vivid Black Paint!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/vividblackpaint-community-house

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Aerial Training Membership Opportunity!

Open training in the studio!

Aerial Training Membership Opportunity!

Need more training time? Consider becoming an SGS member! 

We are opening up memberships to intermediate/advanced students and pre-professional and professional artists! To qualify, you must have been training on your apparatus for more than a year and be comfortable training without coach supervision.

Members can sign up to train aerial or ground skills during member-exclusive training times and are welcome to come to Open Gym and Acro Jams for no additional cost. There is no limit to how many trainings you attend throughout the month. Train as much as you want!

Training times are flexible. Just let us know what days and times you’re interested in; we will work to accommodate your schedule and add training times that work for you. Training times may change from month to month due to class schedules. Please note that classes and workshops get scheduling priority.

The cost is $110/month or $100/month if you commit to a minimum of three months. There are a limited number of memberships are available. Email or message us if you’re interested in more information and applying! Email us if you are interested.

Current Member Training Schedule

Check out all our classes!

Sign up for class here->

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Beginner Aerial and Handstand Classes

Photo by Sky Wild Photography

Not sure where to start or never tried circus? No worries, check out our Beginner Aerial and Handstand Classes. Try the various aerial apparatuses we offer or give handstands a try. No experience required!

Beginner Aerial Classes
Fridays at 11 am & Sundays at 10:45 am
New to circus arts or returning after a long break? This is the class for you!
In this beginner-level class, we will focus on the basics: getting strong, learning the lingo, and trying out the various apparatuses. This is a great introduction to the world of aerial performance by teaching you how to apply the new dimension of vertical space. Let’s play with the X, Y, and Z axes!
Sign up here ->

Beginner Handstands Class
Tuesdays at 4:30 pm
This class is designed for people who are interested in handstanding but don’t know where to begin. In this weekly class, we will focus on drills to strengthen our core, shoulders, and stabilizer muscles needed for finding that perfect handstand line. These drills will be interspersed with breaks for stretching and technique discussions.
Sign up here ->

Check out all our classes here->

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Featured Student of the Week – Elana G

“I started training in 2015. I love the positive, encouraging community at Stomping Ground. Kristen is a terrific teacher, and the students are so supportive of each other. Everyone is there to cheer each other on, work hard, and have fun. Plus, it’s the only strength training I’ve ever looked forward to!”

-Elana

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