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Aerial and Acrobatic Workshops & Pop-up Classes:

Check this page for our most current workshop and pop-up class schedule and connect with a range of talented acrobats!

*If you are unable to see our Workshop calendar, click here to view it.

Upcoming Workshops (Listed Chronologically)

This workshop is for people wanting to level up their spin technique, or for people who struggle with getting nausea and want to learn to build up their spin tolerance. In this workshop we will discuss different positions to begin generating a spin from and different transitions and skills to do in your spin, such as: flares, tornado spins, slinging the hoop from the spanset, new pathways in a spanset spin, and more. I used to struggle heavily with being nauseous every time I spun, so I had to learn all the secret tips and tricks in order to gain spin tolerance the hard way. In this workshop I will share all of my knowledge on how to combat this.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Are you a traveling artist interested in teaching a workshop at Stomping Ground Studio?

If you’re a professional aerialist or acrobat traveling to Minneapolis, MN, we’d love to host you! Consider teaching a workshop (or more) at our studio by reaching out to us here!

Past Workshops & Pop Up Events

Saturday, July 8th

Beat Basics– 90 minutes – 12:30pm – $60
Explore the basics of building a powerful, effective, and efficient beat from start to finish. We’ll talk about the importance of a student’s connection to the apparatus, how to build awareness of that at all points during the beat, and to use that connection and awareness to develop power and control. The focus will be on forward/backward beats, but we will also touch on bell beat patterning and how the same principles of connection and momentum work in both beat types. Students will gain a thorough understanding of basic beat structure, preparing the body for beats, and progressions for skills such as beat to pullover. This workshop is taught on sling and trapeze. Students must be at an advanced beginning level or higher (actively working on aerial skills and looking for refinement on technique).

Sequencing on Dance Trapeze – 90 minutes – 2:15pm – $60
Having the bar of a dance trapeze to create space gives you a whole different set of options to explore while combining moves and transitioning between them. We’ll use that solid, heavy base to find sequences that capitalize on the extra real estate for movement, rolling, and transitioning. Rather than being choreography-focused, this workshop is designed to equip students with the sequencing concepts they need to develop their own choreography and transitions in their future practice. This workshop is taught on dance trapeze. All students must have comfort pulling over multiple times from the ground and comfort inverting in the air from standing on the trapeze.

Sunday, July 9th

Rolling Up/Rolling Down – 90 minutes – 10:30am – $60
Get into the details of leg roll-ups and roll-downs, the nuances of their pathways, and where they can lead in this technique-focused workshop. Analyze where your body is in relation to your apparatus and how your leg rolls change based on that positioning. Students in this workshop will learn how to build toward moves like one-arm, one-leg roll-ups and how various roll-ups and roll-downs can transition to many different skill options. This workshop is taught on sling, but its concepts are also relevant to other apparatus. All students with a comfortable, active aerial practice are welcome.

All About Armbreakers – 90 minutes – 12:15pm – $60
The armbreaker is a skill that’s applicable on many different apparatus and can be an interesting transition point into and out of a wide variety of skills. In this workshop, we’ll look at the basic armbreaker pathway, the theory behind the move, and how to use it for mounts, dynamic skills, and poses or shapes. We’ll also learn about what’s happening in the shoulder joint during the position and how to warm up for safely achieving the required range of motion. This workshop is designed to be taught on sling and dance trapeze but could be limited to just one of those. All students must have comfort pulling over multiple times from the ground and comfort inverting in the air from standing on the apparatus.

More about Lauren:

Lauren Kehl is an aerial coach, Pilates instructor, and GYROTONIC® trainer based in Seattle, WA. Starting her aerial journey as a recreational adult at age 28, Lauren has a particular gift for working with adult beginners and students who struggle, and strives to teach in a way that is accessible and inclusive.

Lauren attended the Intensive year at NECCA in 2011 before deciding to pursue coaching full time. Since then, she has helped to expand and develop the curriculum at Versatile Arts, her home studio, and is one half of the teacher training team there. She has led workshops at AYCOfest, the American Circus Educators conference, and NECCA’s workshop weekend. 

You can learn more about Lauren at laurenkehl.com

Circus for the broken-hearted w/ Dr. Sherry Walling

Saturday, July 23, 2023
6:30p – 8:30p
$60

An aerial practice is many things: a performance art, a form of exercise, and a source of community. It can also be a healing practice. In this very special workshop local psychologist and aerialist, Dr. Sherry Walling, will help us explore how physical movement and artistic expression can support our wellbeing and emotional healing. Whether you’re holding grief, battling depression, or struggling with anxiety, we’ll find ways to move those emotions with your body.  You will be invited to participate in a variety of embodiment exercises, including options to work with the lyra, trapeze, sling, rope, or silks. Our evening will also include some individual reflection time and small group conversations. Please come prepared to move, and help create a healing space for yourself and for others. All levels of aerial experience are welcome. 

About Dr. Sherry Walling:

Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author, and mental health advocate. Her company, ZenFounder, helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, rapid growth, loss, and any manner of complex human experience.

She hosts the ZenFounder podcast, which has been called a “must listen” by both Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine and has been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times. She was also the host of Mind Curious, a podcast series exploring innovations in mental health care via psychedelics.

Her new book, Touching Two Worlds, is a poetic, incisive exploration of grief and joy in the aftermath of loss. Her best-selling book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together, combines the insight and warmth of a therapist with the truth-telling mirth of someone who has been there.

Sherry and her husband, Rob, reside in Minneapolis where they spend their time driving their children to music lessons. She has also been known to occasionally perform as a circus aerialist.

Kevin DeMaro (Aerialconda) – Sunday, June 25th, 2023

Hoop-o-graphy – 90 minutes – 10:00am – $60

(Beginner-intermediate) Students will learn how to flow on the hoop with the greatest of ease. Explore the different ways of using the bottom bar, middle, and top of the hoop, to create sequences that maximize energy conservation.Signature tricks and transitions will be taught throughout this workshop.

Silks – 90 minutes – 11:30am – $60

About Kevin:

Kevin started gymnastics at the young age of 4, coached by his parents. At the age of 8 Kevin began competing in men’s artistic gymnastics. After several years he decided gymnastics was no longer fulfilling him. At the age of 15 Kevin discovered aerial arts. He began with aerial silks, and later moved on to aerial hoop. Kevin Has been doing aerial for 6 years specializing in aerial hoop. In addition to incorporating gymnastics into his routines, Kevin also creates with an emphasis on flexibility and flow. He has since competed in the Vegas International Variety Act Festival and won bronze with his aerial hoop act. Kevin also has been performing in Las Vegas professionally for the passed few years. Most recently he was a featured hoop artist, and backup silks artist for the TUI cruise fleet.

Lollipop Lyra Combos w/ Katie Capistrant

Saturday, May 13th, 2023
1:30pm – 3pm
$40

About Katie

Katie is a Twin Cities based artist. She started her circus performance journey with fire flow arts and puppetry and then got introduced to acroyoga – later on teaching and hosting acro jams- which led her to circus style handstand training and partner acrobatics. The journey continues into dance, pole dance and lollipop and beyond. She has been performing on and off for 13 years and is excited to get back into teaching and hosting skillshare in circus arts. 

Vivid BLACK PAINT Vivid Artistry Festival Workshops

Friday & Saturday, May 26th and 27th, 2023

Vivid Black Paint is excited to host a weekend in May at SGS!! These two days will be packed with workshops taught by both local and traveling coaches including Clara Younge, Trinity Morgan, Gaia, Josie Hoffman, SunChile, Kevin Oatis, & Jolissa Ladson.

Hula Hooping w/ Danielle Doncaster

Friday, April 7th, 2023
6pm – 8pm
$40

This hula hoop workshop will go over the fundamentals of trick style hula hooping. We will focus on the building blocks of hula hooping including building momentum, stop/stall, grip changes, and much more! After we get everyone moving in the flow, we’ll explore some combinations that connect tricks together to wow your audience! This is open to all, with modifications as needed for advanced participants. At the end we will jam out and practice what we have learned and create our own combinations.

About Danielle

Danielle has been hooping through life for over 8 years, in that time she has been working professionally with many companies to provide a wonderful circus experience. She specializes in hula hoop, prop manipulation, fire dancing, and bellydance. She has a passion for teaching, and is happy to modify her courses based on her students wants and needs. Beginners all the way up to Advanced prop manipulators are welcome to join in the fun of learning.

Splits, Splits and More Splits w/ Gunnar Field aka Splits_Whisperer

Friday, March 24th, 2023
5:30pm – 7pm
$35

Have you been working on your splits but want to take it to the next level or just looking for a new drills or sequences to work on? In this workshop we’ll focus on how to get deeper into our hips, hamstrings, and adductor safely. Using active flexibility drills and strengthening exercises we’ll make that split line even better. Focus will be on active flexibility, quad and glute engagement, hip flexor openers & stabilizers Prerequisite: Forward pike touching toes and no existing injuries.

About Gunnar

Gunnar Field is a contortion and hand-balancing coach based in the USA, he has been teaching contortion for over a decade. Gunnar teaches Mongolian contortion techniques infused with his own flair and influenced by his past training in gymnastics and ballet. Gunnar began training contortion in Minneapolis, MN, coming from gymnastics and having a natural inclination towards flexibility he fell in love with the art immediately. He went to study contortion Ulaanbaatar Mongolia and trained under the guidance of Nargama Baatar. He has furthered his training in China at the Beijing international school of acrobatics and arts. He has performed around the USA, Thailand & China. Using his 30 years of accumulated knowledge of body movement and mechanics he has taken a somewhat different approach to teaching the art of contortion.

WORKSHOP w/ Dr. Sherry Walling – Wednesday, Feb 15, 2023

In this very special workshop local psychologist and aerialist, Dr. Sherry Walling, will help us explore how physical movement and artistic expression can support our wellbeing and emotional healing.

The integration of circus and healing has generated some interest in the larger community. There will be a film crew on site for this workshop. By participating, you consent to your image being included in the filming. Any interviews or personal sharing are completely optional.

An aerial practice is many things: a performance art, a form of exercise, and a source of community. It can also be a healing practice. In this very special workshop local psychologist and aerialist, Dr. Sherry Walling, will help us explore how physical movement and artistic expression can support our wellbeing and emotional healing. Whether you’re holding grief, battling depression, or struggling with anxiety, we’ll find ways to move those emotions with your body.  You will be invited to participate in a variety of embodiment exercises, including options to work with the lyra, trapeze, sling, rope, or silks. Our evening will also include some individual reflection time and small group conversations. Please come prepared to move, and help create a healing space for yourself and for others. All levels of aerial experience are welcome. 

Circus for the Broken-Hearted with Film Crew

Wednesday, February  15th, 2023
4:00p – 5:30p
$50

About Dr. Sherry Walling:

Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author, and mental health advocate. Her company, ZenFounder, helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, rapid growth, loss, and any manner of complex human experience.

She hosts the ZenFounder podcast, which has been called a “must listen” by both Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine and has been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times. She was also the host of Mind Curious, a podcast series exploring innovations in mental health care via psychedelics.

Her new book, Touching Two Worlds, is a poetic, incisive exploration of grief and joy in the aftermath of loss. Her best-selling book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together, combines the insight and warmth of a therapist with the truth-telling mirth of someone who has been there.

Sherry and her husband, Rob, reside in Minneapolis where they spend their time driving their children to music lessons. She has also been known to occasionally perform as a circus aerialist.

Shannon McKenna (The Artist Athlete) – friday, Jan 19th, 2023 – Sunday, Jan 22, 2023

We are so excited to have Shannon McKenna visiting us in January 2023. She will be offering stand alone workshops and a 2-day Silks Intensive. More details about her and what will be offered below.

Thursday, January 19th

Leg Flexibility Training– 1 hour – 4:30pm – $35
Come for a hip opening, hamstring lengthening, toe cramping good time. This workshop is great for people looking to improve their leg lines in the air or on the ground. Prerequisites: the ability to breathe in, then out again multiple times. Also, must have legs.

Back Flexibility Training– 1 hour – 5:30pm – $35
Come for a chin lifting, rib cage widening, pelvis tilting good time. This workshop is great for those who want to strengthen and stretch their backs safely, and learn proper techniques to safely gain flexibility. Prerequisites: the same as for “Leg Work.” Additionally, you must also have a spine.

Knot Tying with Style (Introduction to Fabric Theory) 2 hours – 6:45pm – $65
Never get stuck again! This workshop breaks down the basic components of “fabric theory” to explain how different wraps and drops work in the air. Using sequences and puzzles, we will play with different and surprising entrances and exits to popular skills. Great for anyone who wants to understand WHY fabric works, build more vocabulary, or pick up new sequences quickly. Prerequisites: Must be working on inversions in the air and confident with inversions on the ground.

Friday, Jan 20th – Saturday, Jan 21st

Continuing Education Silks 2-Day Intensive – $450
Take a weekend deep dive into your aerial silks practice! For those who just can’t get enough, this two day intensive has creative exercises to help your explorations, conditioning drills to assist you with your strength and flexibility goals, and fabric theory to increase your overall understanding of the apparatus and tricks.
The goal is to provide you fresh information about the mechanics and biomechanics of aerial silks and reinvigorate your own aerial practice. This course is excellent for instructors who want to focus on their own practice and experienced students who want to explore advanced aerial concepts.

Skill Prerequisites for Students: 

• Long arm hang on silks open fabric 30 seconds
• Long arm hang on silks closed fabric 30 seconds
• Clean single and double foot locks
• Multiple clean aerial inverts in the air (bent arm/bent leg is fine)
• Clean cross-back straddle invert entry and exit
• Clean star drops, both sides

10am – 4:30pm (with a 1.5 hour lunch break) 3 hour morning session and a 2 hour afternoon session
*Please message us if you have more questions!

Sunday, January 22th

Inversion Clinic- 2 hours – 11:00am – $65
Going upside down in the air is the first step for many exciting wraps and drops, and when done correctly, a beautiful movement in and of itself. Yet, for many aerialists, inversions are elusive devils that can bring the most determined practitioners to tears. This workshop is dedicated to giving you the targeted help you need to get upside down. It is packed with drills on and off your apparatus so you can master your inversion- suitable for all body types! Prerequisites: A desire to work on your inversion, or a desire to do one for the first time. At least 6 months of aerial experience recommended, though not required.

Dancing Your Drops (Fabric Drop Workshop)- 2 hours – 1:30pm – $65
As aerialists, we seek control over our bodies at every moment we are in the air. When we are climbing and posing, this control is easy, however, it gets complicated when we try to drop! This workshop reviews several basic drops rotating forward, backwards, and sideways. We will explore how the wrap, the body positioning in the set up, and the body positioning during the drop can change the speed, shape, and aesthetic quality of the skill. This is a fun workshop for those who are looking to clean up their drops as well as add their own dramatic flair to the movement! Prerequisites: Must be able to cleanly invert and hold oneself upside down in the air.

Dance Straps- 2 hours – 4:00pm – $65
This workshop explores spinning, twisting, turning, and flipping using aerial straps. Going from the ground to the air and back again, this workshop explores movement, partnering, and flight! Prerequisite:  30 second straight arm hang on fabric or rope, 3 bent arm inversions on any apparatus

More about Shannon:

Shannon McKenna is a 10+ year international aerial coach, performer, and life-long student! In 2018, she founded The Artist Athlete to help bridge the gap in knowledge between “professional” artists and practitioners who use aerial arts as a creative outlet/hobby. Through her e-book publications, weekly podcast, and weekend workshops, she is dedicated to the growth of circus as an art form, particularly my primary focus: aerial arts! For more information, please visit her website: http://www.theartistathlete.com

December Pop-up Classes!

Throughout December, some of our regular classes will be replaced with pop-up classes! 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.

Also, check out Handstand Happy Hour with Lynn! Click here to read more about that!

WORKSHOP w/ Dr. Sherry Walling – friday, nov 18th, 2022

An aerial practice is many things: a performance art, a form of exercise, and a source of community. It can also be a healing practice. In this very special workshop local psychologist and aerialist, Dr. Sherry Walling, will help us explore how physical movement and artistic expression can support our wellbeing and emotional healing. Whether you’re holding grief, battling depression, or struggling with anxiety, we’ll find ways to move those emotions with your body.  You will be invited to participate in a variety of embodiment exercises, including options to work with the lyra, trapeze, sling, rope, or silks. Our evening will also include some individual reflection time and small group conversations. Please come prepared to move, and help create a healing space for yourself and for others. All levels of aerial experience are welcome. 

Circus for the Broken-Hearted

Friday, November 18th 2022
7:00p – 9:30p
$75 – This costs includes an SGS journal!

About Dr. Sherry Walling:

Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author, and mental health advocate. Her company, ZenFounder, helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, rapid growth, loss, and any manner of complex human experience.

She hosts the ZenFounder podcast, which has been called a “must listen” by both Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine and has been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times. She was also the host of Mind Curious, a podcast series exploring innovations in mental health care via psychedelics.

Her new book, Touching Two Worlds, is a poetic, incisive exploration of grief and joy in the aftermath of loss. Her best-selling book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together, combines the insight and warmth of a therapist with the truth-telling mirth of someone who has been there.

Sherry and her husband, Rob, reside in Minneapolis where they spend their time driving their children to music lessons. She has also been known to occasionally perform as a circus aerialist.

WORKSHOPS w/ THE CIRCUS DOC

Join Dr. Emily Scherb a.k.a. The Circus Doc for a day of learning! We will learn the biomechanics of a circus body, assessments, exercises, and more! You will leave these workshops understanding your own body better and have tools to unlock more mobility and strength to achieve your circus goals.

Core and Hips: Balancing Mobility and Stability

Our spine is made up of 24 vertebrae and our hips are made to roll and glide. How do we balance this natural mobility with the strength and stability demands of circus skills? In this workshop we will discuss how to harness this mobility to achieve splits, bridges, and beats and the biomechanics behind how it all works. We will also work on exercises to improve your mobility and strength at the same time!

Shoulder in Handstands and Hanging from Bent Arms to Planches

As circus artists we often use our shoulders to support our entire body weight. We may stand on our hands trying to press our bodies upwards into a handstand, or hang from our elbows, or with our arms extended behind us. In this workshop we will answer the questions How does the shoulder work in all of these positions? How can we be sure we are using the most mobile joint in the body safely? What can you do starting today to gain range of motion in your shoulders safely?

Training Strategies to Meet Your Goals

How do we get the most out of our training? In this workshop we will talk about what training does to our body and what happens when we take time off. We will discuss warm-ups, the most up to date stretching science, and how to structure training to match your individual training goals and needs.

About Dr Emily Scherb

Dr. Emily Scherb is a physical therapist with a lifelong passion for understanding human movement.

She’s been a practicing aerialist for almost 30 years and has dangled from balloons, danced in the air, and swung from trapezes. That background inspired her to specialize her practice on circus and aerial artists. She has a proven track record of helping patients who have not seen results with traditional physical therapy due to her unique perspective on how the body works both on the ground and in the air.

As an educator, she travels the world teaching circus artists, instructors, and healthcare professionals about the unique physical demands and challenges of training the body to do incredible feats.

She received her graduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and now lives in Seattle, where she works with professional and pre-professional circus artists. She is the Resident Physical Therapist at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts and the Company Physical Therapist for the contemporary circus company Acrobatic Conundrum. Emily is on the board of Seattle Dance and Performing Arts Medicine which helps Seattle performing artists get the healthcare they need.

Her first book, Applied Anatomy of Aerial Artists, was published in August 2018.

Emily is an internationally recognized lecturer and has presented at conferences for organizations including Performing Arts Medicine Association, International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, American Circus Educators, and American Physical Therapy Association.

WORKSHOPS w/ CIRQUE DANCER

We’re so excited to welcome Sofia Rodriguez aka Cirque Dancer to Minnesota for lyra workshops on November 5th and 6th. She will be hosting workshops at SGS and at Phoenix Flight.

Pirouettes & Arounds the Worlds

Some of my most sought after sequences on Instagram came from my exploration with pirouette turns and around the worlds. If you struggle with these transitions, not a problem, I will also be giving you tips, tricks, and drills on how to make these more accessible. Pre-requisites: Must be able to do 3 pull-ups and invert.

Lion Rolls

Lion entries, exits, and rolls, oh my! In this workshop we will explore unique entries and exits out of lion in a tree. We will also look at the many types of 1/2 & full lion rolls (also called snake rolls or music box). Come learn all the tips and tricks on how to make these rolls more attainable! Please bring sleeves to class. Pre-requisites: Must feel comfortable inverting, must know how to get into lion, knowing inverted man in the moon is a plus, but not necessarily required.

About Cirque Dancer:

Sofia has been expressing herself through movement since she was five years old, beginning with the study of Ballet and Jazz in her hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. She moved to Austin, Texas at the age of 10, and her involvement in dance was slowly replaced by other responsibilities.

It was not until she was working as a 4th-grade teacher that she turned back to dance as a pastime. That is when she discovered aerials and contortion. After several years of practicing as a hobby, she decided to leave teaching and become a professional performer and instructor.

She is in her 6th year of teaching aerials and currently teaches in Colorado. Her specialty is single point lyra with a focus on creative pathways, artistry, and technique.

Silks – w/ Kevin DeMaro (Aerialconda)

Hoop-o-graphy – w/ Kevin DeMaro (Aerialconda)

(Beginner-intermediate) Students will learn how to flow on the hoop with the greatest of ease. Explore the different ways of using the bottom bar, middle, and top of the hoop, to create sequences that maximize energy conservation.Signature tricks and transitions will be taught throughout this workshop.

Hang In There – w/ Kevin DeMaro (Aerialconda)

Static Trapeze I – Tactical Technique w/Camille Swift

Augment your technique on static trapeze by learning the key concepts behind dynamic movement and fundamental drills designed to increase power and efficiency. Beneficial to any student, beginning or advanced.

Single-Point Trapeze w/Camille Swift

Take your trapeze skills to the next level and learn to move with confidence on a trapeze that spins, orbits and swings! This workshop will focus on spin technique and flow sequences that work well with orbiting, spinning, and swinging, in addition to single-point beat styles to add extra power and flourish to your movement. Students must be able to pull over from standing on the floor with trapeze at head height and have strong single-knee and one-arm hangs.

Character & Artistry – Any Apparatus w/ Camille Swift

Learn how to explore your own inner world in order to create the language of your aerial act. Everyone knows the importance of interesting transitions, but what is “quality of movement”? Learn to find the right rhythm between tricks, punctuate a particular shape, and convey emotional tone through movement. Explore the infinite possibilities of shape, movement and expression. Shake up your usual habits and discover a spectrum of creative movement, from bizarre to beautiful, pretty to peculiar.

Stop, Drop, & Roll Advanced Lyra Workshop with Jenna Ciotta

This course is for the accomplished hoop artist who has a great level of comfort on the bar, but isn’t sure how to approach training for large, dynamic skills. We will discuss beat theory and how to generate momentum from various hanging positions, including some less common positions (ankle hang beats, anyone?). We will work progressions for skills such as elbow circles and inlocates, cutaways, casting from bottom bar to top, knee beat half-twist to hand catch, and more upon request.

Creative Movement Workshop with Juliana

In this workshop, Juliana Neves will lead a session of dancing, improvising, creating, and composing together. The workshop starts with a warm-up, including some floor work, dance acrobatics, and small choreographic phrases. The workshop moves into the creative part, where she will share paths and tools with some specific themes and tasks, based on free and guided improvisations. We ask questions and try to answer them physically.