Classes

Registration for Classes

Create your Mindbody account HERE. You must have a Mindbody account to participate in Canopy classes or take private lessons.

NOTE: The app for smartphone will NOT work for enrollments – please use a web browser.

If you have any questions, please let us know:
info@canopystudio.org.

Canopy also offers Gift Certificates!

Schedule

Canopy offers a wide array of classes for all skill levels, ages and interests!
Download 2025 Winter Schedule

2025WinterSession-12162024

Or see our most recent session schedule

Safety

Canopy is a proud member of the Circus Arts Safety Network. Every year since the program’s inception in 2016, Canopy undergoes a review process to demonstrate we have met American Circus Educators standards for our Teacher Training Program, Policies & Practices, and Facilities & Operations. This is an ongoing commitment to safety and standards in all of our programming.

Concussion Fact Sheet for Parents | Concussion Fact Sheet for Athletes

FAQ

What if I have never done this before?

Anyone can participate in our classes, regardless of previous experience or abilities. Don’t worry that you might not be strong enough. Our instructors will teach you the skills you need to learn, so just bring a positive attitude and a willingness to learn!

Is it safe?

Our trapezes are adjustable and we always have mats underneath our equipment. We also teach the importance of spotting and partnering—so there’s nothing to fear!

What will I learn in my first class?

The class will begin with a warm up/introduction on the mats. Then you will be introduced to the trapeze bar and you will slowly learn tricks in a safe progression. After you’ve completed one session of trapeze, you are eligible to attend our Saturday Open Studio times to work on your skills. One of our instructors will be there to answer any questions you might have. See our Class Descriptions below for more info.

What should I wear?

Work out type clothes- tights, leggings, sweat pants if they are not too baggy… jeans are usually too tight. In all classes except pole, we discourage shorts because the backs of your knees will be more comfortable on the bar if your skin is not bare. You should wear clothes in which you can move freely, yet they should not be so loose they get in your way. If you have long hair tie it back.

For pole classes, tight shorts are recommended as skin contact with the pole is necessary. Our pole classes are conducted in bare feet – no heels necessary. Make sure to not put on lotion the day of class.

Can I start at any time or do I have to wait for the beginning of a session?

It is best to start classes at the beginning of the session, but check with the teacher and/or director for special exceptions. Private lessons are always available if you want to get started before the beginning of the next session of classes.

Students interested in taking fabrics / silks classes must have a full session of trapeze before enrolling in a fabrics class. Students must be at least 14 before enrolling in a teen silk class and have completed a full session of trapeze. Students between the ages of 11-14 may begin taking fabrics in private lessons. Contact our director to schedule these lessons.

What does it cost?

Canopy offers classes in 9 or 10 week sessions. A 9 week session, one hour of class per week, costs $189 and a 10 week session is $210. Bungee classes, due to the equipment demands, are prices at $280 for a 10 week session. Some children’s classes are 45 minutes and are priced accordingly. We ask that you commit to all classes within a session as the skills taught in each class build upon the ones before.

To register, you must create an account in our Mindbody system and pay the tuition before your first class.

Need to set up a payment plan? No problem! Just email laura@canopystudio.org – we can set up automatic payments on your credit card weekly, monthly or on specific dates at no extra charge.

If you are interested in private lessons, please click on the Private Lesson tab above.

Class Descriptions

Canopy offers a wide array of classes for all ages and abilities. Classes are taught by qualified and trained Canopy staff.

Trapeze

Beginner: class will start with low trapezes and slowly work on individual tricks that involve hanging, balancing, and posing on the bar. Attention will be given to proper form and skills will build slowly. Once arm strength and abdominal strength build, we will progress towards putting several tricks together to form a short beginner sequence.
Intermediate: focuses on working through the intermediate trick progression. Transitions, creative problem solving, choreography and stamina help to challenge, excite and reinforce your skill set. Strength and conditioning activities are also included.
Advanced: classes at this level focused on extremely complex rope and strength skills that are broken down into proper progressions, attention is given towards individual and collaborative choreography, creative and exploratory movement is the backbone of all higher level classes.
Over B52s: a class for people 53 years or older, taught by instructors who are over 53. We focus on increasing strength and flexibility through a variety of apparatuses while also working through the trapeze trick progressions. Age is not a barrier!

Slings

Level 1: a great introduction into aerial and a fun way to build your strength. This class is appropriate for those not old enough for fabrics or for those that might prefer not explore equipment without a carbon fiber bar!
Level 2: many beginner moves will continue to expand, conditioning and extra sequences will continue to build.
Level 3: students will start to explore individual choreography and continue to expand on higher level wrapping sequences.
Level 4: classes at this level will begin to break down the most challenging slings material available for instruction at the studio. At this point, individual will experience more guided creative movement and learn choreographed material that emphasizes expression, authentic movement, and individual performance preferences.

Fabrics

Beginning with Intro to aerial silks, students learn basic footlocks and climbing, mostly low to the ground work, as well as basic vocabulary, sequencing and conditioning. In later classes, students learn more complex vocabulary and move higher into the air and start explorations/transitions with known vocabulary.

Conditioning Classes

Functional flexibility is a ground-based class that works on splits and range of motion in ways that are helpful for aerials.
Conditioning is a circuit-based class that uses free weights, aerial equipment, and other things to increase abdominal and arm strength.

Vertical Pole

Beginner: starts with fundamental tricks and slowly works up to inversions and more difficult material on the pole.
Int/Adv pole: Students will begin to build on known vocabulary and work more difficult holds and inversions. At this level, students are also given opportunities to create individual performance choreography.

Partner Acro (level 1-3)

Partner Acrobatics is a floor-based partner balancing sport in which one participant (a flyer) is lifted in the air and balanced by another participant (a base). The sport is open to anyone and has no prerequisites for students entering into the Level 1 classes. Students begin by learning simple balances very low to the ground and have spotters, crash mats, and many points of contact to ensure success. As participants become more adept the balances become more precarious. This class does not require students to come in as partners, individual students are welcome.

For more information about classes, contact info@canopystudio.org

First time student?

After we have helped you decide on the best class for you or your child, please create an account through our on-line registration system in Mindbody HERE.

Policies

REGISTRATION: If you are brand new to Canopy, you must have the permission of the instructor to register for classes above the Beginner I level. To request information about which class might be best for you, please email your name and contact info to info@canopystudio.org. We will then guide you to our on-line registration system through Mindbody. You will create an account, sign our waiver, and enroll there.

TUITION / LATE FEES: FULL PAYMENT IS DUE BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. Please make every effort to pay on-line before each session. We do accept checks, payable to Canopy Studio, and cash at the studio but please reference the students name and class taken on the check. It is the students responsibility to request a receipt for cash payments. Tuition paid more than one week after the due date is subject to a $5/week late fee.

MAKE-UP POLICY: Classes may be made up within the same session by attending either an open studio or a class of the same or lower level. Check with your teacher when visiting a new class. For class cancellations, check our website or the class instructor will be in contact. Canopy follows the Athens Clarke County inclement weather policy.

Studio Rules

For Your Safety:

No one is allowed on the equipment, unless directly supervised or given specific permission by a Canopy instructor.
No one is allowed on any apparatus or equipment unless they have signed a liability waiver form & have properly enrolled in the class, private lesson, workshop, or performance.
All participants, or parents of minor participants, must notify the instructor of any physical or emotional limitations that may effect the participant’s participation & safety.
Participants & parents of minor participants must appreciate the risks of participation. Any activity involving height & /or motion has the potential for unintentional injury.
A clean studio is a safe studio — please, no shoes on the bamboo floor, no food on the floor or mats & keep your personal belongings neatly on or under a chair on the risers
In case of emergency or injury, please immediately notify your instructor. There is a first aid kit in the equipment room, aka pod, with ice packs and a first aid/CPR manual.
Visitors and observers may watch the class from inside the studio only if you are quiet and do not disrupt the class in progress. Please refrain from speaking to your child or others during class time — if you need to communicate with someone in the class, please speak with the instructor first.
When your class is over, please take caution not to disrupt the next class. You may use Studio B, when available, for further class discussion.
Payment is due by the second class of each session, unless special arrangements. After that, a late fee of $5 will be applied to tuition.
Please use the rosin sparingly and over the plastic container.
Please make sure you have all your belongings when you leave the studio.

Please see our Canopy Policies and Procedures Manual for details.

Thank you for helping make Canopy a safe place to work & play!