Stah Power
Circus Training + Teaching CV

TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

I have been professionally training and performing circus disciplines, consistently since 1997, and teaching classes, intermittently, from 2000. I specialise in Aerial Hoop, Trapeze, Hammock & Silks, Aerial Yoga, Stretching & Conditioning.

The National Centre for Circus Arts, London, is where I trained and rehearsed for 20 years, until Covid lockdown 2020. I took private 1:1 classes in Swinging Trapeze, Aerial Hoop, Aerial Silks and Tightwire with various teachers, who all teach on the degree course offered at the centre, and who are my professional peers.

I hold a High Risk Work Licence, Basic Rigging, completed the ‘Rigging Fundamentals for Aerial Performance’ course with High Performance Rigging, and am a competent rigger, having installed my own aerial apparatus in venues and at outdoor festivals around the world, throughout my performance career.

I have graduated from a two-week clown intensive course ‘The Clowns Intelligence’ with Angela De Castro of the ‘Why Not Institute’ in 2009 as part of The London Mime Festival, studied ‘Vayu Aerial Yoga’ as a 10-day intensive with Ana Prada in 2019 at the ‘Irish Aerial Creation Centre’ in Limerick, and completed the ‘Aerial Foundation Series’ at Gymbox, London, in 2019, and am currently studying for a Certificate III in Fitness,

My performance work has been supported by The Arts Council England, The National Centre for Circus Arts, The Esme Fairbairn Foundation, Yorkshire Arts Festival and The Jerwood Foundation.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

APRIL 2018 – AUGUST 2020
AERIAL DAYS | BROOKFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL, LONDON

‘Aerial Days’ is where I was recently teaching trapeze and hoop to young people, aged 7 – 17 and adults. This role was 10+ hours a week during term time and included multi discipline school holiday workshops and one-off birthday party events. I was entrusted with running the aerial school when the director Clare Anderson was away, liaising with the primary school staff, students and parents, overseeing the set-up and pack down of equipment, and managing the team of four other aerial teachers.

I ran a successful school holiday program for Aerial Days in August 2020, in the middle of Covid in the UK, where tight Covid safety practices were implemented, resulting in no infections to the students or staff.
These classes were all taught as an extracurricular activity, in the school’s gymnasium.

SEPTEMBER 2018 – MARCH 2020
SKYLAB STUDIO | CAMDEN, LONDON
‘Skylab’ is a private aerial dance and fitness studio in Camden, London, owned and run by Astra Beck. I undertook training to learn the Skylab course work to teach ‘Aerial Yoga’ and ‘Pop Fit’, which are variously stretch and strengthening classes taught on single point aerial hammocks. In addition to these classes I taught introduction to hoop and silks, as well as private hoop lessons.

OCTOBER 2015 – AUGUST 2019
LONDON DANCE ACADEMY | SHOREDITCH, LONDON

‘London Dance Academy’ is a basement aerial studio, where I taught hoop and silks to adults. This role was sometimes permanent and often casual, as I took time off to focus on various productions and performances. The low ceilings in this venue, are the inspiration for my current mobile aerial circus school, teaching the fundamentals of various aerial disciplines on apparatus rigged at heights of just 3.5 meters.

2002 – 2003
THE CIRCUS SPACE | AKA THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR CIRCUS ARTS
I was a teacher of Static Trapeze classes including the ‘Introduction to Circus Skills’ program as well as adult and children’s evening classes.

OCTOBER 2000 – DECEMBER 2001
CIRQUE DU MONDE | CIRQUE DU SOLIEL
I held the position of Junior Coach within the London Branch of Cirque du Soliel’s ‘International Social Outreach Program’. Skills taught included Stilt Walking, Acrobalance, Acrobatics, Tightwire and Juggling.

1989 – 1991
THEATRE SCHOOL OF BALLET | BOWRAL MEMORIAL HALL
Whilst a student myself, I taught classes in Ballet, Tap, Jazz & Spanish dance for adults and children. I was enrolled in this local dance school from 1979 – 1991, studying various dance forms under the tutelage of Margaret Sherriff / Bakker, who is still teaching and running her school.

2003 - 2015
During these years I was not teaching as I was performing full time, as an international Circus Cabaret Artist.