Circus

Hoops!
The lovely and multi-talented Shaunice Balderston teaches hoops! You should head on over and check it out!

Hand Balancing, Aerial, Partner Acrobatics, and web design….
Kyoko Uchida
As well as performing around the Northwest, see her page, she also teaches. Currently she’s teaching Aerial with Night Flight (she’s one of my teachers!), she also sometimes teaches at Do Jump. She specializes in aerial and also in partner acrobatics. But she’s working to get a space to teach hand balancing as well. More on this as it develops.

Kyoko’s circus arts were learned as an adult. This gives her certain strengths when teaching adults with no background in gymnastics, circus etc. Her own background was more in dance.

For those that it helps, she also speaks Spanish and Japanese, so if you’re more comfortable in one of those languages, she’s a good fit.

Don’t let the pretty face fool you, she’s strong and her instruction is clear! Do check out her site.

A note from Kyoko:

This is Kyoko. I am revisiting Portland a while and I’ve got some requests to do handstand class, so let’s do it again!! I’m planning to go back to Spain in spring, so this is probably going to be limited time, so I hope you can come over even just to say hi to me [...]

The location: Polaris Dance and here’s the Map!

The entrance to the studio is 16th and Taylor. There is a parking lot and you will see the entrance on the parking lot side of the building. The studio we are using is going to be behind the main studio, so you have to walk in the main studio to get to the smaller studio behind. Please take shoes off when you walk through the main studio cause it’s a sacred dance studio! )

Date/Time: [editied]
Saturdays @12:30 – 2:00pm

Description:
Strengthening and stretching focusing on the muscle for hand balance.
Hand balance technique (Russian style).
Work on being upside down, be confident and comfortable being upside down.

Price: $20

Hand Balancing
Nicolo is gearing up to start teaching hand balancing. The price will be $20. It will be about an hour and a half long. This should start about the middle of February.

He let me know that he also teaches privates in tumbling and aerial (rope, hoop, trap) through Do Jump!. I’m not sure if you contact him directly, or go through Do Jump!. I’ll update this as soon as I know.

Hand Balancing
Keph Sherin
To my knowledge he’s not teaching hand-balancing (equilibre) currently.
Contact Keph here.

Tumbling
I might have a lead. More to come.

Aerial
Night Flight
You are on the Ugly Elf website. I will give you the Ugly Elf perspective. With honesty. With Integrity. And with a dose of shallowness.
As a rule, all women who do Aerial are beautiful. If you don’t believe me, go to the Night Flight Aerial Arts web site and look at Miss Gemma and Miss Stephanie. You can’t argue with me; it’s science!

Update 2: I’m now taking a Silks 1, Straps 1, and Trapeze 2 and I’m thoroughly addicted. The only physical activity I’ve ever enjoyed as well as I’m enjoying this is hand balancing. Go circus!

Try a drop in class, you’ll love it! I have a review of my first day in one of my blog posts.

Aerial
A WOL Dance Collective. I see more of their performances around town than other studios, but I don’t know if that’s representative or coincidental. I will say this. They’re god-damn awesome. I really need a blurb from a current student.

Aerial
Pendulum Aerial Arts And here we see part of why it’s so hard to find training in Portland. These folks are Aerial Arts, those folks are Aerial Dance, Some other guys are Aerial something-er-other. I still need more people to send me their experiences, pictures etc. If you’re from Pendulum, please send me a message with a blurb for your studio, and maybe a picture you want here. Please please.

Circus Stunting
Most places call it “Partner Acrobatics.” These folks call it “Circus Stunting” or “Partner Stunting” or “Acrobatic Stunting.” Whatever. I call it “fun”! I’ve taken this class a couple of times, and intend to do more. Here’s their blurb:

Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Circus Acrobatic Stunting Class at 7:30 every Sunday at 534 SE Oak, Portland 97214. $15/drop-in or $40/month. Build strength, flexibility, balance and trust!

General Circus
Do Jump!
Awesome of course. They have shows, they give classes. And stuff is cool. I haven’t had personal contact with them, but I hear good things. This is the closest thing we have to a full on circus school. I’m planning to take a class from them next term. If I can get a blurb from them I will put it here.

General Circus
The Circus Project
A friend of mine what works for the Circus Project sent me this blurb (woot! first unsolicited blurb! Thanks, Petra!!):

“The circus project: Open gyms Sunday 2-4 & Tuesday 6-8. They’re only scheduling classes by private lesson right now [...]. The homeless/at-risk is just for the year long intensive program and for drop in classes available to select groups of at-risk youth like the boys and girls club or a shelter/halfway house.

Now you know!”

Fire Dancing
Portland has a huge fire dancing scene. I know little about it. Please, please send me links and I will post them.

Fire Dancing
Shireen and Flamebuoyant Productions. I took privates from her a couple years ago with my two little brothers. She’s the bomb! Looks like she’s currently teaching beginning through advanced poi, and hosting workshops variously on staff and something called “srikanta”.

Parkour
Revolution Parkour
I’m going to try and get to a class there soon. I’ll update you after I do.

Gymnastics
There’s too many for kids to list here. Seems like the adult options have all died.

Rock Climbing
Most Rock climbing gyms don’t qualify. But there is one with both still rings and a slack line that’s always up.
Both are circus-ish.
It’s a cheat! But they have rings and a slack line up, so it counts! The Circuit.
This is where I do my conditioning.
Pro Ugly Elf tip: Use this book and these essays to condition.

Burlesque
Vega Dance Lab. This is adult focused and very friendly. I’ve taken hip hop classes from Megan. She’s cute and it’s fun. But I’m listing Vega here for the BurlyQ. Burlesque was traditionally the domain of the circus side show. Or so I’ve been told.

Juggling
Portland Jugglers
All I’ve found so far, but I haven’t looked very hard.

Juggling
Leapin Louie
When I talked to him after a show, he said he talk classes. This guy is unbelievable! Juggling, lasso, comedy. Hell I’ve seen him ride around a tiny crowded stage on a unicycle while juggling and with his head on fire. I shit you not! Here’s his website. And his *gag* MySpace.

If you’ve made it this far then you notice I’m missing clown training, sleight of hand, tight rope and… I’m sure, others. This is not intentional! Please send me links.