Address:
Unit 12, Edmiston Trade Park, 240 Edmiston Drive, Glasgow, G51 2YU, UK
Email:
info@ contact.aerialedge.co.uk
Phone:
(+44) 07414 438 501 (Text messages only before 5pm)
Glasgow's circus school
Foundation Course
Ready to take your circus seriously, but with the emphasis on enjoyment? You’ll learn lots of arts, go deep on some, perform in an ensemble show and get a showreel. Runs 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday for four months, starting March and August.
Foundation Course
Your programme
Want radical progress? Step up from classes to a more structured learning experience
This is like no other Foundation Course currently on offer. We ensure that you get far more out of your experience with us than a technical skillset, thanks to decades of high-level expertise and experience in both circus arts and the global industry of creating education programmes. You also get an awesome professional showreel!
The information on this page explains how you get the gains with us, and of course you’re welcome to have a chat if you prefer. Just email info@aerialedge.co.uk or text us on +44 (0)7414 438 501.
This course is carefully designed to help you gain technique and performance skills, with the right kind of strength and flexibility, in a broad range of aerial, acrobatic and object manipulation arts.
At first, it’s about building physical abilities and technical skills across a wide range of disciplines, then it moves towards specialising in the arts that you love most. That leads you on a personalised pathway through crafting a solo act then being part of an ensemble production, with the support of a choreographer and a creative director.
You also get specialist workshops, such as makeup, clowning, dance, rigging and business, from leading industry specialists.
What disciplines will you learn on the course?
- Static Trapeze
- Rope
- Silks
- Aerial hoop
- Flying Trapeze
- Straps
- Acrobatics
- Acrobatic balancing
- Handstands
- Dance Acro
- Trampoline
- Flow arts
- Teeterboard
- Acro & Aerial Conditioning
- Flexibility
- Self-physiotherapy
- Circus Performance practice
- Rigging & Safety
- Act Creation
Your Progress
Understanding and optimising your own movements
We want you to go on to greater things with a solid foundation, so we help you develop essential knowledge in anatomy and physiology in order to understand your own biomechanics. This is all about optimising your individual ways of moving your body.This enables you to train smarter so that you can push your own development forward after the course.
As well as including a strong education across circus arts, the Aerial Edge Foundation Courses have some unique benefits.
- You have access to mentoring towards your individual goals
- You co-create and perform in an ensemble show with an experienced circus director.
- You leave with a fantastic showreel filmed by cinematographer Gabriel Stella.
Along the way through your 16 weeks, you also gain insights to circus history and get performance tuition to boost your creativity.
Photo credit: Max Crawford
Who is the course for?
You!
Whether you’re considering going on to a degree qualification or further education, looking for period of intensive training, wanting to start your circus journey or even looking to work creatively, we know that this Foundation Course is for you.
We take the utmost care to make sure that you get the most out of your time with us and will also help you look at future options.
You'll leave with new abilities, new skills, new knowledge, new confidence and new friends. And a gorgeous showreel! You can use that to gain employment and funding for your artistic future development, not to mention impressing your friends and family.
How does it work?
This is a sample timetable from the first week of the course. This is different for each course depending on student aims and teacher availability.
Every four weeks we adapt the timetable based on student objectives
Throughout the course, you’ll get a similar proportion of aerial, acro and conditioning/flexibility. What changes is the specific content of that time. As the course progresses, the focus develops more towards the final outcomes.
Everyone arrives with a different skillset – no one is good at everything, everyone has their strengths and challenges. We start with where you are at, and work with you to build towards your personal goals, finding out how you learn best as an individual.
- First segment: Learn a broad skillset across a wide variety of acrobatic skills for ground and aerial arts, to discern where your interests and talents lie – you may well discover a new passion.
- Second segment: Start to specialise in specific skills and arts which will form the basis of your individual performance.
- Third segment: Creativity and skills development through ensemble show creation and performance.
We run two full-time courses a year, starting in March and August.
Why Aerial Edge
We are the largest circus school in Scotland, established in 2007. As a non-profit Community Interest Company, our core principle is: circus for all regardless of age, size, shape, ability and other factors.
If you’re just starting your circus journey, or if you’ve already got years of aerial or acrobatics behind you, we’ll make sure you see great progress, and you’ll gain strong foundational abilities in other arts too.
You’ll discover how our passion and speciality is developing people through circus – your gains go deeper than learning the arts. We’ll nurture you not just through the physical challenges as you grapple with the techniques, but other pieces of your progression puzzle that arise along the way.
We have specialist knowledge to support you to make breakthroughs which have a positive impact on other aspects of your life.
Our Facilities
Aerial Edge has its own warehouse building for training and performance. We’re well known for our flying trapeze and cradle rig, but there are other dedicated areas for ground-based and aerial disciplines. Our space is highly adaptable and able to accommodate nearly any circus discipline, and convert to a fantastic performance stage with a superb sound and lighting set-up.
You can discover, learn and hone just about any aerial discipline on our rig, and we have safety lines for acrobatic training, teeterboard and tightwire.
Our matted floor and tumble track give you the ability to safely train anything from handstands to acrobatic dance and parkour.
As well as trampoline which can be used for anything from warm-up to wall-running, there’s an act creation and rehearsal space which can be rigged in multiple ways.
And as if all of that isn’t enough, there’s a café reception area, we’re big into coffee at Aerial Edge so we take great delight in choosing speciality roasts for that fresh bean-to-cup buzz!
There are also numerous cafés, restaurants and shops within just a few minutes’ walk.
What does it cost?
As a non-profit organisation, we price everything as low as possible. And you get incredible added value with your pro show reel. Great care and expertise has gone into our course planning, to ensure you get the best, personalised, experience and outcomes.
Course Fees
£2999 for 16 weeks. That's 480 hours of training time, which is only £750 per month (£187.5 per week, £37.50 per day).
Course fees are payable in full or in three instalments: £200 deposit, then £1,300 eight weeks before the course begins, and the £1,499 balance to be paid before starting. Monthly payment plans are available on request.
Entry requirements
Candidates must be 16 or over and be available 10am-5pm Monday to Friday throughout the schedule.
Logistics
Location
Aerial Edge is conveniently close to Glasgow city centre, with two Subway stations nearby and on several bus routes.
Glasgow is a vibrant, busy city which a has a thriving art scene, and many multi-disciplinary collaborations and exhibitions to be found.
During August, you can take a short train ride to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: the biggest arts festival in the world. As well as numerous small venues hosting circus acts, the festival has a dedicated Circus Hub where world-famous companies come to perform.
Accommodation
Accommodation is not part of the course package, visiting students typically find a place to stay through spareroom.com or AirBnB
If you would like any further advice on Glasgow or relocating to the city, please get in touch to arrange a chat with our friendly team.
What our students say
People love training at Aerial Edge – but don’t take our word for that. Watch the video below to see what other Foundation Course students got from their experiences with us.
Watch the video below to learn more about our student's experiences
Apply nowapply
Apply Here
The application to the Foundation Course is quick and easy. Simply fill in the form and sign up online. This form will take your details and take the deposit payment of £200.
Feel free to contact us with any questions in advance
contact
Let's talk
Get the latest news
Things develop fast at Aerial Edge! Our weekly newsletter keeps you up to date with new classes, events, shows, courses and offers. Sign up here.
Directions
Our front door is accessed via the Ibrox roundabout (walk up the ramp and open the door). Access to the carpark is available before 6pm from Edmiston Drive. Street parking is available in the area. Check out the video guide below.
