Cirque School

Run away to Hollywood and join the circus! Founded by an ex–Cirque du Soleil aerialist, this school is dedicated to developing and honing your big-top skills with classes in everything from trapeze to beginning contortion. Even a visit to the school is an adventure. In one corner, a student juggles; in another, a few experiment with tricks while hanging from colorful silks. It’s like being granted a backdoor pass to the circus, where you train using the same equipment as real performers. Some of the moves look as death-defying here as they do in the smoke and mirrors of the middle ring, but the teachers are all professionals—many of them are part of Troupe Vertigo, which recently did a show at the Ford Amphitheatre. Check the website for a full class schedule.