Frequently Asked Questions

We understand that circus skills might seem like a scary new world if you’ve never tried it before, but here at CirqueScape you’ll have experienced instructors showing you the way!

Have a read through these frequently asked questions to find out more about what we do, and if you’d still like more information then please feel free to contact us.

  • Wear close-fitting sportswear – baggy clothes can get in the way
  • Bring a few layers of clothing to help you get the most out of your sessions with us
  • For aerial classes, make sure you bring clothing options that allow you to cover your armpits, midriff, and backs of your knees as this can help to prevent friction burns
  • Don’t wear anything with zips, velcro, or other non-fabric embellishments – it can damage our equipment and won’t be comfortable for you either
  • Remove all jewellery before using the equipment. Any jewellery that can’t be removed must be securely covered with tape
  • Make sure fingernails and toenails are trimmed and smooth, as they can catch on the equipment
  • Any kind of lotion applied to hands or feet within a few hours of your class will make it more difficult for you to grip and balance, so save that for afterwards
  • A bottle of water (there’s a cafe at the centre where you can buy water if you forget to bring some)
  • Hand sanitiser (if you wish)
  • Having a pair of well-fitting socks is useful in some classes – pop some in your bag just in case. Sometimes it’s more useful to have grippy socks, sometimes it’s more useful if they’re not grippy. If you’ve got both, bring both!
  • A small towel might be useful to dab off sweat, depending on what class you’re joining
  • Make sure you’ve got enough clothes with you to keep warm during cool downs, stretch sessions and on your way home
  • If you’re joining an aerial class and you like to use rosin or chalk then please bring your own along
  • Other than that, just yourself and a can-do attitude is all we need from you!

Please arrive at the studio no more than 5 minutes before the scheduled start time of your session. This is for operational and health and safety reasons – if you arrive early then please wait outside until your session is due to start.

Visit the “getting to us” section on the contact page of our website for information about getting to the studio.

Visit the “getting to us” section on the contact page of our website for information about parking.

Spectators are not permitted in the studio – everyone who is in the studio during a session must be a registered participant.

If you’ve made a private booking (private tuition, family fun session or party) then anyone joining in the session is welcome to use their phone to take pictures or videos of your session, so that they can share the fun with family and friends afterwards! Please make sure you’re complying with our T&Cs while taking any pictures or recordings.

The exclusion of spectators is for a variety of health and safety reasons, and we cannot make exceptions – please don’t ask us to. Anyone who would like to be involved in the session can be registered as a participant (within the numbers permitted by your booking), but anyone registered as a participant must be willing to engage as such.

Classes for Adults

  • Weekly Bookings – book any class online via the Weekly Bookings page of our website (bookings completed online via card payments only – please ensure you are booking the correct class before completing payment).
  • Block Bookings – request a Block Booking by completing the Block Booking Request Form on our website (if offered a slot then bookings are secured upon payment in full via bank transfer – please read terms of offer email carefully).
  • Details about classes can be found on the Classes for Adults page of our website.

After-School Courses

  • Currently booked on a half-termly basis.
  • Request a space in a course by completing the form on the After-School Courses Sign-Up page of our website (if offered a slot then bookings are secured upon payment in full via bank transfer).
  • Details about courses can be found on the After-School Courses page of our website.

Parties

  • Request a party by completing our Party Enquiry Form.
  • If offered a slot then bookings are secured upon payment in full via bank transfer.
  • Details about our parties are on the Parties and Party Packages pages of our website.

Private Tuition

  • Request a slot by emailing us at office@CirqueScape.com, letting us know which type of Private Tuition booking you would like to make, what apparatus you would like your session to be on, and what sorts of days and times would suit you best.
  • If offered a slot then bookings are secured upon payment in full via bank transfer.
  • Details on the Private Tuition page of our website.

Private Workshops

  • Request a slot by emailing us at office@CirqueScape.com, letting us know which type of Private Workshop booking you would like to make, what apparatus you would like your session to be on, and what sorts of days and times would suit you best.
  • If offered a slot then bookings are secured upon payment in full via bank transfer.
  • Details on the Private Workshops page of our website.

Family Fun Sessions

  • Request a slot by emailing us at office@CirqueScape.com, letting us know what sorts of days and times would suit you best, and any particular apparatus requests you may have.
  • If offered a slot then bookings are secured upon payment in full via bank transfer.
  • Details on the Family Fun Sessions page of our website.

Whole-Studio Bookings

  • Request a booking by emailing us at office@CirqueScape.com. We will need details about what you intend to use the studio for, how many people will be attending, details of any relevant insurances you hold for your planned activities, and any specific requirements you may have.

We have a finite number of slots available, and when you make a booking with us we reserve one of those limited slots for you. Any further scheduling will be arranged around your booking, and we may turn away other bookings or engagements in order to honour yours. Please do not make a booking with us unless you are 100% committed to going ahead with it, and please understand that if your plans subsequently change in any way then it’s simply not possible for us to accommodate that without compromising our own ability to operate effectively.

Registering someone else for your booking

We do understand that things can come up unexpectedly, so while we can’t change your booking we can usually permit you to pass your booking on to someone else. That person must be eligible to take over your booking – check T&Cs for full details. If you’re not sure whether they’re eligible then you can ask us.

Whoever takes over your booking can then register for the session to attend in your place. Just send us an email copying in the person who will be taking over your booking so we know what’s happening. It’s your responsibility to make sure we know who the booking has been assigned to, and to make sure they know that they must register to participate before they can join in. You’re then welcome to book a new session at a time that suits you.

Note that you must arrange payment for the original session between yourselves, it will not be refunded by us. You are not permitted to charge more for the session than you paid for it – see T&Cs for details.

Why we need to do it this way

We’re doing our best to balance the needs of our guests, our staff, and the business as a whole. We understand that life doesn’t always go to plan, but unfortunately we simply cannot accommodate changes to our guests’ plans without compromising our own ability to operate effectively.

The best way for us to be fair to our guests, and our staff, is to have a straightforward policy that we apply consistently – all confirmed bookings are final and we cannot make exceptions, so please do not ask us to. To operate any other way could affect our ability to pay our staff at the end of the month, and we’re not willing to treat them that way. We hope you wouldn’t expect us to, either.

Your alternative options

If our cancellation policy doesn’t suit you then you’re welcome to request a booking at shorter notice, rather than securing your booking in advance. Short notice booking requests will be accepted subject to availability.

The short answer is, we won’t force you to do anything you’re not comfortable doing.

As a matter of studio policy, beginners work close to the floor. More experienced students may work further from the ground. In all instances, this is subject to both student and instructor being comfortable with any given student working at that height.

Our rigging points are height adjustable, so if you’re small or would prefer to be closer to the ground, we can lower our apparatus for you. Never go higher than your instructor has told you to, and if it’s not clear to you then ask. As a matter of studio policy, you will always have a crash mat underneath you when you are on aerial apparatus in our classes.

We cater to all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities. Of course, if you have any medical or physical concerns about the suitability of our classes for you then please consult a doctor before joining us. But as long as you’re medically fit to participate then you can (and should!) give it a go!

We can build up your strength and confidence by setting you achievable goals that suit your abilities. Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you don’t try it you’ll never know what’s possible.

Our rigging has been professionally installed and is regularly tested by qualified experts who have many years of experience in rigging for aerial arts. Our equipment is capable of holding the weight of multiple people at one time. You’ll be just fine!

Like any new activity, circus skills classes might work some muscles that you didn’t know existed. But that’s the whole point of trying a new physical activity, right?! Your body should adapt pretty quickly to the new challenges you’re setting it, but if you’re worried about how anything feels then have a chat with the instructor – there may be adjustments you can make.

Classes for adults

Classes that are suitable for beginners will be clearly marked on the schedule. Please see our beginners page for details on what skills you need to master to join our mixed level classes.

You’re welcome to book a beginners private tuition session to help you get up to speed with the skills needed for a mixed level class.

To see the class schedule, head to our weekly classes page.

After-School Courses

All of our after-school courses are suitable for beginners.

Information on our current courses can be found on our after-school courses page.

Workshops

The level of each workshop will be noted on the booking schedule, so check before you book that you’re signing up for an appropriate workshop.

Head to our workshops page to see what we’ve currently got scheduled.

Parties

Our parties are suitable for complete beginners – no previous experience necessary!

For more details head to our parties page.

Private tuition

As private tuition is a bespoke product, it will be geared towards the level of everyone who is joining in.

Participants in group private tuition sessions don’t all need to be at the same level, but be aware that the dynamic of the session may be different if there is a wide range of abilities within the group.

For more details and prices, head to our private tuition page.

Our children’s classes are currently run on a half-termly course basis.

Our adult classes run on a weekly basis. You can sign up week-to-week or, if you prefer you can sign up for a month at a time by making a block booking.

Head to our weekly classes for adults page for more information on our classes for adults.

Absolutely! You can have private tuition in any of the individual skills on offer – it’s a great way to progress as we can tailor the sessions to your needs and desires!

Head to our private tuition page for more information or to make a booking.

Absolutely! We’ve had some really lovely feedback about how much fun guests have had at our parties. Head to our parties page for more information.

Please note that anyone under the influence of alcohol will not be allowed to participate in the activities, so if your party is for adults then make sure any celebratory drinking is done after you’ve had your fun with us!

If our party packages don’t cover your requirements then drop us an email letting us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll let you know if we can put together a bespoke package for you!

There are showers, changing rooms and lockers onsite in the leisure centre – make sure you bring your own towel and shower shoes/flip flops.

You’ll be able to see the age limits for our weekly classes on the booking schedule, which you’ll find on our weekly classes page. In general, if you want to come along to our regular adult classes then you’ll have to be aged 16 or over.

For children aged 15 and under, we’re currently running after-school courses.