What Does a Trapeze Artist Do?
They fly through the air, with the greatest of ease, the daring young camper on the flying trapeze … As a parent, does the thought of your child soaring through the air terrify you, but excite them? You’re not alone (and you don’t have to worry).
It’s normal to be a bit nervous when your child is throwing themselves from hanging bar to hanging bar – but that’s what harnesses are for!
Or do you trust that we have safety standards under control and are more confused about what trapeze-ing really is?
We’re answering your questions about what does a trapeze artist do, where their newfound high-flying passion can take them, and what to know before camp, below.
What is a Trapeze Artist?
A trapeze artist is an athlete, plain and simple. There is no other way to describe someone who can propel their body through the air and from bar to bar, using only momentum and strength.
That said, they’re also entertainers. Flying trapeze artists perform in shows like Cirque du Soleil, at circuses, and other admission-paid arenas. It can be a career if your child wants it to be, and it will help them develop a strong work ethic.
When you’re regularly jumping and grabbing things at high-heights, there aren’t really any rest days.
It is an age-sensitive career, like dancing or playing a professional sport – so your high-flying child will still need a backup or longterm career plan.
And while professional trapezing is an option, for most, it’s a hobby. If your child wants to learn more about life as a professional, they can ask our Pali trapeze instructors, who’ve been performing and teaching for years.
Types of Aerial Artists
The flying trapeze is only one type of aerial art. We also have aerial hoops, silks, and an aerial hammock!
We encourage every camper to try each type, but if they like one more than the other, they’re welcome to spend more time on that as we get farther into the week at camp.
What Do The Aerial Arts Teach?
First of all, it takes a brave child to trust themselves and their training enough to jump off a platform. Yes, there are nets and harnesses, but you don’t know how terrifying it is to stand on the edge of that platform until you’re up there.
It takes serious resolve to take a deep breath and take the leap, literally.
Your child learning to trust themselves and their capabilities extend past them flying through the air. It could be the difference between them volunteering to answer a question in class when no one else has raised their hand and staying quiet.
Or it could help them stand up for themselves or a friend when need be.
If they can repeatedly jump into the air, they can handle anything else life throws at them.
It Increases Confidence
While confidence and trusting themselves are related, they’re not the same thing.
Maybe your child has never thought of themselves as an athlete, and going to trapeze camp changed that.
Finding identifiers that mean something to your child will help them build an identity, they can be confident in, first within themselves, and then in the eyes of others.
Conquering Fears
We’ve told you it’s scary to jump off that platform, but there are other scary things in a child’s life.
We’re not talking about intense, traumatic things, but whenever your child goes out of their comfort zone.
Knowing that they have the ability to not only walk out of their comfort zone but leap out of it, will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Where and how they apply this new knowledge is up to them.
It’s a Constant Learning Process
The thing about sports (which should include aerial arts) is there’s always something to learn.
Once you perfect one thing, you move on to another, and then another. Even Olympic gymnasts had to start by learning to somersault when they were little before they did anything else.
How much your child commits to this learning process is up to them. Every year we have those who go above and beyond, and those that follow our curriculum.
There’s no “right” way to do our trapeze camp, as long as they’re giving it their best and respecting safety instructions.
This constant skill acquisition and progression teaches work ethic. Just like when you’re studying for a test, there’s always one more thing to learn or something you need to go over again.
It seems unrelated, but believe us – your child will subconsciously make the connection.
After all, practice makes perfect.
It Teaches Them to Trust Others
Your child will have to trust themselves and the instructors when it’s time to learn new skills or jump off the platform for the first time.
Knowing that their instructors and other campers have their back is something we hear campers write (or tell) home about.
That kind of trust-building creates strong, lasting relationships that they can come back to next summer!
What to Know Before Camp
Have your child take our specialty quiz if you’re not sure what to enroll them in. If their interests are split, they can always do 2, 3, or even 4 weeks in a row!
Keep a lookout for the “trapeze” specific packing instructions at the end of the camp-wide packing list.
Now that you know the answer to “what does a trapeze artist do,” you can decide if this high-flying specialty is right for your child (with their input, of course).
We can’t wait to see your child go from timid to adventurous over just one week, so don’t wait, enroll now!