Last week, I saw a performance of Circus Contraption at The Seattle Center with some friends. We were all left agape by the aerialists as they climbed ropes, hoisted, hung, and balanced themselves high above the ground. I thought back to seeing acrobats as a child at the circus and realized how much more impressive they are as you get older and realize how much strength, balance, and just plain nerves are required to accomplish these amazing feats. When you’re a kid, nothing is impossible. Hanging upside-down by the crook of your ankles doesn’t sound so hard when you’re a kid. When you’re older, the same feat makes you shiver with excitement. To learn more, you can read an article from the University of Washington school newspaper (click through to the “mangled” version to see pictures) or read the blog of an Aerialistas member. If you too want to join the circus, you don’t need to leave Seattle. You can take flying lessons with Trapezius, the school where the Aerialistas train. Or, as one of my friends discovered, you can go for a broader circus training at The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts.

I hadn’t realized how much circus-y stuff there is in Seattle. In addition to Circus Contraption, my friend also pointed out Teatro ZinZanni, a sort of dinner theater circus thing.