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Posted on Tuesday, 08.05.08

SWEAT EQUITY

Run off and join the circus -- for a workout

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Brigette Hein tries out the silks with help of Circus Art School's Eugene Baranok.

RONNA GRADUS / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

CIRCUS ART SCHOOL ***½

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY

Circus skills on trapeze, silks and floorwork gymnastics require considerable strength, flexibility and agility.

That said, the program is open to all fitness levels. All students, including beginners, receive one-on-one instruction from patient pro Eugene Baranok.

''Everyone can have a job in a circus,'' says manager Laurie Allen. ``Kids can be a star in their own right.''

On my first attempt I couldn't get my arms and legs in sync to climb up the silks -- those flowing diaphanous ropes Cirque du Soleil acrobats wind up and through like spiders. The trick is to emphasize the knees and legs rather than pulling with the arms, said classmate Brigette Hein.

I did, however, master the mini-flying trapeze, executing a thrilling tumble from the trapeze bar, my legs hooking onto the bar's ropes and the denouement coming when I hung upside down, about 16 feet off the ground. I was harnessed, of course.

FUN FACTOR

The fun factor here is off the scale. Hard not to feel like a kid again while bouncing on a trampoline, hooked to a harness, to do front and back flips. The silks are the most popular, Allen says, perhaps owing to their prominence in Cirque shows. For me, it was all about the trapeze.

''I'm 39 but I feel 12 when I leave this class,'' Hein said after doing a backhand spring.

TO DO IT

Where: Florida Circus Art School, 15381 NE 21st Ave., North Miami Beach.; 954-540-1344; www.floridacircusartschool.com.

When: Call for appointment.

Cost: $15.

Got a class you want us to try? E-mail hcohen@MiamiHerald.com

BY HOWARD COHEN

hcohen@MiamiHerald.com

I've never been a fan of the clowns and animal acts at the circus, but I love the acrobatics.

So, when Florida Circus Art School manager Laurie Allen called to tell me about a circus-type workout program, I was intrigued.

''You'll fly through the air on the trapeze in a one-hour session,'' Allen promised.

Circus Art School isn't the usual workout program found at gyms. It's not designed to burn calories, trim waistlines or sculpt the physique -- although these are byproducts. Instead, it aims to teach its students to perform circus acts: the trapeze, the silks, gymnastic flips, tumbles, trampoline and more.

Classes are limited to three to four students per session. Eugene Baranok, who had traveled with the Moscow State Circus, instructs.

Danielle Tabino, 29, is here to learn feats to make her more marketable in her acting profession. She feels that having these skills on her résumé differentiates her during auditions. ``It can spark a director's interest and you can spend more time with a director engaging in conversation.''

Assi Shalom, 27, figures it will improve his sport, Capoeira, a blend of martial art and dance originated in Brazil.

Me? I want to fly.

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