It doesn’t take much for Bronwyn Bradshaw to picture what it feels like to fly. It’s not a dream for her and she doesn’t have to close her eyes and meditate on it. In the simplest of terms, Bradshaw has mastered flight one silk and hoop at a time.
For the last six years, Bradshaw has been a student at Cirquesmith, a school for aerial arts formerly based in Stratford and now located in Harrington. Bradshaw got into it because she really wanted to be a gymnast but her family couldn’t find a good place for her to take that up. A friend of her mother suggested Cirquesmith.
“I’ve been doing silks for about six and a half years and hoop for about three,” she said. “I have been swimming since I was really young and I also enjoy cross-country running. Both of those sports have helped me increase my strength and stamina, which are very important for aerial arts.”
Cirquesmith began when Nicole Smith, a former competitive gymnast, dancer and equestrian, discovered the art form and found that it combined her passion for physical, mental and spiritual health into one activity.
“With competitive gymnastics, it’s usually a short-lived career, so you kind of hit your teens and if you’re not going to the Olympics you’re kind of just left there with nowhere to go,” she said. “But I found I took a little break from gymnastics and then I coached for a while, and then I found aerials. I found it just so complimentary to my background and I fell in love - it was smooth sailing from there.”
In Smith’s words, aerial arts took over where gymnastics left off. That’s not, however, how she teaches it to newbies. Lessons begin from the ground up and she says the teaching starts where a student’s ability is.
“Anybody with any background can do this - we simply start where you’re at because this isn’t something that builds a lot of upper body strength quickly,” she said. “We’re not focusing on just the exercise component of it. We’re doing the basics and in doing so, we’re using more muscles. It’s a good workout, and I have a lot of adult students who come here and get addicted because they find aerials is not your typical gym workout but you get a lot of the same benefits.”
Smith said the youngest students can be is six years old and that roughly 75 per cent of her students are kids. And it can go anywhere the student wants, ranging from fun classes to competitive aerials.
That’s where Bradshaw comes back in. Smith says she’s one of her most promising students and that she can see a path forward for her if she keeps putting in the work. And in a statement that every parent wants to hear from their child, Bronwyn Bradshaw wants to grow up one day to join the circus.
“I’d love to be able to go to circus school and one day possibly join a circus somewhere,” she said. “I plan on pursuing this by continuing to practice and improve my skills on silks and hoop, and also in dance. I’m also thinking about auditioning for the two-week summer camp intensive at the National Circus School in Montreal next year.”
That might seem far-fetched at first glance, but Bradshaw attends classes three times a week with Smith and then works on conditioning and flexibility at home. She’ll spend about half an hour on her silk and hoop at home in the mornings in addition to more work when she’s got a routine to hone.
And anyone who saw the Stratford Festival’s recent production of Chicago will know what Smith is capable of - she worked with the company as an aerial consultant to create a silks act in the play where the character Hunyak had a dramatic silks drop scene. That’s proof of concept and more than enough motivation for Smith’s students.
“Bronwyn is getting to that spot where they’re going to have to make a decision, which usually comes in your teen years,” Smith said. “But she’s very talented and there is definitely a path forward for her.”
Parents who might be looking for something unique for their kids to do as summer vacation approaches should know that Cirquesmith has three, week-long programs this summer with more details available on her website. And to those on the fence about whether or not aerial arts is the right fit, she points out the joy she sees when kids accomplish something new that first time.
“When I see my students get on the silk for the first time and they stand up on a footknot, I can see the thrill on their faces,” she said. “It’s rewarding for them to find that confidence and for me to teach students who fall in love with this.”
