In a city filled with gyms and sports fields, the Circus Academy of Tucson offers something entirely different: a place where students climb ropes, soar on trapezes and master aerial silks.

At the academy, beginners and aspiring professionals train side by side, learning discipline, strength and artistry that can take them from a classroom to a stage. It trains students to achieve their own goals, whether they want to become a performer in Las Vegas, build strength or just have fun.

A key part of the academy is inclusion, with instructors believing that anyone and everyone can do circus and wanting to be part of that journey.

The school has been around since 2015, when owners Katherine Tesch and Annie Miele spotted a tiny “For Rent” sign in the window of a building at the corner of North Main Street and West Speedway Boulevard.

Before opening the academy, Tesch traveled extensively in Brazil, studying how circus training programs were run and drawing inspiration to bring those methods back to Tucson. Over her time with the circus, she’s performed in roughly 100 shows.

After talking to the landlords, Tesch used all the tips she’d saved from her previous job to open the academy. Miele had recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree in business, and the pair thought this was the perfect opportunity.

When the academy first opened, Tesch was still performing, and teaching was more of a side job. But as the academy’s student body grew, teaching became her full-time job.

“I like performing, it’s very fun. But teaching, I felt like I was really connecting with people more directly,” she said. “I felt like I was making an impact in the community!”

Despite its niche focus, the academy has gained strong support in Tucson, with around 300 students currently enrolled.

“We almost opened a second location before COVID. We were into the process, then COVID started, and I was like, ‘No, I don’t think we can do that,’” Tesch said. “I haven’t really explored it since then.”

During its 10 years in business, the academy has had several students go on to become professional circus performers, including Maria Collins.

For Collins, the academy isn’t just a school; it’s a launchpad to a career in circus arts.

Collins has gone on to train at the New England Center for Circus Arts, or NECCA. A participant in the ProTrack plan, she’s working to better her skills on dance trapeze and learn more about the art of circus. Collins has been a circus performer for seven years and a teacher for three.

“I’m a big fan of teaching balance,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see students find that connection in their bodies.”

Collins has performed in over a dozen shows and hopes to do many more.

Both Tesch and Collins were inspired to get involved in the circus after seeing a live performance.

Collins saw the pre-professional competitions at VivaFest in Las Vegas and decided she wanted to follow a similar path. Tesch, meanwhile, was invited by a friend to a show and was immediately captivated by what she saw.

“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the coolest thing in the world,’” she said. “I had no idea that existed.”

At the academy, every aspect of training, from conditioning to sequencing, serves a purpose. Students do aerial conditioning, floor conditioning and, if their focus requires it, aerial sequencing.

The academy “definitely set me up for success,” Collins said. “It’s all about having that knowledge, and being comfortable with your apparatus. And helping me build that strength has been really important in my success in the pre-professional program.”

Even when pursuing something you love, challenges remain. For Collins and other students, the hardest part is maintaining discipline: showing up consistently, even on tough days.

She says that building strength and endurance, including literal callouses, is a key part of improving.

“Push through, build the callouses, then move on to two days a week,” she said. “My pathway is not going to look like anyone else’s pathway. Everyone’s journey is so different, and I think that’s super cool.”

Ruby Maldonado is a Pima Community College student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at petalmoonshoppe@gmail.com.

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