You may have noticed an influx of aerial acrobats around town. They aren't traveling circus performers. They're Durango locals, and their community is growing. You're watching the local News Network brought to you by Happy Pappy's Pizza and Wings and the FLC Center for Innovation. Over the years, Durango's small community has seen four aerial sports companies tumble into and out of the performance ring. So what is aerial acrobatics and why is it growing in popularity? San Juan Circus owner and coach Cynthia Bay says it's a sport that must be experienced to be understood.

Most people, when they think of aerial and acrobatics, they think of like the highest level professional stuff like swinging through the air and flipping and doing the splits upside down. But it's a lot more than that. It's a great workout. It can be stress relieving. It's just for fun for most people, so it can be whatever you want it to be.

For Bay, the circus is about athleticism, artistic expression, and building community through her company.

San Juan Circus I founded in 2021. I come from a background of gymnastics and it's very similar. So when I found Ariel about eight years ago, I was hooked immediately. It's very similar to gymnastics and dance, and that's something that my body doesn't do the same as it used to. So it's kind of a nice way to feel like that again, like flying or going upside down things that make me happy.

San Juan Circus performers have showcased their unique brand of spectacle and awe at public events and private parties. They also produce their own shows, their new production. The book of spells opens for two performances on October 31st at the Fort Lewis College concert. Hall Bay says, the show promises enchantment and mysticism fitting for Halloween.

We've wanted to do a big show at the concert hall for a long time and it's finally happening and we're very excited about that. So we wanted to make the best of a huge theater, so we're bringing in some really amazing talent from all over the state and it's going to be an exciting show. Many, many hours of rehearsing has already gone into the show and we have many hours left of rehearsals. Yeah, it's, it's a lot of time and energy put into making an act, rehearsing it until it's perfect in our eyes, as perfect as it can be.

While the circus performers, feats of bravery, strength, and artistry may seem inaccessible to many Bay insists that anyone can try aerial acrobatics and San Juan Circus is the only aerial studio in town that offers classes in the art. If you'd like to test your aerial acrobatic skills, sign up for one free class at its studio in the Durango Fitness Center.

You have nothing to lose just by wanting to try it. We offer classes for kids as young as four years old, and we have a big community of adult beginner students all the way up to professional level people. But you don't need any strength or flexibility to start doing aerial. You will gain that strength and flexibility once you start. Yeah, it can be like flying. Some people will get dizzy their first couple times, but that goes away. Sometimes you get scared, but it's a good way to conquer your fears and you never have to do anything you don't want to do in a class. You can stay really low to the ground. We have people who never climb up high and they're happy with that, so you don't have to do anything crazy in our classes.

As the San Juan Circus grows its aerial acrobatic community, it will continue to offer stunning performances locally. Look out for its Y 2K themed burlesque show on November 22nd in Cupid's Cabaret in February, both at the subterranean bar and art installation in downtown Durango. Visit san Juan circus.com to sign up for a class or get tickets to their next show. For more stories like these, visit Durango Local News. Thank you for watching this edition of The Local News Network. I'm Zach Markwell.