Madison Circus Space

Lydia Auner

Handstand Club

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Handstand Club is open to everyone at all skill levels. You do not have to be a MCS member or student to attend.

Handstand Club is an open training session with no instructors or curriculum. Handstand Club is all about making friends, encouraging each other, and carving out a regular practice time for all levels of handstanders! Wake up early and join us!

When:   Wednesdays, 7:45 am – 9:00 am

Where:  MCS lower dance studio, check the MCS calendar

Costs:  Free to attend, donations to MCS welcome!

What do you usually do at Handstand Club?

  1. We warm up together. (15 min)
  2. Everyone works on their own goals and play. (45 min)
  3. End with a little bit of conditioning. (5 min)

We can help you if you’re a beginner! Spotters, mats, and helpful tips/drills are available.  Go upside down for the first time, learn to kick up against a wall and bail safely, practice drills for balancing, walk on your hands, explore some handstand shapes, get that press or endurance hold… Whatever excites you!

Info for MCS members:  Handstand Club often plays music but is flexible on volume. Handstand Club can accommodate many types of other circus training. Contact Amanda at akgatewood@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Acro Club

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Acro Club meets for a weekly acro jam at MCS during the winter months. This is an unstructured time to practice and play, with no formal instruction. All levels of experience are welcome and you don’t need a partner to join.

When: Saturday 10 am-12 pm during the colder months of the year. Check the MCS calendar and/or the Madison Acro Community Facebook group for cancellations or schedule changes.

Where: The main room on the ground floor of the Madison Circus Space

Cost: Free to attend, but donations to MCS are always welcome! 

Additional Info

  • MCS Waiver: Participants must read and sign the MCS waiver each calendar year prior to participating in Acro Club that year.
  • Newcomers: You do not need a partner or prior acro experience to attend Acro Club. Please feel welcome to come alone, introduce yourself, and participate at your level of comfort and ability. If it is your first time coming to Acro Club, please check in with the host(s) when you arrive.
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult and be appropriately supervised.

Acro Club Policy

  • Acro Club is an open practice time. It is not a time for formal instruction.
  • Acro Club hosts do not assume any liability for any Acro Club participants. 
  • Acro Club hosts can ask any participant to stop practicing a particular movement or to leave the facility if they believe that participant is not exercising caution or adhering to proper safety protocols.

Acro Safety Guidelines

  • Work within your safe skill range and use accurate self-assessment for any given skill or partnership. If you don’t know if a skill is at an appropriate level for you to work on, talk to the host(s) or other experienced community members.
  • Use spotters when you don’t yet have full control of a skill or the ability to safely bail. Make sure the spotter is familiar with the skill, understands what level and type of spotting you may need, and is able to provide it. Crash mats may be used if appropriate for a particular skill.
  • Be aware of the space around you and what people nearby are doing. Leave enough space away from others and from the edge of the mat when you are finding a spot to practice.
  • Please only share skills that you are able to share safely and that are at an appropriate level for the person you are working with to understand and attempt.

COVID Policy

Refer to the MCS COVID-19 policy. 

For more information

Contact Darci Macur at drawninstone@gmail.com.

Info for MCS members

Acro club typically uses both roll-out mats, gigantor, and, depending on the number of people, sometimes blue panel mats as well. A slackline is often rigged across the back of the room, running under the D beam of the truss. We cannot accommodate anyone wanting to use the sound system. We can accommodate ground training that doesn’t use much space (stretching, etc.) in the main room along the wall that borders the dance studio. Because it’s time consuming to move the mats around once everyone has started working on them, if a member wants to use one of the rig points along the back wall (except on the D truss) during the club time, it would be very useful to know in advance so that we could set up the roll-out mats accordingly at the beginning. Please direct requests or questions to Darci at drawninstone@gmail.com.