Membership Agreement

MCS Values

Acceptance – Individuals are celebrated for their shared interests in circus and movement arts and valued for their differences in perspective, ability, and background.
Safety – Physical, social, and emotional safety to explore, learn, and grow should be respected, upheld, and promoted.
Kindness – People are respectful, welcoming, friendly, and supportive to each other regardless of preexisting or prospective relationships.
Creativity – Curiosity, risk, expression, and exploration are central tenets to the life and operations within the space.

General Policies

All members younger than 18 must be accompanied by an authorized adult while using the space.

A board member will not always be present at MCS. That means users of the space must be self-governing and handle all incidents that arise with good judgment and discretion. Please direct any questions or concerns to a board member or to info@madisoncircusspace.com.

Any member or guest who acts disruptive or threatening or seems to be under the influence of an intoxicating substance will be asked to leave.

Members may have their memberships terminated for disruptive or unsafe behavior without refund.

Share communal equipment and practice space. Members are expected to share and negotiate space and resources, and take turns if resources and space are limited.

Photos (no flash) and video are fine as long as you have participants’ permission.

Keep your membership current. If you let it lapse, your key fob will be deactivated and you will be denied access to the MCS.

If you opt to cancel your membership, please remove all your equipment and property from the MCS before your membership expires.

Family Membership

We welcome families to join the MCS community at a discounted rate.

A family that pays for storage space typically will receive one locker or cubby area at MCS to share (if available), but the Board will accommodate additional space requests if we have availability.

If you are interested in a family membership involving minors, please reference our Minor Membership Policy.

Family members who would like independent access to the building need to fill out their own application. If family members only plan to come to MCS with the primary member, then they don’t need a separate application. 

Access

Paid members have 24/7 access to the MCS.

Every paid member is issued a key fob. Members may not allow anyone else to use their key fobs.

There is a $20 replacement fee for lost fobs.

If you lose your key fob, contact info@madisoncircusspace.com.

Only members, class instructors, or club leaders may lock/unlock the MCS.

Members are not obligated to unlock the door to anyone and should not provide access to anyone who does not have a key fob unless they are a member guest (see Guest Policy below).

Payment

Memberships are paid as a monthly or yearly subscription and renew automatically.

You may cancel your membership at any time.

You may pause your membership at any time. Pausing your membership temporarily stops the automatic payments from processing until you un-pause your membership. This is the same as cancelling a membership except when you un-pause, you don’t have to go through the payment checkout process again.

When a membership is paused, your key fob will be deactivated. When you un-pause your membership, your fob does not automatically reactivate and may take up to a week to be re-activated. Please plan accordingly.

Memberships that are on hold for more than three months may be changed to cancelled. Upon returning to MCS, you can sign up for a new membership.

If an audit identifies unpaid membership dues, the member will be required to pay the outstanding balance within four weeks.

Equipment

Equipment for community use, including safety equipment, will be pointed out at your orientation. If it’s not communal or yours, don’t use it.

Use appropriate safety gear and ask for spotters whenever you feel uncertain. Always err on the side of caution!

Never use an apparatus you are not qualified to use. Be realistic about your knowledge and experience. Never make assumptions about equipment or your abilities. If you have doubt, ask for guidance.

Always inspect a piece of equipment before using it to make sure it’s safe and functional.

Don’t use any communal equipment or apparatus in a way inconsistent with its design.
Use your best judgment when buying, selling, or trading equipment or when allowing others to use your own equipment. You enter into any such agreement at your own risk.

Aerial

Passing a basic aerial safety assessment and receiving approval from the MCS aerial representative are prerequisites for using any aerial rig points or aerial equipment at MCS during non-class time (unless supervised by an instructor).

If you are interested in participating in aerial arts as an MCS member, please reference our MCS Aerial Membership document.

German Wheel and Cyr Wheel

Receiving approval from a wheel instructor is a prerequisite for using German wheels at MCS during non-class time (unless supervised by an instructor). Some Cyr wheel experience (either a formal class series or consistent training at Wheel Club) is required for MCS Cyr wheel membership. All wheel membership applicants must provide two references and answer a series of basic safety questions about a self-guided practice.

Storage

All memberships to MCS include some storage free of charge.

You may store up to three traditional-sized aerial apparatus AND one personal bundle of hula hoops AND a set of juggling equipment AND one oversized apparatus, for no extra charge.

Additionally, instructors may store any items or apparatus that they teach with at least once a month free of charge, as long as they rent space an average of once per week.

Please store your items carefully and show as much respect for others’ items as you would for your own.

MCS is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged personal items, whether they are kept in your locker or in common areas.

Shelving is available in the mezzanine. Further storage for lesser-used items is available in the mezzanine of the upstairs studio. We plan to add more shelving, racks, and storage options in the upper and lower studios or lobby as well.

If you have ideas for optimizing storage, please let us know. If you need storage space for an item and cannot find an area or just want to check and make sure a certain area is OK, let us know!

As covered in your orientation, all personal items stored in common areas must be labeled with your name. If labeling is problematic for functionally using your equipment, feel free to use a removable tag that you can take off when using the item(s).

Community-shared apparatus may be stored at no charge, on a case-by-case basis of approval. You may be personally liable for others using your equipment. Please do not donate any equipment to MCS without prior approval from the MCS Board.

If your membership is paused or cancelled, you must remove all personal items from MCS (in lockers or elsewhere) and cancel your locker/storage subscription if applicable.

The storage policy, plans, options, and availability are subject to change at any time.

Storage tips for specific items:

Lyras: In either of the beautiful racks made by Karen Corbeill (mezzanine or upper studio).
Trapezes: On shelf space or mounted on wall hooks (if you would like to install hooks, clear the location with the board first).
Silks/Slings/Ropes/Soft Goods: In bags, bins, or in the open on shelves on the mezzanine.
Juggling Props: In a bag on a shelf in the mezzanine.
Oversized Items: Suggest a plan for storing your oversized item, and we can approve it and/or help you come up with an alternative.

LOCKERS AND ADDITIONAL STORAGE

Lockers and additional storage are available to rent on an automatically recurring monthly subscription.

If you have more equipment to store than what comes with a membership (see above), you will need an Additional Storage subscription.

Locker rental is $5/month
Additional Storage is $5/month

Locker availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no guarantee a locker will be available. If lockers fill up, there will be a waitlist.

You may cancel your locker/storage subscription at any time.

There are no refunds for partially used locker/storage subscriptions.

Select a locker first, then sign up for a locker subscription. You will be prompted to enter your chosen locker number at checkout.

Once you select a locker, either put a lock on it or put something in it so it doesn’t get selected by someone else.

After signing up, you will be able to manage your locker/additional storage subscription through your My Account page.

To sign up for a locker or additional storage subscription, go here.

Music, Sound, and Lights

Clubs and classes that have reserved the MCS in advance have priority for music, sound, and lighting choices during their reserved time.

If no clubs or classes are meeting, members will need to share and negotiate music, sound, and lighting choices with other members present.

Animals

Dogs (other than ADA service animals) and other animals are not permitted on the MCS premises, except under special circumstances when authorized by MCS. See the animal policy for further information.
You are responsible for damage caused by any animal you bring onto MCS property.

Guest Policy

Rules

MCS is proud of its community and encourages members to share it with family, friends, and guests. You are welcome to provide a guided tour to any guest that accompanies you. Guests may also observe activities for free at any time when accompanied by a member. 

However, all guests participating in an activity of any kind MUST sign a liability waiver/release form once they pass the lobby. Members are responsible for making sure their guests sign a waiver and for filling out a sign-in sheet for guests. Members must accompany their guest(s) at all times. 

MCS members are responsible for ensuring that their guests follow all MCS policies, which includes aerial- and wheel-specific policies such as mat usage, proper rigging safety, and chalk application rules. Paid guests may use communal MCS equipment under member supervision only.

Acceptable guests of existing aerial or wheel members can be: 1) lapsed aerial or wheel members who were previously approved to train independently in their discipline but are not currently paying membership dues; 2) visiting artists who have obtained permission to train at MCS from the aerial or wheel board rep and have provided a letter of recommendation from a current or recent instructor, unless otherwise waived by the appropriate board rep; and 3) aerial or wheel students who will be training under instructor supervision.

Payment

With membership, each member receives two complimentary guest passes per month for guests who wish to use the MCS space or communal equipment. Beyond that, guest passes may be purchased for $12 (ground) or $14 (aerial) per day per person. (Note that limited memberships only get one free guest pass per month.)

All guests must sign in at https://madisoncircusspace.com/guest/ each visit. If needed, payment can be made though the same link or by placing cash or a check in an envelope in the lockbox in the lobby. 

Rates

BASE RATES (all come with a 10% discount if you buy a year up front, and a 15% discount is available for student and senior [age 55+] members)

• Monthly, Ground Only: $65/month individual or $95/month for family, 2 free guest passes per month
• Monthly, Aerial: $75/month or $105/month for family, 2 free guest passes per month
• Limited Monthly (4x/month), Ground Only: $50/month individual or $80/month for family, 1 free guest pass per month
• Limited Monthly (4x/month), Aerial: $60/month or $90/month for family, 1 free guest pass per month

Guest Pass, Ground Only: $12/day

Guest Pass, Aerial: $14/day

One Week Pass, Ground (guest instructors/artists only): $25

One Week Pass, Aerial (guest instructors/artists only): $30

EXTRAS

Locker: extra $5/month for monthly or $50/year for yearly

Storage for extra or oversized apparatus: extra $5/month monthly or $50/year for yearly 

Fob Loss Replacement Fee: $20

Membership is billed automatically as a recurring payment. You may cancel or switch your membership at any time.