BRATTLEBORO — On Saturday, May 21, the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) is welcoming anyone who wants to test out the flying trapeze for only $5 a flight between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“Fly for $5” is open to anyone age 7 and up, and there will be other activities for younger kids, including hula hooping and juggling. First-time flyers are invited to see what all the excitement is about.
What might a student expect from trying the flying trapeze? In a news release, NECCA co-founder Serenity Smith Forchion described it this way:
“The flying trapeze stands 36 feet tall and the student starts by climbing up to a platform about 22 feet off the ground. The view is lovely and on a nice day it's really quite peaceful! From there, the student reaches out to grab a trapeze bar. That is probably the scariest moment, but you are wearing safety lines and have plenty of help on the pedestal board from our trained coaches.
“The rest happens rather naturally, with the student swinging out over the net in a long pendulum. Some people try to go upside down and hang by their knees, but most first-time students just enjoy the wind in their hair, the great view and the adrenaline rush of swinging through the air.”
Flying Trapeze was one of the first classes offered at the New England Center for Circus Arts, and classes run through the late spring and into the fall on a per-class sign up. It is the only Flying Trapeze program in Vermont, and the next-closest is more than two hours away in Boston, so this is a unique experience.