Aerial Fitness Studio Trapeze Taster for £25: Circus Glory

Circus Glory Trapeze School, at 29 Hopkinson's Place in Primrose Hill, lets complete newcomers try static trapeze for £25. Classes take place in the hall of Primrose Hill Community Centre, NW1 8TN, and run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with an afternoon slot each day and evening slots after work. Each session lasts an hour, groups are small, and the bar that most lessons start on hangs just 1.5 metres above the crash mats. For anyone searching for an aerial fitness studio in north-west London who would rather learn from one experienced teacher than join a big gym timetable, this school is a strong place to start.

Circus Glory is owned and run by Genevieve Monastesse, who has taught trapeze in London since 1993. Her own training came at the National Circus School of Montreal, and after graduating she worked for two years with Cirque du Soleil on the company's very first show. For many years she has also taught on the degree programme at the National Centre for Circus Arts, the Hoxton school that trains professional circus artists, so the technique she passes on to Monday-afternoon beginners is the same foundation she teaches to future performers.

Her screen and stage credits are part of the school's story. The site lists work on George Michael's Spinning the Wheel video, the film Ella Enchanted and The Bartered Bride at the Royal Opera House, and says she doubled for Kate Moss as her stuntwoman. In 2018 Circus Glory was an official partner of Circus250, the national celebration of 250 years of modern circus in Britain. That mix of a performing career and decades of teaching is what you are paying for: a single teacher who has seen every beginner mistake many times over.

A static trapeze is a bar hung from two ropes that, unlike a flying trapeze, does not swing out over a net. The work happens on and around the bar: hanging, pulling up into a seat, balancing on the bar, and rolling or hanging by the knees beneath it. Because the main teaching trapeze hangs low, at about 1.5 metres over the mats, a first lesson focuses on getting comfortable leaving the floor rather than on height.

Adult classes are mixed ability and open to anyone aged 18 and over. Newcomers learn alongside people who have been coming for months, and Genevieve sets each person a different task on the same equipment. Workshops for adults add choreography: a mini routine is created and repeated with music, which is the point where trapeze starts to feel like performance rather than conditioning. Workshop dates are announced on the site and were still listed as to be confirmed in autumn 2026.

Expect to feel the class in your hands, forearms and the backs of your knees. The bar presses into the same spots each time you sit or hang, and the first few sessions build calluses and grip strength that make later moves possible. Many beginners find trapeze a little easier to start than silks, because a steel bar gives you something firm to hold while you work out where your weight is.

The adult timetable runs three days a week. On Monday there are classes from 2pm to 3pm and 6:15pm to 7:15pm. On Wednesday the slots are 2pm to 3pm and 5:45pm to 6:45pm. On Friday there are three, from 2pm to 3pm, 6:30pm to 7:30pm and 7:30pm to 8:30pm. You can join at any point, including mid-term, and fees work on a flexible pay-as-you-go basis rather than a fixed term booking.

A first taster costs £25 for anyone new to Circus Glory. After that a single class is £35, a pack of four classes costs £125 and must be used within six weeks, and a pack of ten costs £285 to be used within 14 weeks. Private sessions, including VAT and hall hire, cost £100 for one person, £120 for two, £150 for three and £160 for four, which makes a shared private lesson good value for a group of friends. Workshops cost £35 for one hour or £57 for two hours. No concession rates are published.

Check the calendar before you plan your first week. The school's autumn term for 2026 runs from Monday 7 September to Friday 11 December, and the site states there are no classes during half term, from Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October. Book with that gap in mind, and use the pack expiry dates to plan around it.

Give at least 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel; that is the school's stated cancellation policy, and it applies to booked classes. Wear comfortable clothing that you can move in, ideally leggings or tracksuit bottoms that cover the backs of your knees and a fitted top that will not ride up when you hang upside down. Shoes and socks are not needed, since bare feet are preferred on the mats and the bar. Long hair should be tied up, and you are asked to bring a bottle of water.

Class sizes are kept small, which is a big part of the appeal. With only a few people sharing the trapezes, you spend more time on the bar and less time waiting in line, and the teacher can spot you closely on any move that feels new. If you have an injury or health condition, mention it when you book so the session can be adapted.

Primrose Hill Community Centre sits on Hopkinson's Place, a short lane off Fitzroy Road in the residential streets north of Regent's Park. Chalk Farm on the Northern line is the closest tube station, roughly ten minutes away on foot, and Camden Town is a slightly longer walk to the east. Contact the school by phone on 07973 451603 or by email at circusglory@gmail.com with any questions before you book.

An evening class fits neatly into a walk around one of London's prettiest neighbourhoods. Regent's Park Road is the local high street, lined with independent cafés, a bookshop and restaurants where you can refuel after an hour on the bar. Fitzroy Road and Chalcot Square, with their pastel terraces, are a few minutes away and look their best in late afternoon light.

Climb Primrose Hill itself and you reach one of the classic views of central London, with the skyline spread out across the horizon from the summit. Head south and the Regent's Canal towpath runs past the edge of the park towards Camden Market in one direction and Little Venice in the other, an easy flat walk that gives tired arms a rest.

Address: Circus Glory Trapeze School, Primrose Hill Community Centre, 29 Hopkinson's Place, London NW1 8TN. Classes: adult static trapeze, Monday 2pm and 6:15pm, Wednesday 2pm and 5:45pm, Friday 2pm, 6:30pm and 7:30pm, each 60 minutes. Prices: £25 taster for newcomers, £35 a class, £125 for four, £285 for ten. Age: 18 and over. Cancellation: 48 hours' notice. Phone: 07973 451603. Half term: no classes from 26 to 30 October 2026.

If you want a big studio with silks, hoop, pole and a dozen classes a day, a larger aerial fitness studio elsewhere in London will give you more choice. Circus Glory is something different: one apparatus, one teacher with three decades of experience, and small mixed-ability groups in a neighbourhood hall. For people who learn best with patient, personal coaching, that focus is exactly the point.