Former Windsor circus school students trying to overcome this challenge

A group of aerialists who have teamed up to take the spirit of the former Windsor Circus School to new heights say they are facing difficulties in securing a permanent training facility.

The Windsor Circus School was among the many business hit hard by the pandemic and closed in 2021, leaving students without a place to continue with aerial acrobatics training.

Since then, five former students have teamed up to form a group called 519 Aerial — but according to the group, securing a permanent studio to train and practice full-time is preventing them from reaching the heights of the Windsor Circus School in its heyday.

Ex-student Rasha Gill said, following the circus school's closure, she started working at a local gym.

"The owner there kindly suggested that I put my silk up. From there, I decided to start some classes," said Gill.

Gill would eventually team up with four other women to form an aerial acrobatics group that could go put on shows around the city. The group started offering classes in mid-2022 before popping up at community events in June 2023.

But securing a studio of their own to call home has been a challenge, according to 519 Aerial owner Shannon Mills.

She said the group has been renting out space in a local gym to run classes. As for the five group members themselves, they have been practicing inside a cheerleading studio which was offered to them for free — but they only have access to it once a week.

If she wants to train at any other time, Mills said the only available space is the outdoors.

"Having to train in your backyard and work around the weather not being rainy or snowy is really difficult," said Mills.

"It's really hard to keep the motivation to train on your own. So our biggest barrier is having a space that we can consistently go and train together."

Mills said securing a studio large enough to accommodate all of their equipment and students would allow to see the same success that the Windsor Circus School saw at its peak.

"The circus school was doing fantastic. They were growing, doubling in size year-over-year. We had 30 instructors when the pandemic hit. So if we had our own studio space, we would really be able to explode," Mills added.

As for Gill, her goal is to use 519 Aerial as a platform for "different people with different acts using different apparatuses."

"At the circus school, we had such a great community. Everyone was doing such unique things. So once it closed, we got very sad and we didn't know what to do with ourselves," said Gill.

"We desperately want to build another community like that. We just need the studio space for it."