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CAC has always been an advocate for safety in the circus community. Circus personnel are familiar with risk assessment and mitigation, and prevention of illness and disease are a matter of safety much as injury prevention or aerial rigging safety. As centers of physical activity with relatively high opportunities for exposure to and spread of disease, the health of students, coaches, and staff is a responsibility we carry. Over the past week, circus schools, studios, and organizations across the country have been weighing many factors in making tough decisions about how to proceed as the novel coronavirus spreads nationally and globally.

Some of the factors impacting these decisions include local or state government limitations on gathering sizes; whether the organization’s programs serve high-risk populations such as seniors or those already in medical care; local situations like confirmed COVID-19 cases or confirmed community spread; public school closings; whether the organization also serves immediate needs of students such as safety or food security; and timing of planned future programs, class sessions, or performances. Each situation is unique, though the difficulty of trying to predict and balance potential impacts applies to them all.

We have made the difficult decision to cancel all recreational circus classes effective today, March 16 until further notice. In this constantly changing situation, we will continue to monitor news and recommendations on COVID-19 and make changes as necessary.

If you would like to support CAC in paying our coaches and making future circus training programs possible because of the impact from this incredibly challenging time, please consider making a donation at https://circusarts.org/get-involved/give/

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Be Well, Stay Calm & Circus On!

The Circus Arts Conservatory Team