NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Can running away with the circus get you into great shape? The Nashville Circus Center has coaches and classes where you can learn high-flying fitness.
"I started circus about eight years ago," said Program Director Grace Good, "I actually picked-up hula hooping first."
Good says more and more Tennesseans are exploring aerial arts for exercise and enjoyment.
"We have classes for children, we have adult classes. A lot of people take it as a hobby. It’s really fun. Strength, fitness, mental - everything is stimulated at once," she said.
So what's with the sudden interest in high-flying fun? Good says movies like "The Greatest Showman" and "Dumbo" are putting the circus back in the center ring.
Bliss Button-Hale is 17-years-old. Hale came from traditional gymnastics. She saw Cirque Du Soleil in Nashville and had to try it out for herself.
"There are levels for everyone. I think that for a lot of the younger kids it’s great because it’s fun it’s teaching them community, it’s teaching them to trust themselves. With older people who might be working hard jobs they don’t have that fun in their life anymore it’s an exciting thing. And then I think for people, performers like Grace, it’s a lifestyle," Hale said.
