Trapeze lessons on Long Island: What to know

In search of a family adventure 10 years ago, Dawn Borges and her son William enrolled in a trapeze class and took a “nerve-racking” jump into thin air.

“It was just like being on a roller coaster,” the Baiting Hollow mother, 48, recalled of her first flight in the air. “It’s kind of addictive because it’s kind of a workout, it’s fun and the group of people that are involved in circus is like a family.”

Borges, who owns a gymnastics training business in Medford, said she now performs for free in local circus shows as a “recreational” trapeze artist. Her son, 23, has made it his career, traveling the world with circuses as an aerial artist hanging by one strap around his arm.

But there’s no need to run away with the circus, as schools teaching the art of trapeze, clowning, riding a unicycle and spinning plates are just a drive away. Options range from one-hour lessons to weeks-long workshops.

Experience and athletic ability are not needed to take trapeze lessons, said Anthony Rosamilia, co-owner of I.FLY Trapeze, which operates from spring to Halloween at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. Participants just need to be able to hold onto the swing bar, he said.

Students as young as 4 are welcome at the school, which also teaches other aerial arts, he said. Each student meets an instructor on a platform 23 feet up, while a safety line attached to the student is held by an instructor on the ground.

“It’s a no-stress environment, and we move at the pace of the individual,” said Rosamilia.

William Borges graduated in 2023 from the École Nationale de Cirque, also known as The National Circus School in Montreal, Canada. He received a fine arts degree from the school, which is associated with the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.

Since graduating, he said he’s performed in circuses in China and on cruise ships in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, exploring foreign lands when he’s not stretching his skills: “It’s a very exciting and rewarding lifestyle.”