Moody Street Circus
Circus Arts & Belly Dance Studio
Creativity, Growth & Strength
Moody Street Circus is a family-run studio led by multigenerational circus artists.
We share a lifetime of skills, artistry, strength, grace and performance excellence in circus & belly dance with our students.
Studio Offerings
All classes are for students ages 15+ |
All classes are for students ages 15+ |
Moody Street Circus was co-founded by 5th generation circus star, tent master & beloved teacher Alexandre Sacha Pavlata of the original Big Apple Circus, Circus Flora and the Flying Wallendas and 2nd-generation dance and circus artist Melinda Melina Pavlata of Daughters of Rhea, Cirque Passion & Circus Flora.
Together with our daughter, aerial Coach Zoë Isadora, we have settled down in one beautiful place to share our skills & family legacy with our students.
Over the last 40+ years, our students have gone on to professional careers in circus and belly dance all over the world, or they have just enjoyed how these art forms brought greater confidence and amplified the joy in their lives.
Our Philosophy
As a showbiz family with a legacy of performing in prestigious circus and dance venues around the world, the way we teach even basic skills is imbued with the overall artistry point of view. Circus arts, including aerial work, is a magical performance art. We teach mindful & purposeful movements powered by full-body intelligence technique that flow with elegance and power. We have set up our space and classes to reflect this mission and we hope students joining us appreciate - and are eager - to work on these qualities.
We believe that no matter what your “level” in aerial work — no matter where you are in your aerial journey — students should be interested in building strength (even outside of class), be willing to slow down in practice and integrate instructor feedback, be open to repeating important foundational skills, be interested in paying attention to detail* and to growing their body awareness in the air. Learning to integrate and appreciate technique is KEY to success in aerial practice at MSC. The power of strong technique is immeasurable.
Not only will these things feed the grace and strength of your aerial work, but all of the above concepts are priorities for SAFE practice.
*Details = purposeful grips, engaged body lines, seamless transitions, not rushing, musicality, paying attention to breath & performance stylings.
There are numerous approaches to the pedagogy of circus arts. It is important for each student to find an aerial/circus studio and practice that aligns with their goals. Circus goals must be internally derived from each student’s personal view of their practice, how much commitment they can make to their conditioning outside of class, and what they feel when practicing this art form. Not every student wants to perform! Not every student wants to achieve a pull up! Not every student wants to focus on the small details! -- all of these things are totally OK, but may not align with our studio’s approach to teaching circus arts. A student’s goals may also shift over time as well. There is no shame in taking a step back and joining more laid-back hobbyist classes that fuel your soul rather than pump your muscles. There is also no shame in asking for help when you are ready to level up your training and don’t know where to begin.
