Moody Street Circus
Moody Street Circus is a private family-run recreational circus arts and belly dance 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.
Creativity, Growth & Strength
Studio Offerings
All classes are for students ages 15+ |
All classes are for students ages 15+ |
Our Philosophy
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, some of our students have gone on to professional careers in circus and belly dance, but all of them they have just enjoyed how these art forms brought greater confidence and amplified the joy in their lives! As a showbiz family with a legacy of performing, 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.