The Circus Place

What The Circus Place does

The Circus Place was a single-location circus arts training facility based in Hillsborough, New Jersey, that operated from approximately 2011 until its closure on December 18, 2022. The company offered instruction across four core circus disciplines — Aerials, Balance, Manipulations (juggling, hooping, Chinese yoyo), and Acrobatics — serving students ranging from children to adults and from complete beginners through advanced practitioners. Its core product was semester-based group tuition, supplemented by private lessons at $80/hour (lead coaches) or $90/hour (directors Amelia Wieger and Devon Light-Wills), with discounted 10-pack bundles available. Additional revenue streams included customizable circus-themed birthday parties, in-person day camps and holiday camps (e.g., Black Friday Day Camps), and a virtual summer camp delivered via Zoom in 2020 at $285/week. Late-stage add-on offerings included Aerial Yoga and CPR/First Aid certification.

The business model was direct-to-consumer with no institutional or enterprise clients, relying on a small staff of approximately four named personnel (two directors, a private lessons coordinator, and a party coordinator) plus additional coaches. Marketing was conducted primarily through organic and paid social media (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), email communication, and word-of-mouth referrals. Trial classes were offered free of charge to prospective students. The underlying "technology" was proprietary teaching methodology and curriculum rather than software; the company had no app, no API, no disclosed AI capabilities, and no patents or trademarks.

The Circus Place operated for 11 years as an independent, privately-held, self-funded small business with no parent company, institutional investors, or funding rounds identified. Its value proposition centered on a non-competitive, community-oriented instructional environment for a niche specialty sport with limited geographic supply in New Jersey. After an 11-year operational span, the business ceased operations at year-end 2022.

Name

The Circus Place

Legal name

The Circus Place

Website

https://thecircusplace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Circus Place was a single-location circus arts training facility in Hillsborough, New Jersey, offering group classes, private lessons, birthday parties, and camps in aerials, balance, manipulations, and acrobatics to students of all ages and skill levels. It operated from 2011 until its December 2022 closure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Circus Arts Training

NAICS

Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGABAL

Circus & Physical Theatre

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Theater, Broadway & Performing Arts

SECONDARYTHAJAFAH

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Live Entertainment & Ticketed Events (Shows, Concerts, Sports Experiences)

Keywords

• Circus arts training
• Aerial arts classes
• Acrobatic instruction
• Private circus lessons
• Circus summer camp

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsborough

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Tuition: Semester-based tuition for group circus classes covering disciplines such as aerials, balance, manipulations, and acrobatics.
2. Private Lessons: One-hour private lessons priced at $80/hour for lead coaches and $90/hour for directors (Amelia Wieger and Devon Light-Wills). Discounted 10-pack options available ($650 for lead, $725 for directors).
3. Birthday Parties: Customized circus-themed birthday party packages for children and adults, including workshops in juggling, aerial silks, trapeze, and tight wire, with staff performances.
4. Summer Camp: Weekly virtual summer camp programs at $285/week ($260 with sibling/multi-week discount), including materials (juggling balls, scarves, spinning plates).
5. Day Camps: In-service day camps and holiday camps (Black Friday Day Camps) for school breaks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Circus Place is a circus arts training facility in Hillsborough, NJ, providing group classes, private lessons, birthday parties, summer camps, and day camp workshops across core disciplines of Aerials, Balance, Manipulations (juggling, hooping, Chinese yoyo), and Acrobatics. The business served individual students and families of all ages and skill levels in a physical studio setting, with complementary virtual programming during 2020.

Product overview

The Circus Place is a single-location circus arts training facility offering a unified set of educational and entertainment services. The core offering consists of group circus classes (Aerials, Balance, Manipulations, Acrobatics) for all ages and skill levels, supplemented by private lessons with flexible scheduling. Additional services include customizable circus-themed birthday parties and events, summer camp programs (both virtual and in-person), and day camp workshops. The company operated as a single-location facility and ceased operations in December 2022 after 11 years in business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Circus Classes (Group) Group circus arts instruction covering core disciplines including Aerials, Balance, Manipulations (juggling, hooping, Chinese yoyo), and Acrobatics for all ages and skill levels, from beginner through advanced students.
• Private Lessons One-hour private or small-group lessons (maximum 2-3 students, ages 8-99) in all circus disciplines with lead coaches or directors, available as single sessions or 10-pack bundles with no expiration.
• Circus Parties Customizable birthday and event parties featuring circus skill workshops (juggling, aerial silks, trapeze, tight wire) with staff performances, available for children and adults.
• Virtual Summer Camp Virtual circus camp delivered via Zoom for ages 6-14, featuring daily coaching in hula hooping, juggling, contortion, hand balance, plate spinning, clowning, and act creation culminating in a virtual Big Top Show.
• Day Camps / Workshops Day camp programs including In-Service Day Camps and Black Friday Day Camps held during school breaks.
• CPR First Aid Training Safety certification training program offered as a scheduled workshop event for students and staff.
• Aerial Yoga Yoga instruction incorporating aerial equipment for fitness and flexibility, offered as scheduled workshop sessions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Circus Smirkus: Vermont-based youth circus organization offering classes, camps, and performance troupes. Comparable for its youth-circus training focus, summer camp programming, and community mission.
• Esh Circus Arts: A suburban Philadelphia circus arts school offering recreational and competitive training across multiple disciplines. Highly comparable given geographic proximity to NJ and similar community-driven positioning.
• New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA): A nonprofit circus training school offering recreational and pre-professional classes in aerials, acrobatics, and juggling. Closest functional peer to The Circus Place in terms of curriculum breadth and recreational student focus.
• Circus Arts Conservatory: Sarasota, FL organization combining recreational circus classes with performances and community programs. Comparable mix of instruction, camps, and event programming.
• The Circus Project (Portland): Portland-based nonprofit offering recreational and professional circus training with strong youth programming. Comparable in serving a broad age range with multiple disciplines.
• Sky Candy Aerial Studio: Aerial and circus arts studio in Austin offering group classes, private lessons, aerial yoga, and camps. Closely mirrors The Circus Place's product mix including the Aerial Yoga add-on.
• Aerial Arts NYC: NYC-based circus and aerial arts studio offering group classes, private lessons, parties, and camps. Direct overlap in product mix (aerials, parties, camps) and pricing structure for a single-location operator.

Emerging players

• AntiGravity Fitness: Aerial fitness brand offering aerial yoga and hammock-based group fitness. Comparable at the product/curriculum level given The Circus Place's Aerial Yoga add-on, though AntiGravity's model is more franchise-oriented.
• Sky Zone Trampoline Park: National indoor trampoline and active-play chain. Adjacent in category (active family entertainment / party venue) and competes for the same birthday party and family outing dollars, though focused on trampolines rather than circus skills.

Broad incumbents

• National Circus School (Montreal): Canada's premier professional circus training institution. Larger, established player in the same industry space but focused on pre-professional training rather than the recreational model The Circus Place pursued.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-g2jgdHASdBaAEdGwSkzPw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CircusPlace
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecircusplace
• Xx.com/thecircusplace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circus-place

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Circus Place