Circus Culture

What Circus Culture does

Circus Culture is Ithaca, New York's only dedicated circus school, founded in 2015 by director Amy Cohen following a $25,000 Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. The school teaches aerial disciplines (fabric, lyra, trapeze, rope, hammock), ground skills (handstands, juggling, acrobatics, hula hooping), and youth programming through structured 8-week summer sessions and ongoing drop-in classes. Two studio and performance spaces in Press Bay Alley (a converted newspaper factory at 116 West Green Street) host instruction, with registration, scheduling, and ticketing handled through the Pike13 SaaS platform. Free community learning content ("Circus at Home") is distributed via Vimeo, and gift cards are sold through Square. The technology footprint is intentionally lean — no proprietary platform, mobile app, API, or AI components are disclosed.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model serving four segments: youth and teens ages 8-16, adults 18+, corporate teams purchasing circus-based team-building workshops, and BIPOC youth reached through a six-year strategic partnership with nonprofit Village at Ithaca. Revenue streams include session-based class registration, drop-in class passes ($120 for a 6-class pass), private lessons ($75/hour per person plus $15 per additional participant), 5-day Tween/Teen Acro and Aerial Intensive camps, birthday and celebration parties, corporate team-building workshops, gift cards, and free community performances via the annual Summer Tour. Pricing is small-ticket and unit-based rather than enterprise-scale; channel mix is community-driven through Instagram, email newsletter, free local performances, and word-of-mouth. Circus Culture has not raised institutional capital beyond the original crowdfunding round.

Leadership is founder-led with a small, specialized bench: founder/director Amy Cohen (NYU Gallatin MA, Fulbright Scholar, former Executive Director of the American Youth Circus Organization), production manager Alex Sosebee, studio manager Claire Dehm, offsite opportunities manager Emily Babin, pedagogy manager Emily Healy, and approximately 8-10 lead teachers covering acrobatics, clowning, gymnastics, juggling, and aerial specialties. Core operations are stable but geographically bounded; no multi-location expansion, franchise model, or external growth funding has been disclosed.

Name

Circus Culture

Legal name

Circus Culture

Website

https://circusculture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Circus Culture is Ithaca, New York's only dedicated circus school, founded in 2015 by Amy Cohen, offering aerial and ground-skills instruction, private lessons, summer camps, corporate team-building workshops, and community performances across two studio spaces via Pike13 registration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Circus Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circus, Magic & Variety Shows (THAJAFAH), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Circus arts education
• Aerial silks training
• Acrobatics instruction
• Youth circus programs
• Team building workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Class Registration Fees: Session-based classes (8-week summer sessions) and drop-in classes for various age groups and skill levels including aerial, ground skills, handstands, hula hooping, juggling, acrobatics, and tumbling
2. Private Lessons: Individual and group private lessons at $75/hour for one person plus $15 per additional person
3. Summer Camps: Tween/Teen Acro and Aerial Intensive programs (5-day camps) for ages 10-16
4. Circus Parties: Party hosting services for kids and adults with limited capacity
5. Team Building Workshops: Corporate team building workshops using circus as a team development tool
6. Gift Cards: Square-based gift card sales to support the business

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Circus Culture operates a community circus school in Ithaca, NY, selling in-person instruction across aerial disciplines (fabric, lyra, trapeze, rope), ground skills (handstands, hula hooping, juggling, acrobatics), and clowning for ages 8 through adult. Offerings are delivered as 8-week summer sessions, drop-in classes, private lessons, multi-day youth intensives, kids/adult birthday parties, and corporate team-building workshops, with free community performances through the annual Summer Tour.

Product overview

Circus Culture is Ithaca's circus school offering a comprehensive suite of circus arts instruction and community programs. The core offering consists of structured classes in aerial disciplines (fabric, lyra, trapeze, rope) and ground skills (handstands, juggling, acrobatics, hula hooping) for children, teens, and adults, available as 8-week sessions or drop-in options. Additional services include private lessons, summer camps and intensives, team building workshops for corporations, circus parties, and free community performances through the Summer Tour. The school also provides supplementary resources including free online content via Vimeo and a downloadable coloring book. A notable community initiative is the Village Circus program in partnership with Village at Ithaca, serving BIPOC youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Session Classes (8-week session, ages 8+)

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Village at IthacacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20186-year ongoing collaboration providing circus education and opportunities to BIPOC youth who are part of the Village at Ithaca community. The Village Circus program is a central part of Circus Culture's commitment to racial and social justice.
• Hotel IthacaminorOthersHotel Ithaca supports visiting artists and educators by providing accommodation, helping Circus Culture bring in external talent and expertise.
• Pike13coreTechnology or IntegrationPike13 is used as the registration site and class scheduler, enabling online sign-ups, schedule management, and class pass purchases.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Esh Circus Arts: Brooklyn-based circus school offering aerial, ground skills, and acrobatic classes for all ages, plus parties and intensives. Most directly comparable US peer as an urban independent circus school with similar class-based model.
• Versatile Arts: Seattle-based circus and aerial arts studio offering classes, intensives, and performances. Comparable as a regional independent US circus school with a similar adult-and-youth class structure.
• Circus Center: San Francisco-based circus school providing recreational, youth, and professional training programs, plus studio rentals. Comparable as a US circus school with multi-tier instruction and performance offerings.
• Aloft Circus Arts: Chicago-based circus school offering aerial, acrobatics, and conditioning classes for youth and adults, including camps and parties. Comparable as a mid-size independent US circus school serving a regional market.
• Trapeze School New York (TSNY): New York's leading trapeze and aerial circus school with multiple locations, offering classes, parties, and corporate team building. Highly comparable business model with a broader aerial focus and well-known brand.
• The Circus Project: Portland, Oregon-based circus school and nonprofit offering recreational and pre-professional training, with strong community-outreach programming. Comparable as an independent circus school that blends classes with social mission.
• New England Center for Circus Arts: Brattleboro, Vermont-based circus school with youth, teen, and adult programming across aerial, ground, and acrobatics disciplines, plus professional training tracks. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary regional circus school.
• Sky Candy Aerial Studio: Austin, Texas-based aerial and circus arts studio offering classes, workshops, and performances for adults and youth. Comparable as an independent US aerial/circus studio with a similar class-plus-events model.

Broad incumbents

• Cirque du Soleil: Global entertainment company built around circus arts, with show-based rather than school-based business model. Comparable as the dominant brand defining the US modern circus category in which Circus Culture operates.

Regional players

• National Circus School (Canada): Montreal-based professional circus training institution with both recreational and high-level professional programs. Comparable in curriculum breadth and pedagogy focus, though operating at a larger and more professional scale in a different country.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/circusculture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circus-culture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Circus Culture