What to expect
This retreat is geared toward folks who are interested in working with others in the air & on the ground. We’ll cover partnering fundamentals such as communicating with our words & with our bodies. We will study tempo and timing, calibration and cueing, and cultivating trust in the air.
For seasoned duos, we’ll dig deeper into refinement through emphasis on timing, shared decision-making, and mutual awareness in the air. We will investigate how transitions are shaped by connection and listening, and we will work toward that moment when effort, timing, and intention align - the moment where seamlessness in partnering lies.
Participants will leave this immersion with many tools for their home practice and while our focus will be on traditional partner Straps & DuoTrapeze, the sequences, skills, & drills are transferable for loop-straps, silks, sling, lyra, invented apparatus, etc. We’ll also sprinkle in some non-aerial work with partner acrobatics.
*Join with a friend or come solo and we’ll pair you up!
About the Instructors
Bayard & Leah – Cirque Gravizoides
Bayard and Leah have been performing together since 2017, bringing over 20 years of combined circus experience to the stage and studio. As Cirque Gravizoides, they specialize in duo-trapeze, duo straps, partner acrobatics, and inventive apparatus work, blending precision, creativity, and a sense of play.
They’ve studied together under DuoRose Trapeze (Chicago), Elsie Smith (NECCA), and MC Fournier (Cirque du Soleil, 7 Fingers) and now share their expertise through weekly DuoTrapeze & DuoStraps classes at Gravity Aerial Arts in Denver, as well as workshops across the country.
Bayard’s teaching philosophy blends mechanics and magic: he sees circus as a living expression of classical physics, where grace and beauty in motion naturally arise from efficient, fluid transfers of energy. Artistically, he loves finding ways to make people laugh while hanging from the ceiling — and encourages his students to do the same.
Leah’s approach centers on conceptual understanding, helping students identify their strengths, challenge their limitations, and have fun exploring their aerial journey. Together, they create workshops that are both technically rigorous and joyfully playful, fostering trust, creativity, and growth.
Fully insured and based in Denver, Bayard and Leah are passionate about coaching and travel, and they can’t wait to share their duo experience with you
Website: https://gravizoides.org/
Leah Grandstaff (aka LeahTard Wedgie) began pushing her boundaries and exploring strength and grace through aerial acrobatics in 2013. Discovering herself through this modality inspired her to share this movement art with others. Leah completed her first teacher training through Aircats in Boulder, CO in 2016 & continues to develop professionally with training, mentorships, & intensives. She is dedicated to expanding upon the craft of coaching, including co-developing teacher trainings. Her teaching philosophy is founded upon the conceptual understanding of aerial movement as well as encouraging her students to identify strengths, challenge limitations & have fun in their journeys. She teaches weekly classes at Gravity Aerial Arts, Aircat Aerial Arts, & Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance & offers private lessons at LeahTard’s Creative Sanctuary in RiNo Arts District in Denver, CO. She has been a cast member of the Phantom Circus since 2016 & In the Wings aerial dance company since 2020! Leah specializes in fabric & duo-trapeze, but also enjoys exploring sling, lyra, & dance trapeze. Leah mostly spends her free time gargoylin, investigating nature, and sky-peeping.
Bayard brought a life-long love of climbing to circus in 2011, when he discovered Jill Maio's Aircraft Aerial Arts (home of the "I have an aerial disease" t-shirt). Between then and now he's studied a whole pile of different apparatus and techniques, with focus on partner trapeze, partner acrobatics, and straps, and at a bunch of different places, including NECCA & SFCC. Mechanically, Bayard views circus as an expression of classical physics, where grace and beauty in motion are a natural extension of efficient & fluid transfer between kinetic and potential energy. Artistically, Bayard views an opportunity to make people laugh while hanging from the ceiling as a pretty cool thing.
Information:
Prerequisites:
Students should be able to hang in a long-arm (overhead) position in a hollow body.
Students should be able to invert in the air unassisted
Accommodation:
single beds in shared room (see accommodation section on website for more information)
Price:
€900/person
€1700/duo
OR
$1050/person
$2000/duo
Payment:
€300 deposit
OR $400
Price includes:
All meals, classes, transportation to and from train station and group excursions, and including planned meals out
Additional costs:
Any souvenirs, any additional snacks, drinks or gelato during excursions or spare time, flights to and from Italy, transport to local train station, and massages
