1. No one can use the equipment unless supervised by a Sapphire Circus Arts coach.
2. Every participant must have signed a liability waiver to participate in a class – activity involving height has the potential for injuries such as strains, sprains, dislocations, breaks to bone structures, serious head/neck injury, paralysis and even death.
3. Notify a Sapphire instructor of any physical or emotional limitations (physical, mental, or emotional) that may affect your participation and/or safety (e.g. exhaustion, soreness, difficulty with attention, etc).
4. A clean studio is a safe studio – please, keep shoes and food out of the training space. You may bring water in a plastic or metal container (no glass).
5. In case of emergency or injury, please immediately notify your coach. There is a first aid kit and AED onsite.
6. Please do not arrive any earlier than 10 minutes prior to your class
7. No guests without prior approval are allowed to observe classes (including kid’s classes).
8. The gym is passively video monitored and video can be pulled for up to 30 days. If an incident happened in the gym please notify coach/owner as soon as possible.
9. Observation among participants and coaches is important for learning. If you would like a more private environment to learn in please let us know, private lessons are available.
10. The Supervising Coach is in charge.
11. The Supervising Coach has the authority to refuse or expel anyone.
12. All accidents/incidents must be reported to the Supervising Coach.
13. All equipment must be returned to its original place by the user.
14. Only familiar or known skills on their respective apparatuses may be practised. In other words, students and guests may not perform new or unfamiliar skills without the supervision of a coach for safety reasons.
15. No footwear allowed on the gym floor.

• Coach permission is required for any video or photography during class time.
• You are not permitted to record a coach without their knowledge and consent.
• When approved by a coach you only have permission to record yourself. No other participant should be recorded without their knowledge or their permission being given.

Aerial circus often requires active spotting, which is a physical touch to guide or support the movement. Verbal consent will be required from all participants for spotting. In the case of an emergency, a physical spot may be required without consent in order to prevent harm or injury.

• Open training is available to any adult (age 16+) in good standing with an account and signed waiver who has sufficient aerial experience as determined by a coach.
• Participants will be supervised but not taught.
• Open training time is for practising skills you know.
• Only use equipment you have training on.
• You do not have to take classes with Sapphire to qualify for open training, but you must be able to train safely without instruction.
• If you are consistently behaving in an unsafe way you will be asked to leave. No refund will be provided.
• Ask permission before offering feedback to others’ training in the studio. If a person says they do not want feedback, respect their wishes.
• Video yourself and not others (see Photo/Video policy).
• Participants should not be teaching other participants. Refer to the open training monitor for questions.

Training while injured regardless of where the injury was sustained can be dangerous. If a medical professional has advised against training due to an injury, please do as they have instructed. If you attend classes against medical advice Sapphire is not responsible for delayed healing, re-injury or worsened injuries caused by aerial training.

If you miss a class due to injury you may replace up to 1 class per session with 1 open training. Missed classes can also be sold or traded between participants of a similar level and are to be arranged by the participants and notification sent to info@sapphirecircus.ca informing us of the change. 

If the nature/severity of the injury will prevent you from completing the session, participants are welcome to sell remaining classes to another participant of the same level. We are unable to offer refunds or credits once a session has been registered for.

All participants must complete a warm up before moving into the air. If you are late please self direct your warm up and complete any additional warm up requests your coach makes. If you are more than 30 minutes late and depending on the lesson plan you may be asked to sit and watch or work on conditioning until a coach is able to provide you further instructions. Safety is the most important thing.

Adult classes: If you miss a class due to schedule, illness, or injury you may replace up to 1 class per session with 1 open training, to be completed in the same session. Missed classes can also be sold or traded between participants of a similar level and are to be arranged by the participants and notification sent to info@sapphirecircus.ca informing us of the change. If there is a similar levelled class at another time with space in it you may request to join that class as a replacement for a missed class. This is based on availability and coach permission. If there is no space in a similar levelled class, no make-up class will be provided for missed classes.

Kid classes: If there is a similar levelled class at another time with space in it you may request to join that class as a replacement for a missed class. This is based on availability and coach permission. If there is no space in a similar levelled class no make-up class will be provided for missed classes.

Cancellation Policy: Participants are welcome to sell classes to another participant of the same level. We are unable to offer refunds or credits once a session has been registered for.

If an aerialist, participant, or anyone in the facility has a life-threatening emergency, one person should stay with them and call 911.

INFORMATION FOR THE DISPATCHER:

● Indicate your need for an ambulance
● Our Studio Address: University of Alberta, Van Vliet Complex, 8831-116 Street NW, Room 2-248
● VVC Facility: 587-598-2393
● Erin (owner) cell: 780-993-0001
● Injured person’s approximate age and medical issue (i.e. head injury, spine injury, heart condition, etc.)
● Directions to our facility: We are in the UofA Van Vliet Complex, enter any main door and turn down the racquetball hallway (signs hanging), room 2-248.

A second person should be waiting at the hallway entrance to help responders to the injured. This person should also call the injured person’s emergency contact if they are not already present.

A third person should serve as a ‘runner’ to retrieve medical supplies and first aid necessities as needed for the first person who is with the injured.

A fourth person should take responsibility for the other participants, aerialists, and people in the facility and ensure that the area around the injured is clear.

NEAREST HOSPITAL:

● University of Alberta Hospital, 8440 112 St NW (780-407-8822) – 1.0km (5min)

VVC Fire Alarm Procedures

University buildings may be evacuated for a variety of reasons, including fire, weather emergencies, hazardous material releases or bomb threats.

When an alarm sounds:
● Listen to the verbal part of the alarm on whether to evacuate or standby
● If instructed to evacuate, leave the building immediately through the nearest marked fire exit.
● Do NOT use elevators. Close doors behind you but DO NOT lock.
● As you leave, accompany visitors and alert others.
● Once outside the building, move to the muster point. Muster points are identified by maps in the elevator lobby of your building.
● Notify emergency responders if you suspect that someone is still inside.
● Do NOT re-enter the building until permitted to do so by emergency responders.

VVC Power Outage Procedures
● Stop activities in your area.
● Clear your area by moving people out into the hallways.
● Lock your facility, and start clearing hallways and activity spaces.
● Seek further information and direction from the Recreation Facility Operators/ Supervisor on Duty.

1. All rigging points are a minimum distance of 8’ apart.
2. Sapphire equipment will either be quarantined for 72 hours or disinfected with Vital Oxide at the end of the day.
3. Hand sanitizer is available at our entry point and in the training space.
4. Participants are reminded to exhibit good etiquette (i.e. sneezing or coughing into the crook of their elbow or a tissue)
5. Students, instructors and staff who become symptomatic will be asked to mask immediately and to isolate themselves from others.

Wear comfortable, form-fitting athletic clothing covering your legs and your stomach (you may also want something covering your armpits). Please do not wear clothing with velcro/zippers/buttons/buckles. Please do not wear jewelry that could get caught on equipment. If your instructor is concerned about any hard-to-remove jewelry, you will have the option of removing it or covering it up. Please keep your nails short and tidy (not sharp) – long nail extensions can be a hazard and will create challenges on the equipment.

We are located inside the University of Alberta, Van Vliet Complex at 8831-116 Street NW. Look up for signs directing you to the racquetball courts and find Room 2-248.

• 20′ working vertical space
• 6 fixed points that can be silks, hoop, loop, trapeze or straps
• Cubbies for your things
• Waiting area with seating outside of the training space.

Yes, there are requirements for certain classes. Level or skill requirements will be posted in class descriptions. Classes might also be ‘level locked’ and only accessible if your account is tagged to a certain level. If you have any questions or need your level re-assessed ask your instructor or email us.

If you are new to Sapphire and have previous circus experience, please contact Erin before registering so we can set up your account with the best match for you. You will be asked to provide details about your past experience and you may be required to book a half-hour assessment with one of our instructors.

• Water bottle (plastic or metal – NO glass)
• Yoga mat (optional)
• Notebook (optional)
• Phone – for photos/video (optional)
• Training aids such as yoga block, bands, weights (optional)

Sorry, all of our points are fixed. Due to limited time between classes, we will not be able to accommodate students’ own equipment at this time. All of our equipment is cleaned between classes and is ready for you to use.

Your hands and muscles may be sore a day or two after class. This is normal.

But, yes, circus can sometimes hurt. It’s worth it, we promise.

Open training is offered and is based on available points during Sapphires operating hours when an instructor is available to monitor you. You may practice what you know, but will not be actively taught during open training. Please see the registration page for times when training is available.

Due to limited space inside the room no viewing of these classes is available at this time unless invited by the coach.

Silks
Firefly level 1 = Beginner 1
Firefly level 2 = Beginner 2
Firefly level 3 = Intermediate 1
Firefly level 4 = Intermediate 2
Firefly level 4/5 or 5 = Advanced 1
Firefly level 5/6 = Advanced 2
Firefly level 6 = Advanced 3

Trapeze or Hoop
Firefly level 1 = Beginner 1
Firefly level 2 = Beginner 2
Firefly level 2.5 = Intermediate 1
Firefly level 3 = Intermediate 2
Firefly level 3.5 = Advanced 1
Firefly level 4 = Advanced 2

Loop
Firefly level 1 = Beginner
Firefly level 2 = Intermediate