Gilbert trapeze class teaches fans the ropes

By age 50, Dennis Ford figured he’d tried every sport he was going to. Then, on a trip to Club Med, he tried trapeze.

Slideshow: View images from a Saturday night trapeze class

“To find a new sport you’ve never dreamed of doing, when you’re my age it’s rare, and I had never even thought about trapeze,” he says.

Ford, 54, of Scottsdale was hooked after his first time on the bars, but didn’t have the chance to pursue the sport on a regular basis until Trapeze U opened its doors in Gilbert in March. Now, Ford and his wife, Kristi Atwell, 38, take trapeze lessons at least once a week. At sunset on Saturday night, the couple sits under a tarp, watching other students swing.

“We look forward to this all week,” he says before climbing the narrow ladder. “At some point every day we talk about trapeze — we talk about a trick, look something up or watch a video on YouTube — it really makes the week go by fast.”

Ford is one of a half-dozen students enrolled in Trapeze U’s Fundamentals of Flight course, geared toward intermediate students. The six-week program won’t get students a spot in the circus, but it does get them learning a variety of tricks, says instructor Aaron Hammer.

For first-timers, the $35, one-hour ABCs of Trapeze class is a good way to try the sport. Since all students are harnessed to a pulley system that keeps them from falling hard into the net, the sport is about as dangerous as rock climbing, says Hammer.

“If you listen to us and do what we say to do just about anybody can do it,” says Hammer. “There’s a lot of instant gratification, it’s not like tae kwon do  where you have to take three months of lessons to get a belt.”

As a longtime skydiver, Kelly Griffin, 43, is used to flying. Grabbing onto the bar and jumping from a platform that looks like a bleacher seat suspended in midair has never phased the Chandler woman, and the emphasis trapeze artists put on precise in-air gymnastics has helped her technique in formation skydiving. The sensation of letting go of one bar, hanging suspended in midair until being caught is her favorite part of the sport.

“It’s just great to be out there without holding on and all of a sudden someone is catching you,” she says. “You think you’re never going not get there and then you’re there.”

To do that, all you need is basic fitness and a willingness to follow directions. More women seem to have that than men, says Ford, the only male student in his class.

“I actually have a theory on that. To do this you need trust, to listen to directions and follow directions, and basically we suck at it,” he laughs. “If you have decent core strength and decent strength to weight ratio, you can do this — all the rest is head.”

Trapeze U show

What: Students show off their moves

When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: 14407 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert

Cost: Free

Information: (888) 872-7101 or trapezeu.com