Student Policies and Information

This section is to make class information and studio policies easily accessible to enrolled students. Please contact instructors directly if you have questions about their class(es), or contact the studio with inquiries about the schedule, studio, or registration.

LOCATION: We are located at 207 Washington St NE in downtown Olympia. Some of the ground-based classes will be taking place in our expansion, the Clown Annex! If you’re in a class in the Annex, enter at 207 Washington St NE and take an immediate left bringing all your personal items with you. Please arrive on time, or up to 5 minutes early for class. No outdoor shoes on the mats, please.

ACCESSIBILITY: There are no stairs inside or in the entrance to the studio. Except for the lobby, the space is covered in 1.5 inch flexiroll mats, so use caution when stepping onto and off of the mats. Please do not wear outside shoes on the mats unless a condition prevents you from removing or changing them. There are 2 gender-neutral bathrooms on site. Unfortunately, the bathrooms are not considered accessible for wheelchairs.

CLOTHING: please wear or bring form-fitting workout attire that fully covers the backs of your knees, waist, and armpits to avoid fabric burns.  do not wear shirts that will flip up when you invert.  for the health of the equipment, please never wear pants with zippers anywhere on them.  You might consider wearing layers: a leotard, tights under pants, and a long- and short-sleeved shirt.  Please wear deodorant and remove all jewelry prior to the start of class. Water bottle encouraged.

ADDITIONAL TRAINING: it is recommended that you prioritize at least one extra training day per week, in addition to your class. Open Gyms and the Hour of Power conditioning class are offered at Airbound Arts, our sister studio that is located mere blocks away from Sparrow.  Contact airboundarts@gmail.com or visit www.airboundarts.com for scheduling and membership information.  Supplemental training is also available in the form of private and semi-private instruction through our qualified instructors.

MAKE-UP CLASS: If you miss a class, you can request to attend a class of a similar level on a different day. This is subject to class capacity. Find your options in the email announcing the schedule for the session. It’s a good idea to check-in with the instructor by email to let them know you’d like to do a make-up in their class so they can let you know if there is room. We are unable to prorate a class unless it is not full by the start of a session and the instructor allows it.

MASKING POLICY:  Sparrow Studios is currently masking optional.  we are still asking students to stay home if they feel at all sick or have been exposed to someone who may have COVID-19.  

CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY:  once you have registered and paid for a class, you are no longer eligible for a full refund; all class tuition includes a $10 non-refundable deposit that becomes $50 one week before the start of the session. If you decide to drop a class after registering, we can return your tuition minus the nonrefundable deposit and minus the cost of the class for the weeks that have passed. Except for extenuating circumstances, we cannot issue refunds after the final day of week 2. There are no refunds for Intro to Aerial once the class has begun. 

SCHOLARSHIPS: We currently offer a partial scholarship for those who identify as BIPOC. If that applies to you and you want to know more, send us an email.

DISCOUNTS: sign up for 3 or more classes in a session to get 5% off your total tuition. We love our returning students and appreciate your continued support of the studio!

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PERFORMANCES: Not all of our students dream of performing, but some do! Most months of the year, Airbound Arts hosts a variety show where many of our students perform for the first time. Are you interested in performing or perhaps volunteering for their show? Visit www.airboundarts.com for more information. Some students even go on to perform at the long-standing local show, The Brotherhood Takes Flight. Whether you plan to perform or attend in either case, we’d love to see you there!

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Aerial Class Information

INTRO TO AERIAL:

Have you always wanted to learn the basics of aerial?  Our 8-week Intro to Aerial classes cover everything from climbs and conditioning to basic wraps and poses on both the silks and static trapeze. Due to limitations of space, we do not have single-apparatus classes at this time. Absolutely no experience is needed for this class, and while it is challenging, it is suitable for nearly all levels of strength and experience. All students must begin with our 8-week intro course before progressing to the Continuing Beginner series. We do not offer drop-in intro classes at this time. If you’re looking for a softer entry to aerial, consider our Aerial Fundamentals class first for a bit of a slower pace.

CONTINUING BEGINNER STUDENT CLASSES:

At Sparrow Studios, students have the option to progress through a standardized studio curriculum for silks and static trapeze. The first step would be to first enroll in Intro to Aerial. As long as students attend the majority of classes and their instructor agrees they’re ready to move on, the next step is to sign up for Continuing Beginner (CB) Level 1 for the subsequent session. There are two different CB1 curriculums, Split Silks and Flamenco Grip. A student must complete both before considering enrollment in a CB2-level class. At the CB2 level, there are three different curriculums, Split Silks, Flamenco Grip, and Hipkey. A student must complete all three before considering enrollment in a CB3-level class. Finally, there are five different CB3 curricula a student takes before enrolling in Intermediate Aerial. Due to our studio’s population, intermediate is not offered every session.

Many students choose to take classes multiple times before advancing levels, and we encourage this for those who would find it valuable or who don’t feel ready to advance. 

Some classes have specific prerequisites, so be sure to read the details of each class before signing up. Instructors can grant permission for experienced students to take classes if they haven’t progressed through the studio curriculum, as long as both parties agree it will be beneficial for the student. If and only if space and instructors allow, students may drop into classes at their level if they have previously taken classes at the studio.

If you are a student with some aerial experience who has recently moved to Olympia or has never attended classes in our studio before but would like to, please contact us to arrange a brief assessment. This free assessment with one of our instructors will help us determine which of our classes might be a good fit for you. The assessment typically lasts less than 30 minutes after a brief warm-up and includes demonstrating some of the aerial skills you are familiar with.

ALL OTHER CLASSES:

Intro and Continuing Beginner classes for combined instruction in silks and trapeze are offered every term. Other aerial and ground-based classes are considered off-curriculum and may not be offered every term. For any class we offer that you are considering enrolling for, please read the descriptions and prerequisites carefully to learn more.

Please email sparrowclasses@gmail.com with any registration questions