HANNA CITY, Ill (WMBD) – Aerial arts, circus skills, and tumbling are all things you can learn at The Smalltown Circus in Hanna City!
And there’s no limit to how old you have to be to learn.
“We have a lot of classes for all ages. We offer classes for ages one and up through adulthood. So we have a tots program and the tots get to do aerial tumble tots. And then our school-age kids and adults get to do aerial and we also have a balance class,” owner Sabrina Wiesbrock said.
At only 24 years old, Wiesbrock is running her own business. She said she asked Joe Walker, the owner of Walker American Martial Arts if she could convert his space from a weight room to an aerial gym. She opened her doors in 2021.
Sabrina began a competitive tumbling and trampoline career in 2012.
“I couldn’t do this without the support of everyone who has helped along the way,” she said.
For Wiesbrock, opening The Smalltown Circus has been a healing journey.
“It is really fun and it keeps me walking,” she said.
A few years ago, Wiesbrock said she began having trouble walking due to a congenital condition that causes her spine and pelvis to try to fuse together. While in college at Western Illinois University, Wiesbrock said she was introduced to aerial arts, which she said has allowed her to regain her mobility and maintain it over the years.
“If I’m having trouble walking, I literally just go in here and hang on the silks. It’s like an inversion table that doesn’t hurt your ankles,” she said.
“I want to provide aerial arts for small-town kids. We don’t have these possibilities in our area. Farmington and Hanna City area does not have a dance program anymore, we don’t have tumbling anymore, so we wanted to allow those kids to have the opportunities to do aerial and tumbling,” Wiesbrock said.
Kids can get involved with the competition and performance team.
As for what’s next, she said she is looking for an instructor so that she can start a dance program.
