Secret Circus Philadelphia: Learning Aerial Arts, Trapeze & Circus Skills | 2018

Secret Circus Philadelphia: Learning Aerial Arts, Trapeze & Circus Skills | 2018 Originally aired in 2018. You don't have to run away with the circus to learn how to fly. Weekend Philler visits Secret Circus in Philadelphia, a circus arts school where ordinary people can learn aerial silks, trapeze, hoop, acrobatics and the skills normally associated with professional circus performers. We meet the people behind Secret Circus and watch students take to the air on a variety of apparatuses, learning the strength, technique and confidence required to perform aerial arts safely. Among the students featured is Leanne Weiner, who talks with Weekend Philler about her experience learning circus arts before demonstrating some impressive skills of her own. Secret Circus was founded in 2015 by aerial coach Niff Nicholls, who had previously taught at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts and the University of the Arts. Nicholls created Secret Circus with the goal of building a welcoming community where people could approach circus not simply as a collection of tricks, but as an athletic and artistic discipline. And you don't need to arrive as a gymnast or professional performer. Secret Circus was designed to teach students progressively, starting with fundamentals and developing the strength, technique and body awareness needed to work safely in the air. Where are they now? Secret Circus is still flying in Philadelphia. In 2026, Secret Circus operates a contemporary aerial arts school at 428 E. Erie Avenue in Philadelphia, with a large studio featuring 27-foot ceilings and specialized aerial rigging. The school continues offering classes for both adults and children, ranging from beginner aerial instruction to rope, silks, sling, trapeze, lyra, flying pole, Cyr wheel, handstands, flexibility and advanced aerial training. It also provides artist residencies and performance opportunities. Secret Circus also remains part of Philadelphia's performing-arts community. It participated in the 2025 Philadelphia Contemporary Circus Festival with its Secret Circus Salon contemporary cabaret. And Leanne Weiner is identifiable today as well: her current professional biography still specifically mentions that she is actively involved in circus arts in Philadelphia, in addition to her career in business development and her work as a certified personal trainer and fitness coach. So this 2018 Weekend Philler story isn't documenting something that disappeared. Nearly a decade later, Philadelphia's Secret Circus community is still teaching people how to get off the ground. Featured in the segment: Niff Nicholls — Founder/Director, Secret Circus Leanne Weiner — Secret Circus student / aerial arts enthusiast This Weekend Philler segment originally aired in 2018. Weekend Philler is hosted by South Jersey boy-next-door digital storyteller Tony Romeo, the show's sole host throughout its run. We're opening the Weekend Philler archives and bringing back the fascinating people, businesses, attractions and wonderfully unusual stories we've discovered throughout Philadelphia, South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. Subscribe for more classic Weekend Philler segments and complete episodes from the archive.