There Is A Secret Circus School In London And It's Amazing

    Run away to the circus.

    by
    Ailbhe Malone
    by Ailbhe Malone

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    ,
    Matthew Tucker
    by Matthew Tucker

    BuzzFeed Staff

    This is the National Centre for Circus Arts, in East London.

    Matthew Tucker/BuzzFeed

    It's been running for 25 years, and is housed in an old power station.

    Students audition for two days to enter the school.

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    The school is the only place in the UK where it is possible to earn a BA (Hons) degree in Circus Arts. For their graduation ceremony, they leap through a flaming hoop. The fees for the BA Hons Degree in Circus Arts are currently set at £9,000 per year for 2014-15.

    Students come from a mix of backgrounds.

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    For example, some come from a gymnastics background. Whereas others grew up in a circus family. The youngest student is two and half.

    The centre has an impressive near-100% record for student employment post-graduation. 93% of all alumni from the National Centre for Circus Arts are still working in the industry three years after graduating. Companies who have employed recent graduates include the Royal Shakespeare Company, NoFit State, Cirque Du Soleil and The Roundhouse.

    The centre is open to non-students too.

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    They put on corporate days or hen nights - for example, an experience day costs £69.

    So obviously I had a go at everything.

    There is no ideal type of body shape for circus work.

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    Whether you're small or tall, there are plenty of things for everyone to be good ad. For example, it's useful to be a petite acrobat, but you can be a rigger too.

    There is a reason the trapeze is nicknamed 'The Fly'.

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    To reach the trapeze, you climb a wobbly ladder to a platform that is 3.2 metres high. That is pretty high.

    The trapeze takes a lot out of your arms.

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    NBC/ 30 Rock

    The next morning I was like a T Rex.

    The tightrope will not make you look like a ballerina.

    Matthew Tucker/BuzzFeed
    Matt Tucker/ BuzzFeed

    And juggling is trickier than it looks.

    Matthew Tucker/BuzzFeed

    Some things are best left to the professionals.

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