So I'm a graduate of NECCA, which is New England Center for Circus Arts.

That's over on the East Coast.

And when we moved back to the West Coast, I formed, Flying Lotus Circus Arts with my partner, Cheyenne Windisch.

Both of us know and have experienced the empowering aspects of circus, and so that was something that we wanted to do for our community.

So we both have worked in social circuses in the sense that you, bring circus arts and their skills to the community to let children that wouldn't normally get the opportunity to do circus, they get to experience it.

And it's a very empowering and wonderful experience to be able to use your body in such a way that allows you to process things.

You're totally committed and present in the moment with yourself and your apparatus in your body, so it teaches us, even adults and children, how to be uncomfortable at some points, how to make decisions when you're feeling that you can't do it, and it's always a lesson in just how to persevere.

Hi.

I'm April Wietlisbach, and this is The Work of Art.

This is one of my favorite equations that I learned at NECCA, and I've learned to adapt it and change it up.

So first I just start climbing because I have to be at the top.

So for this particular equation, I'm gonna choose to use my arms to go through the pole.

And I end up in this fun little seat.

So there's many choices I can make from here.

But one in particular that I like to do is create a salto from that.

So that means a double rotation on top of my hip key.

So this is a salto or a 360, so that means my head and my hips are gonna rotate in the air over one another.

And now I'm going to undo that equation that I started.

So I'm going to to continue my body through the poles, back to where I started.

Circus is a beautiful and amazing thing.