Who among us has not entertained childhood dreams of running away and joining the circus? The showmanship, dazzling lights, the flying trapeze, aerial acrobatics, feats of strength, agility and dexterity make our hearts race with anticipation of adventure and spectacle.
Thanks to an innovative new studio in Tappahannock, The Hanger Vertical Arts, a journey to join the circus will not take too long or be too far. In fact, the circus is in town.
Created by two former Cirque du Soleil artists, Hannah Spiegler and Patrick Sullivan, The Hanger offers the young and young at heart a full menu of classes in the circus arts, as well as summer camps, after school care, and professional performances for special events.
Each of the pair had individual careers in circus arts in a number of exotic locales; however, Spiegler and Sullivan first began working together in the Dominican Republic for CREACTIVE by Cirque du Soleil as double trapeze and flying trapeze artists. They later traveled to Club Med in Cancun, Mexico, and to Oakland, California, to perform and teach aerial/trapeze arts. When COVID 19 shut down travel and tourism in the United States and abroad, they relocated to Tappahannock, Spiegler’s hometown, intending to train and wait out the pandemic, which was predicted to be a few weeks to a month of “stay at home” efforts.
They bought an aerial arts rig for their practice and set up shop in Spiegler’s parents’ backyard on the river. Before long, they were performing regularly at Northern Neck Burger, while patrons looked on from the patio and parking lot. It was a welcome diversion — lively outdoor entertainment when much of the country was shut down and staying indoors.
But inspiration came knocking when Spiegler and Sullivan began to notice a growing interest in the community for fun, athletic pursuits that could be practiced in open-air settings and indoors in small groups, while still adhering to mask mandates. After all, their circus-inspired careers had included not just performing and training, but also teaching their skills to both adults and children. The local interest in aerial arts was undeniable, so why not use their expertise to enlighten and entertain a wider audience?
They started by teaching individuals and small groups of children and adults using their freestanding apparatus on the river. They were happy, and pleasantly surprised, when demand for their services increased. They soon began searching for a suitable indoor setting where they could open up their instruction to larger numbers and avoid the complications of weather. In November of 2020, they launched their own studio at 845 Church Lane in Tappahannock, a bold move during a global pandemic, but Spiegler and Sullivan are accustomed to daring moves — their specialty, after all, is the flying trapeze.
Their studio offerings include physical training and conditioning, aerial arts (trapeze, fabric hammocks, silks and lyra/hoops) and flow arts (movement-based skills like juggling, hula hoops, balance moves and acrobatics).
As word of their unique program spread, they added a circus class at Aylett Country Day School, which focused on flow arts. The youth-centered program at Aylett mirrors a similar curriculum offered at The Hanger.
With a growing list of students at their studio in town, they added more private and group sessions, after-school care and summer camps. They even hosted a circus-themed show, with big-top decor and sparkly costumes, where students could perform their new skills and routines to the delight of their families and invited guests. In another high point, one of their students, Cassidy Kite, recently won first place in the Lyra/Hoop Amateur Junior B division at the 2021 US Pole Sports Federation spring semi-finals. The national competition is coming up in September. Kite will compete in the Elite Junior B division.
The benefits of The Hanger’s aerial arts program go beyond mere “flips and tricks,” Spiegler notes. Health experts tout multiple mental and physical perks as well. Aerial fitness fuses flexibility training, core strength, physical challenges, balance and posture work, to help create new brain/body connections. Inversion of the body (an upside-down position) allows for better spatial awareness, spinal and joint/soft tissue lengthening, significant energy expenditure in a low impact environment, as well as mental clarity and awareness. There is a benefit for every body type and fitness level.
Although Spiegler and Sullivan have achieved remarkable success in Tappahannock with The Hanger VA, they were prepared for it — the pair has trained, taught classes, and performed separately and together for years in many extraordinary settings.
Spiegler, a Tappahannock native, attended the University of Georgia, earning her bachelor’s degree in business marketing and management while competing on the UGA equestrian team. From a young age, she had developed an interest in aerial arts, thanks to many family vacations spent at Club Med, where one of the activities offered was circus-style training. Spiegler’s mother, Katie, had worked for Club Med, an all-inclusive resort with an estimated 80 facilities in exotic locations around the world, as a tennis and aerobics instructor and public relations professional. It was at a Club Med resort in Cancun, Mexico, that Katie met her future husband, Glenn, who was studying in New York to become an orthopedic surgeon. They eventually settled together in Tappahannock to establish Glenn’s practice and raise their family. As a perk of the Club Med job, the Spieglers were granted access to the resorts for family vacations. Young Hannah developed a fascination with the high-flying art forms and vowed to work for Club Med one day. After graduating from UGA, she secured a job with the company and taught flying trapeze, aerials and circus arts, while
also performing regularly in resort shows.
Sullivan, who grew up in Arizona, attended Arizona State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics. He also competed as a springboard and platform diver. A college teammate persuaded him to try out for Cirque du Soleil’s “O” show in Las Vegas, where he was hired to perform as a high diver. He went on to learn aerial circus skills, flow arts and flying trapeze. He wears a tattooed quote by Leonardo da Vinci on his torso which sums up his love of aerial arts: “Once you have tasted flight you will forever walk the earth with eyes turned skyward for there you have been and there you will always long to return.”
Sullivan traveled to Perth, Australia, where he taught and trained students and other instructors at Rooftop Trapeze, a circus-inspired fitness facility. Later, he worked as chief of circus at Club Med in Turks and Caicos Islands and Ixtapa, Mexico, before moving on to the Dominican Republic to perform and teach at CREACTIVE by Cirque du Soleil. It was here that Sullivan and Spiegler met and began performing together as a team on the flying trapeze and double trapeze.
Their profession has taken them to many beautiful and fascinating destinations and now they have brought their special brand of fitness training to a whole new audience. In the process, they have inspired a diverse community of performers of all ages, united in the joy of aerial artistry.
“We can’t wait to share our knowledge and expertise and spread our love of this unique art form with our local and surrounding communities,” Spiegler said. “We’re looking forward to seeing what we create together.”
For more information about The Hanger VA’s programs and instruction, visit thehangerva.com, or find them on Facebook.