 The San Francisco School of Circus Arts is the only school of its kind in the United States. Its students range in age from 3 to mid-40s. The school trains children and adults in a variety of circus art forms, such as the Flying Trapeze or the Advanced Chinese Acrobatics, which is taught by Master Trainer Lu Yi. Mr. Yi was China's premiere acrobatic teacher before he immigrated to the United States in 1986. |
 Lu Yi immigrated to the United States nine years ago. Here, he works with advanced acrobatic student Amber Orantes, 8. The class is for ages 6 through 18 and is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Cost is $180 a month. |
Lu Yi also teaches students individually. Here, the student is preschool circus teacher Wendy Parkman. |
Five-year-old Livia Mehag warms up with stretching exercises. Preschool circus is offered three times a week and class is 45 minutes. |
Wendy Parkman holds the rope while one of the youngsters attempts to climb it. |
Joan Deryckete stands on the trapeze to help new students as Scott Cameron gives instructions from below. |
Livia watches preschool circus classmate Jack Dunham working the still trapeze. |
Stacey Johannsen falls from the high trapeze. |
Mishala de los Angeles scrambles off the safety net. |
At first, when he came to the Bay Area from China, the other teachers at the school thought Lu Yi would be a very strict disciplinarian. Shown here, he administers a little TLC to a pupil. |
Amber Orantes works on her head stand. |
Lu Yi is shown here overlooking his advanced acrobatics students during warm-down. |
