Circus-Arts and Acrobatics-Based Fitness Studio

After a hard day of ‘adulting’, some despairingly joke that they are just going to run off and join the circus. However, entrepreneur Danielle Aubut went off and did just that. Now she is bringing the circus back to Newfoundland and Labrador, allowing the public to enjoy it through innovative fitness classes!

Daneille Aubut’s career journey has been more varied than most, however it has left her well prepared for her new entrepreneurial journey. Her Bachelor in Education makes her a gifted teacher to students of all levels. A stint in the Canadian military as a Supply Technician has prepared her for the logistics of running a business. She also has over 20 years experience in the fitness industry, and she is a certified Can Fit Pro personal trainer.

However, Danielle’s experience in circus-arts is what truly sets her apart. She had dabbled in circus-arts for years, first encountering it in university and later training herself while stationed with the military. She then perused circus training in the states, and even travelled to Asia to advance her skills, before getting her Instructor Certification from École nationale de cirque (National Circus School) in Montreal, Quebec. However, life brought Danielle back to Newfoundland, where she found limited training programs and opportunities for performers.

She set out to correct this and began offering circus-arts classes through a fitness studio as an independent contractor. Through this pilot program, Danielle saw there was indeed a demand for these types of classes in the St. John’s area. However, she found her class sizes, aerial heights, course offerings, and independence restricted by the arrangement. She decided to strike out on her own and launch Cirqu’letics a dedicated circus and acrobatic fitness studio.

Armed with a strong business place, Danielle approached Metro Business Opportunities (MBO) in early 2018, looking for financing to start her own business. MBO quickly helped Danielle out with an Impact loan to start-up her own studio. The Impact loan had the added bonus of allowing Danielle to leverage additional funds from Futurpreneur Canada.

The majority of the start-up financing went into purchasing an elaborate truss system for the new space. The system ensures the safety of performers, and can easily bear the weight of full classes of energetic students. The truss system at Cirque’letics is the only one of its scale in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Cirque’letics studio has now been open several months and is offering a wide variety of fun, challenging, and entertaining fitness classes – bungee dance, aerial arts, tumbling classes, doubles trapeze, and more. She has also partnered with other local entrepreneurs, who utilize her space to offer martial arts and pole fitness classes.

So far the response to Cirque’letics has been great – social media is abuzz, local media has been covering the new business, and the public has flocked to their public events and open house. With registration for fall classes in full swing, enrollment is sure to reach all new heights for Danielle Aubut and her new business!

Do you live in St.John’s or Mount Pearl and have a business idea you want to take to the next level?
Apply for Impact online or get in touch with MBO today.