EdCon 2022

October 7-9th at Sky Candy in Austin, TX

The American Circus Educators Conference 2022 is the place to connect, share, and learn with other US circus coaches, instructors, teaching artists, studio owners and school directors! If you teach circus, run a circus program, research circus, teach circus educators, or work with any type of circus education, you will find connections and inspiration.

We are very excited for in-person physical workshops and face-to-face connections after such a long hiatus! (There is also a separate, limited virtual option for those that can’t attend live.)

REGISTRATION – In person registration is CLOSED as of Weds Sept 28th!

Registration includes all sessions (workshops, panels, discussions, etc), social events, and lunch Friday, Saturday & Sunday!

ACE MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND. This event is by and for our ACE community!

To make our event as accessible as possible to our members of different incomes and backgrounds, we have created a sliding scale. We encourage our attendees to self-select the appropriate level:

Please note:

SCHEDULE & SESSION SIGN-UP

A jam-packed 3-day schedule filled with workshops, panels, roundtables, social events, and more!

You must be a paid registrant in order to sign up for workshops!

COVID Policies

+ COVID transmission policies are subject to change based on current public health information and federal and local mandates.
+ We will be requiring masking with a well-fitting, high-quality mask at all times while indoors at Sky Candy.
+ We also strongly recommend rapid testing on Friday morning before check-in! You can bring your own at-home rapid test, or go to curative.com to find the local Austin testing sites and make an appointment.
+ There is no vaccine requirement, though we do recommend that everyone who is eligible takes advantage of this important precautionary measure.
+ Eating outdoors is encouraged.
+ Those who have tested positive for or have symptoms of COVID-19 will not be able to attend the in-person event. Cancellations due to illness or injury will be converted to Virtual Only and refunded the difference.

ACCOMODATIONS

If you are registered and still looking for housing, contact us to see if we can help connect you with other who want to share! Email info@americancircuseducators.org.

BOOK EARLY! EdCon is happening the same weekend as ACL (Austin City Limits – a huge music festival) and accommodations will both get booked up fast *and* be pricy if you wait.

Tips:
1. Airbnbs will often be the best deals and the closest options to stay, even with all of the extra fees.
2. Neighborhoods to look for on Airbnb if you’re looking for places that are within a 20 minute walk (listed in order from closest to farthest): MLK-183 (west of 183, south of MLK), East Austin, Govalle, Johnson Terrace
3. Neighborhoods to consider if you’re willing to make a short drive (listed in order from closest to farthest): MLK-183 (on or east of 183, north of MLK), Holly, Rosewood, Chestnut, Central East Austin, Cesar Chavez, Pecan Springs Springdale, MLK, Mueller, Cherrywood, Windsor Park, University Hills
4. Places to avoid (due to huge influx of traffic from ACL, unless you are excited about being in the fray): Downtown, ZIlker, Bouldin Creek
5. There is no reserved group hotel booking for this EdCon. Most hotel rooms close to the Sky Candy studio (10-15 minute drive away) will be around $250 – $350/night for a double bed room. If you’re willing to stay somewhere about a 20-30 minute drive away, there are options that go down to $150/night for a double bed room.
6. If you want to do a homestay, keep us posted! If you already know someone locally, reach out to them directly.

Pre-EdCon Extras

October Traincation Workshops

This October, Sky Candy will be hosting workshops and private lessons with two amazing guest instructors: Jenn Bruyer (IG: @heelhang) and Jim Donak (https://divingbuddah.com/). There are sling, silks, trapeze, flexibility, and handstand workshops, catering to a wide range of levels and interests. These workshops are being offered in the days before EdCon and are expected to fill, so grab your spot!

Bungee Teaching Training

Sky Candy is holding Bungee Teaching Training in March 2023. Want to check out what this new fitness trend is all about before committing to the full teacher training? You can try out bungee for yourself and learn the fundamentals of teaching bungee as an apparatus at the EdCon session, Bungee Basics: Low Impact High Fun New Fitness Trend hosted by Amy Myers and Winnie Hsia that was just added to the schedule for Sunday, October 9th at 10:45am. Check out info on the teacher training here!

ACE Awards

The 2022 ACE Award winners will be announced at the event! Read more about the Excellence in Education and Innovation in Education awards and previous winners here (nominations closed September 15th) here:

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION CLOSED

The volunteer application closed JULY 1st.
Our workstudy volunteer program supports the development of future circus educators by making the learning and networking opportunites of EdCon accessible, along with a behind-the-scenes view! Workstudy volunteers are primarily those transitioning from youth to professional (ages 18-26). Volunteers earn a complimentary pass in exchange for helping at the event. Accepted volunteers will receive a discount code via email. Do not register until you hear back from us.

PRESENTER APPLICATION CLOSED

Presenter application closed July 1st. Application status notification by July 15th, 2022 at the latest.