Today we’d like to introduce you to Joelle Pendergrass.
Hi Joelle , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up on a farm in the country with a lot of younger siblings. My parents were free spirits and also leaned a little towards an anti-establishment mentality. I was home schooled. I spent a lot of time exploring the woods, being with animals, and leading a small army of fearless and silly young co-conspirators (my younger siblings). My parents didn’t have a lot of rules for us. We used to jump out of trees onto a trampoline and my brother once tied a tarp to his hands and feet and parachuted off the barn roof! I had a lot of freedom to dream and think and experiment but not a lot of exposure. By this I mean, I didn’t really know what “normal” life was or what was going on with culture or happenings in the modern world. As a young person I was really hungry and eager to know what was out there and also a little worried about how “weird” I probably would seem to the wider world whenever I got there. Looking back, I think this really served me well in a lot of ways. For one thing, because I was scared, I kind of expected everything to be hard and to have to do things without much help. So when I found this to be true as an entrepreneur and business owner, I was ready for that. I saw myself as a weirdo who lived on the outskirts so my tank had never really run on approval from others. I had no experience with fitting in so my energy went in other directions. I felt pretty free to like what I liked and try for whatever I was trying for because why not? I couldn’t be “cool” (I didn’t even know what that looked like) so I may as well just do what I liked. I remember in high school, I sewed myself a dress out of about 20 different kinds of fabric -it was lined and fully reversible! I put on that dress with an old hat and went grocery shopping at Walmart. I didn’t care that people stared.
I was a gymnast and LOVED it. I used to take what I was learning in gymnastics and teach my younger siblings. However, it was a challenge to continue to progress because I hated competition and trainers didn’t really want to take you seriously if you didn’t want to compete. I wanted it to be art. I wanted acrobatic movement to be incorporated into something mysterious and beautiful that I had never seen but desperately wanted to exist. This experience of longing for something to exist that I could dream up in my mind but had never actually seen would become a theme for me.
When I found Circus arts as a 16 year old, my heart lept for joy. People were doing amazing physical feats, seemingly for the joy and art and expression of it. Sheer whimsy! I got involved and so did my siblings. Unsurprisingly, my parents liked my idea to create a performance troupe with my younger siblings. I began teaching acrobatics in exchange for training in any and all other Circus skills and apparatuses. Basically anything anyone would teach me. But it was far away from the family farm and a lot of driving.
A few years later, when I got married at 18 and moved to the city, I was like an over excited puppy to have so much going on to explore and experience. I was scared of everything but also hungry and fascinated. I got more involved with Circus. I loved it but also I felt torn because I didn’t really want to live on the road. I’m a person who likes to be rooted. I wanted to have a house in the city and big dogs, and community. The touring life felt like constant camping to me. I loved STL and wanted to be a part of the life, culture and community there year round.
A few years went by and I began to think about what it meant to become an adult. I felt torn again. I wasn’t afraid of hard work or responsibility or investment but I was afraid of my life becoming a collection of expected behaviors and less and less taken up with the unexpected, the bold, the becoming. I was discovering that adults, at least in the early 2000’s in the midwest, did mostly boring things. I was taking Circus and gymnastics classes with little kids because there was nothing for adults. The Circus didn’t mind but to the rest of the world I was expected to just go to a regular gym or take up running or content myself with Yoga. I loved the Circus but I wanted a place in the rest of the world too. I had made friends and started to meet, mingle and love people who were outside of the world of eccentrics. They were, dare I say, “normal”. But in their heart of hearts, I thought maybe, just maybe, they were like me. I began to wonder …if given the chance, would these “normal” adults want to add some magic and intrigue to their lives? Would they perhaps, want to show up on a Thursday night and have a brave but kind teacher show them how to transform into an acrobat or aerialist for an hour or two once a week without having to give up the rest of their life to do it?
I also had a kind and supportive young husband who thought I should be brave and follow my heart. When I put all our money into starting a studio at age 24 and worked crazy hours without paying myself for multiple years, Seth worked overtime and side jobs to keep us afloat. He also took up partner acrobatics! Bumbershoot would not be here if it weren’t for his support and sacrifice. But he also accepted that I needed to be the boss of my business. In that way, I did it myself. I marched myself down to city hall to get a business license. I bought Aerial equipment. I went to trainings on rigging. A wonderful pilates instructor named Stephanie Ellison (who I had been teaching trapeze to) told me about the space that we eventually started in and where we still are. Beautiful tall ceilings, tons of windows and natural light. It was raw and unfinished but we could rig from the massive ibeams and that was the the most important thing. I couldn’t afford it but the owners let me start there and pay what I could -knowing that if they got a better offer, I’d have to move out. When we started, the outlets didn’t work, the floors were unfinished, the walls were unpainted and we just had a few mats that we moved around under a few trapezes and a few Aerial silks. But it was a start! That was October of 2009.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of my struggles actually turned out to be a really positive identity-of-the-business-shaping thing in the long run. I had become passionate about making Aerial Arts accessible to all, including adults with no significant athletic background. This was important to me because I was interested in bringing a piece of the fantastical to people who already had a life and weren’t going to actually run away and join the circus. I hoped that a larger pool of people would become exposed to the awesomeness of Aerial Arts and be as blessed by it as I had been. I didn’t exactly know what crowd of people my studio would attract but I wanted a place like Bumbershoot to exist and I hoped others would join me in it and it would be worthwhile for us all.
So I began offering beginner friendly adult Aerial classes with no prerequisites. I was thrilled when people started signing up. They took me at my word and showed up with no experience. I started teaching them what I knew and what I had been taught and quickly discovered that it is quite challenging to teach Aerial to beginner adults! I had taken for granted some things that were basic to me as a gymnast, and NOT basic to others. I began realizing that most of the Aerial training that was available at that time in the world was like what I myself had received. It was great if you were already strong, comfortable going upside down and able to propel your body through space with some confidence and dexterity. However, for people who didn’t already have that it could be pretty discouragingly hard. In the early days I’m sad to say that my own classes were probably this way too. I was determined and a good spotter so I managed to get people through a lot of pretty awesome tricks but looking back, what I was trying to teach them was way to advanced for beginners and it was understandable that many of my early students did not stick with it.
So I had some difficulties! However, while I was realizing the holes in my knowledge and skills base, I was also falling in love with the people who were coming to me to learn Aerial. They had heart and courage and many of them were there because somehow or another Aerial had become a bucket list item for them or was a dream from childhood that they had finally become brave enough to chase after. I really loved teaching beginner adults! And the challenge of how to become the kind of teacher who could do that well became my fascination and passion project. I dug into the nitty gritty of what made different types of Aerial movements work and I developed clear linear progressions, drills and ways to break things down into building blocks that students could understand, master and build upon. I also began to develop my philosophy of teaching and took note of the kind of learning environment that seemed to help students both enjoy themselves and feel safe enough to try hard. I found that as I became a better and better teacher, my students flourished and soared literally!
Over time, teaching Aerial to beginner adults became really central to who we are and what we do at Bumbershoot. I love coaching beginners and being a part of their journey and first exposure to the magical other-worldly world of Aerial -showing them that they really CAN do this! I also love coaching other coaches on how to do this well. And now, not only do beginner adults fall in love with Aerial and stick with it, we see them continue to progress and do so much more than they ever dreamed was possible.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own a studio for Aerial Arts. It’s called Bumbershoot. We teach classes in a variety of Aerial apparatuses including Trapeze, Silks, Hoop/Lyra, Slings, Straps, and Rope. We have adult classes as well as kids classes. We have beginner classes as well as all levels up through advanced.
At Bumbershoot we strive to meet people where they are at and create an environment that helps them feel safe, enjoyed and empowered to do things they never thought possible. My intention for coaching at Bumbershoot is always to teach to the whole person. In the West we like to try to think our way through everything but thats not actually how humanity is wired. A student may completely understand what they are trying to do and be technically capable but still not be able to do it. This is often because they’re disconnected. Sometimes bodies aren’t connected to the directions the brain is giving. We might need to do smaller or different movements to strengthen the connection first. Or sometimes it’s because some part of the person is scared or has a concern even if its not clear to them what it is. There needs to be space for people to work through this at a pace that is right for them. And it sure helps if you have a patient and knowledgeable guide.
I also really like to intentionally cultivate the art of play in adults! We often lose this as we grow up and it is such a loss! Playfulness is connected to learning, creativity and human resilience. Its not just for the season of childhood. Playfulness is key for human flourishing even and perhaps especially in seasons of challenge and difficulty. Thats all well and good but I’ve found that most adults actually don’t even remember how to play. They need a guide and a space that supports it. At Bumbershoot we strive to be just such a place.
What makes you happy?
Seeing people go after what they want. Maybe especially if what they want is bold or silly or dramatic or whimsical. I like it when people take up space.
Being a part of helping people develop a healthier and happier relationship with their bodies. I love bodies. They keep us real and remind us that we are creatures of the earth. In some ways they free us from the trap of living too much inside the isolation of our own heads. I also find that when people are able to do surprising and awesome physical feats, they start to appreciate and enjoy the bodies they are in more and more.
I really love a good costume. That may be the other reason I chose this career! Before Circus and Aerial I was often the only one wearing an outlandish outfit or fabulous costume to whatever event but with Circus people, you’re never alone and there’s always someone wearing something even sillier or more dazzling than you -which I love!
Pricing:
- Our beginner classes are usually 6 weeks long for $180 and meet for 1 hour each week.
- Here is a code for 10% off your first class with us: VOYAGESTL
- You can also book a private 1 hour workshop for a group for $40 each.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebumbershoot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumbershootaerialarts/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebumbershoot/
