- Hi, I'm Matt.

- And I'm Nicole.

- And today, we're flying high in Troy, New York, as The Big Top Group presents Circus in the Park at Prospect Park.

- That's right: we're gonna get up on the flying trapeze and get a little lesson, so wish us luck.

- We're gonna need it.

Let's go.

- Okay.

(chuckles) (Field Trip theme song) (whimsical music) (whimsical music continues) - Good morning.

I'm Matt.

- Hi, I'm Nicole.

- Hi.

Nice to meet you.

Hi, Nicole.

My name is Arlie Hart, and we are here with Circus in the Park in Troy, New York, and we brought our flying trapeze rig with us.

And we are setting it up so that we can do community flying, and we're gonna be flying guests from the community.

And we're also performing with the Flying Harts flying trapeze troupe.

- We're trying to build connections.

We build connections between performers, venues, audiences, supporters, yeah.

It's a special organization.

- When you first come to do this, you get the chance to fly in the flying trapeze, just like people in the circus do and like we've all seen circus flying trapeze acts.

It all starts somewhere, and it starts with that first swing.

And so what we'll do is we'll teach you how to safely take that first swing.

And the team of people that I have working with me, my son Sam and our friend Anna, we'll keep you safe, and we'll get you clipped in so that you can be in your spotting lines, and we'll teach you how to fly.

- Thanks for letting us come today.

- You're welcome.

Welcome to our flying trapeze group.

- We're not nervous at all.

Super into it.

- Doing a little warm-up.

- I see we're doing- - Doing a little warm up.

- a little warm up, aren't we?

- Yeah.

(confident music) ♪ Whoo ♪ - Hope my knees don't give out.

- They'll tell you what to do up on the board, and if you listen to them, it will be smooth.

- Okay.

All right, here I go.

All righty.

(confident music fades in) ♪ Whoo ♪ - You're doing great.

All right.

Bring it up and over right here.

- Chalk is good.

- And then put your right hand out at eye level, and good luck.

- Okay?

- And then you're just gonna... Try to really hold this body position.

- Okay.

- Good.

And go ahead and put your second hand on the bar without tipping forward.

Good, all right.

Ready!

Bend your knees.

- Bend my knees, okay.

- Yep.

"Hup!"

little jump.

- Ready?

- Yep.

- Ready?

- Ready.

- Hup!

- Oh my god.

I'm afraid!

- Okay, ready.

Hup!

- Oh my god.

- Little bit in front when you go.

Ready.

Hup!

- Oh my god.

- Ready.

(indistinct) (apprehensive music swells) Hup!

(apprehensive music stops and echos) (giddy music) - Just like that.

- Hey, Matt, you're flying.

- That was so good!

- Oh my god.

- How's that feel?

- It feels... Good?

- When I say hep, I want you to drop and land on your back, all right?

- Okay.

- We're gonna do it this time.

Here we go.

Wait for it.

Ready.

Hep!

Let go.

- Oh my gosh.

- Whoo!

- Just like that.

- Did good!

- Nicely done.

- Woo-hoo!

- I'm holding onto the net.

- That was great.

- Great job, Matt.

- I'm so proud of you.

Nicole, it's your turn!

- It's my turn!

- It's your turn!

(perky electronic dance music) - And you're gonna go ahead and grab this bar.

- Whoa.

- Perfect.

- This is the scariest part.

- Keep those hips forward.

Keep (indistinct).

- All right, here we go.

Ready.

Bend your knees.

"Hup!"

little jump.

- Okay.

Ready right now?

- Yep, ready.

- Off the board.

- Yep.

- 'Kay, here we go.

- Hup!

(apprehensive music swells) (apprehensive music stops and echos) (frenetic dance music) - (gasps) Oh my gosh.

- Beautiful.

- Argh!

- Whoo!

Nice.

- Argh!

Argh!

- Nice.

How do you feel?

- I'm so terrified!

- Excellent.

So not this time forward but next time forward, I'll have you drop to your back.

We're gonna go now.

Wait for it.

Ready.

Hup!

- Hup!

Argh!

- Whoo!

- Nice.

- Whoo!

- That was great.

That was fabulous.

One of the things that I try to tell my students.

When your body is afraid... Most of the time when we experience fear, it's because of some kind of an external thing that makes us be afraid of something.

What we provide here is an environment where, everybody that works with us, their only job is to make you be safe.

And so we will keep you safe.

And we practice through that fear.

You can be afraid and still choose to do a thing.

And if it's flying on the trapeze, that's great.

I look at the trapeze as a place to practice the world.

And so that's what we do, you know, every day.

- Yes!

We did it; we survived.

It was fun.

- And thank you for joining us on this episode of "Field Trip."

We hope you enjoyed it.

Make sure to visit us at wmht.org/fieldtrip and let us know where you think we should go next.

- We should go next.

- That was so much scarier than you guys said it was gonna be.

- Carefully walk forward, and grab the pole right up ahead of you.

(Nicole warbles) - I usually don't climb ladders.

This is not my thing.

(affectionate music)