Mika Niwa was a college student studying in London when she first flew on a trapeze, an acrobatic device with a small horizontal bar suspended by two ropes. She had no prior experience, but that first flight got her hooked. Now the owner of Philadelphia’s only trapeze school, Wahoo Trapeze, Niwa hopes that all of her guests learn from her initial lack of experience and take the leap.

“No experience is necessary,” says Niwa, referencing a common misconception about trapeze. “You don’t need to be a gymnast or anything like that to try it.”

After falling in love with the activity, Niwa worked as a trapeze instructor throughout college. Upon graduation, she followed a common trope one usually only sees in fiction – running away and joining the circus. Niwa began professionally performing and instructing around the world. However, the constant travelling took a toll on her and after meeting her husband, Matthew Sawyngim, and having a son, Niwa decided to settle in Philadelphia.

Niwa and Sawyngim, who is also active with trapezing, founded Wahoo Trapeze in spring 2024. Its first season ended in October. They plan to restart for a second season on April 19, operating out of Circus Forge’s property at 700 E. Johnson St. in Mt. Airy.

Although they are separate organizations, a portion of the proceeds from Wahoo Trapeze goes to supporting Circus Forge’s mission furthering circus arts in the Philadelphia area.

According to Niwa, their first year was very successful and saw many visitors from as far as Canada come to check off an item on their bucket list. Other guests come more regularly, incorporating trapeze as a regular part of their fitness routine.

“I feel like we’re building a solid community of people and we have a lot of people returning for their second season of classes,” said Niwa in an interview. “It’s really fun to see people’s progress.”

Anyone ages 5 and up can register for a two-hour class at Wahoo Trapeze for $75. Private bookings are also welcome at Wahoo Trapeze, including family reunions, birthday parties and bachelorette parties. Safety is a priority for Niwa and the instructors, who begin every class with 30 minutes of training on the ground.

“We teach you a safe takeoff and then we teach you the trick you’ll be learning,” Niwa says. “And then as soon as you leave the ground, you’re always attached to something. You’re clipped into an ascender while you’re climbing the ladder and then as soon as you get there, one of our instructors will be up there to clip you into the safety lines. They’ll be holding your belt, sending you safely off the platform, and there’ll be someone on the ground on the other end of the safety lines talking you through everything every step of the way.”

Niwa says Wahoo Trapeze is the sole Philadelphia location with a flying trapeze rig and one of the only locations in the area.

“I think there’s another place in Pennsylvania in Bucks County,” says Niwa. “Then the next closest one is in New York or D.C.”

Niwa started Wahoo Trapeze as a way to share her love of trapezing with as many people as possible. As it says on the company’s website, the activity can help anyone to “embark on a journey of self discovery, to achieve something you may have never thought possible, unlocking the limitless potential within you.” 

For Niwa, the fright people feel when first climbing the ladder is understandable.

“There are a bunch of people who look at it at first and they’re just completely intimidated,” says Niwa. “I can definitely empathize. I was terrified my first time.”

However, it’s what happens when you jump off the platform that makes trapezing so thrilling. Niwa says many people who come to Wahoo Trapeze leave with a sense of pride after accomplishing something they didn’t think was possible.

Niwa hopes the next season of Wahoo Trapeze is another success and she encourages everyone to give it a try someday – even her 3-year old son.

Learn more about Wahoo Trapeze and sign up for a lesson at wahootrapeze.com.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.

A previous version of this article mistakenly said Wahoo Trapeze is not the only flying trapeze rig in Philadelphia.