Aerial Cirque Over Denver (ACOD) will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a public event on April 25 at 2:30pm, marking two decades of training, performance, and community built around the aerial arts.
Founded in 2006, the studio has grown alongside—and helped shape—the Front Range’s expanding aerial and circus arts ecosystem.
Founded by Gayle Lynne, ACOD was the first dedicated aerial training studio in the Denver metro area at a time when the art form was largely unknown locally.
“There really wasn’t anyone doing it—nothing full time, nothing regular, nothing dedicated to aerial dance,” Lynne said.
Lynne discovered aerial dance later in life and, unable to find consistent training opportunities in Denver, set out to create a space for it.
“I didn’t know anything about running a business,” she said. “I just wanted a place to do aerial dance.”
After more than a year of searching for a suitable location and building out a facility with the necessary height and infrastructure, ACOD opened its doors. In its early years, introducing the art form required grassroots outreach—flyers, local performances, and word of mouth—at a time before social media.
From the beginning, the studio emphasized accessibility, community, and performance.
“Anybody could come… everybody was welcome,” Lynne said. “The whole point was to create something joyful.”
From the beginning, the studio also emphasized performance opportunities, with instructors and students paid for appearances at local events as part of its mission to develop working aerial artists.
That foundation helped support steady growth over the next two decades. Today, hundreds of students train at ACOD each year across its Denver and Centennial locations through classes,
camps, workshops, and community programs spanning silks, trapeze, hoop, hammock, rope, and other apparatus.
Within its first several years, ACOD-trained students were already performing professionally around the world, with alumni appearing across six continents.
Current owner Britt Palven first joined ACOD as a student in 2008 after a competitive figure skating career. She later toured internationally before returning to Denver.
In 2016, when Lynne stepped away from the business, Palven—then 26—purchased the studio.
“I knew how much this space meant to people,” Palven said. “I didn’t know everything about running a business yet, but I knew how important it was to protect the community Gayle had created.”
Lynne expressed confidence in the transition.
“I knew she would be able to carry it forward,” she said. “And she did.”
Under Palven’s leadership, ACOD has continued to expand its programming while focusing on curriculum development, coach support, and long-term sustainability for instructors. The studio introduced structured session-based training for adults and expanded into teacher training. Building on that growth, ACOD opened a second location in Centennial in 2025.
In 2023, ACOD became accredited through the American Circus Educators Safety Network (ACES), formalizing its safety standards and making it the only aerial studio in the Denver metro area with national safety certification.
The studio has also expanded its performance pathways, now offering three tracks: the Adult Performance Company, Youth Performance Company, and Youth Competition Team.
In 2026, ACOD will produce its first professional production as part of the Denver Fringe Festival, marking a new step in its evolution within Denver’s performing arts landscape.
ACOD will mark the milestone with a 20th anniversary celebration on April 25 at 2:30 PM, honoring the students, coaches, and community members who have shaped the studio over the past two decades. During the event, ACOD will also share plans for an additional location scheduled to open in winter 2026.
