Mastering the flying trapeze can pay off when faced with challenges such as performing the uneven-bars portion of a job interview. Swing to success with today's Groupon: for $35, you get a flying trapeze class and a trampoline class at Trapeze Arts in Oakland (a $70 value). This class is for both adults and children and no experience is required.

Trapeze Arts' faculty of former gymnasts and professional circus performers imparts its hard-won knowledge to students eager to learn the art of acrobatics. Groups of eight begin practice on stationary bars during the flying trapeze class to help to adjust to the unfamiliar sensation of hanging upside down by one's knees without the added distraction of swinging or calculating trajectory. Once attendees grow comfortable with their inverted perspective, they scale the indoor facility's ladders and strap on safety belts for test flights. The first class focuses on the execution and timing of simple midair motions, such as achieving a knee-hang position, and quick learners can attempt a catch-and-release move with a big-top veteran or a professional fisherman. Smaller clans of four take on trampolines in classes designed to help students of all ages to develop body awareness and pull off flips, twists, and double bounces in aerobically stimulating workouts.

In addition to flying trapezes and trampolines, Trapeze Arts' 10,000-square-foot facility includes hoops, a tightwire, unicycles, and a range of juggling equipment including pins, scarves, and Fabergé beanbags. Vaulted ceilings rise far above even the gravity-defying performers' standard airspace, and colorfully padded mats and pillars ensure soft landings.