I do! ;D I specialize in aerial hoop, and also do tissu and aerial straps. I can put together a good routine on static trapeze if necessary too, but eh. Doing static is like playing guitar--*everyone* does it. So I don't. :P
And I agree completely...humans-only circuses are the way to go. :yes: Honestly though the animal-rights issues never really crossed my mind...I would never go to watch, or audition for, a troupe that uses animals just b/c it's CHEESY and those shows are fucking tacky and stupid as hell and ugh.
jaizaine, you are in the perfect city if you want to start! One of the best circus schools in the world is in Melbourne. But you will have to tame your fear of heights if you want to do tissu...eventually you'll be doing drops and falls from 30+ feet! Tissu is actually one of the things where you're least likely to take a fall. For one, you're locked in when you're doing most tricks (with the fabric in a knot around one or both of your ankles/feet, or around your waist or thighs for a lot of drops). For two, if you do fall, you can catch yourself easily at any point on the way down, as opposed to trapeze where your only chance of catching yourself is to grab onto one horizontal bar. Plus when you first start tissu, you can do most things fairly low until you feel secure. It's only when you get into more advanced drops that the height thing comes into play.
oh and if you do start taking tissu lessons, and your teacher tells you you're going to be doing a forward roll...beware. That's the one miniature drop that will make you feel like someone just whacked you in the crotch with a hammer, lol.
www.nica.com.au
You can do pretty much everything in the world there. Someday during the next few years I will be hauling my ass over for a year on a working holiday visa, just so I can do an intensive course there. (yes i know US citizens can't do the working holiday scheme...but I'm an italian citizen also. :) )
aussiepunkshocker, where are you located?
Also, here's a good place to get apparatus. The site doesn't look like much but they make quality equipment. (Based in the US).
www.cbe-circus.com/aerial.htm
www.trapezerigging.com is more geared toward giant outdoor flying trap setups, and their hula hoops are crap, but...welll, there they are.
and of course, there are a million aerials videos on youtube that are well worth checking out. type in Katia Sereno or Stephanie Gasparoli and see what comes up. :)