Twisted Cirque Aerial Academy Recognized with the Global Aerial Sports Development Excellence Award at the Great Companies Global Business Awards 2026
Aerial sport is evolving from a niche discipline into a structured competitive field requiring technical ability, physical conditioning, mental preparation and international opportunity.
In Pretoria, South Africa, Twisted Cirque Aerial Academy is working to help drive that evolution.
Founded by Gerard Hung in 2019, Twisted Cirque has developed an aerial training model that takes athletes from beginner-level participation through structured development, competition preparation and high-performance training. Its disciplines include aerial silks, hoop, trapeze and aerial chains, supported by strength, flexibility, conditioning and performance development.
For its contribution to athlete development and its ambition to connect the international aerial sports community, Twisted Cirque has been recognized with the Global Aerial Sports Development Excellence Award at the Great Companies Global Business Awards 2026.
The recognition reflects more than an academy teaching aerial skills. It recognizes a broader vision: creating pathways through which athletes can develop, compete internationally, exchange knowledge and help strengthen aerial sport across borders.
Website: www.twistedcirque.co.za
Key Highlights
Founded in 2019 with a focus on structured aerial sports development.
Training pathways covering beginners through high-performance and international competition.
Disciplines including aerial silks, hoop, trapeze and aerial chains.
Curriculum-based development combining technical skills with strength, flexibility, conditioning and performance.
Founder Gerard Hung is a multiple Gold medalist at World Championships in Los Angeles and Italy.
A broader international vision connecting athletes, coaches, judges, academies and federations.
Competition coaching includes choreography, rules, costume and makeup preparation, fitness and conditioning.
From Aerial Classes to Athlete Development
Twisted Cirque's journey began with aerial arts training, but its ambition extends well beyond recreational participation.
The academy offers classes for children and adults and operates studios in Fourways and Garsfontein, Pretoria East. Its training includes silks, lyra, trapeze and related aerial disciplines, with programs designed for different experience levels.
The company's larger objective is to create a long-term athlete development pathway.
That means breaking complex aerial skills into progressive building blocks while developing the physical and mental qualities required for competitive performance.
Strength, flexibility, conditioning, technical ability and performance preparation are treated as connected elements rather than separate activities.
This approach allows athletes to progress systematically rather than viewing aerial sport simply as a recreational experience.
Building a Structured Pathway to Competition
One of Twisted Cirque's defining characteristics is its curriculum-based approach.
The company describes its system as a progression from beginner training toward recognized levels of competency and, for suitable athletes, high-performance and international competition.
Competition preparation can extend beyond technical training. Twisted Cirque offers dedicated coaching covering competition preparation, choreography, competition rule adherence, costume and makeup preparation, fitness and conditioning, as well as competition support subject to availability.
This broader preparation recognizes that elite aerial performance requires much more than mastering an individual movement.
Athletes must develop consistency, presentation, physical capacity, confidence and the ability to perform under competitive conditions.
International Performance Experience
The academy's international ambitions are supported by direct competitive experience.
Founder Gerard Hung, described by Twisted Cirque as an Elite Aerial Coach, International Champion and Performance Psychology Specialist, brings more than two decades of fitness expertise alongside aerial performance experience.
His listed international achievements include multiple Gold medals at World Championships in Los Angeles in 2023 and Italy in 2025, as well as recognition as a Protea Colours recipient and South African Grand Champion in Aerial Arts.
That experience gives Twisted Cirque a valuable perspective on the transition from national-level development to international competition.
The academy's own application identifies this international experience as a major influence on its ambition to create stronger pathways for athletes across countries.
A Global Vision for Aerial Sport
Perhaps the most distinctive element of Twisted Cirque's story is its vision beyond its own academy.
The company aims to help connect athletes, coaches, judges, academies and federations across countries so that athletes can train internationally, compete in different environments and exchange knowledge.
The philosophy is straightforward: an athlete's opportunities should not be determined solely by the country in which they live.
International connections can expose athletes to different coaching approaches, competition environments and sporting communities while allowing knowledge to flow back into their home countries.
For Twisted Cirque, this is part of the infrastructure required to move aerial sport toward a more connected global future.
The Achievement Behind the Recognition
Twisted Cirque identifies its greatest achievement not simply as the number of athletes trained, but as the transformation of the academy into a platform capable of connecting the wider aerial sports community internationally.
The company reports helping athletes progress from local training environments toward representing their countries on the international stage.
It also reports that South Africa has achieved multiple first-place Gold medals and describes itself as currently ranked first on the global stage. These are company-reported achievements and form part of the basis of its international sporting narrative.
More importantly, the experience has shaped a long-term ambition: creating a global network where athletes, coaches and competitions can interact across borders.
Developing More Than Physical Skills
Twisted Cirque's approach also recognizes the personal development that accompanies aerial training.
The academy describes aerial arts as a discipline capable of building confidence, improving mood, increasing energy and developing strength, stamina and mobility.
Its philosophy is therefore not limited to competition.
Students can begin with no previous aerial experience and progress according to their interests and abilities, while athletes seeking higher-level competition can access more specialized coaching.
That creates a pathway where recreational participation and competitive development can exist within the same ecosystem.
Why Twisted Cirque Earned the Global Aerial Sports Development Excellence Award
The Global Aerial Sports Development Excellence Award recognizes Twisted Cirque's contribution to developing aerial sport through structured training, competitive preparation and an international growth vision.
The strongest differentiator is the combination of three elements:
Athlete development. A structured progression from beginner training to high-performance preparation.
International performance. Direct experience at world-level competition and an ambition to create more opportunities for athletes to compete internationally.
Sport ecosystem development. A vision that extends beyond one academy to stronger connections between athletes, coaches, judges, academies and federations.
Together, these elements position Twisted Cirque not simply as an aerial arts school, but as an organization seeking to contribute to the broader development and international
connectivity of aerial sport.
What Sets Twisted Cirque Apart
Twisted Cirque's defining idea is that geography should not limit sporting opportunity.
Its model combines technical aerial education with athletic conditioning, performance preparation and international exposure, while its wider vision focuses on creating connections between sporting communities.
The academy's founder-led expertise adds another layer of credibility. Gerard Hung combines aerial performance experience with fitness and sports psychology expertise, bringing technical and mental preparation into the athlete-development model.
Looking Ahead
Twisted Cirque's next chapter is defined by a larger ambition: helping aerial sport become more internationally connected.
The company's vision is to create stronger pathways between countries, giving athletes opportunities to travel, train, compete and learn while enabling coaches and sporting communities to exchange knowledge.
If developed at scale, such connections could help aerial athletes access opportunities that may not exist within their home markets and contribute to a stronger international sporting ecosystem.
For Twisted Cirque, the goal is ultimately bigger than producing individual performers. It is about helping build the pathways, connections and community that allow aerial sport to grow globally.
Award Recognition
Winner: Twisted Cirque Aerial Academy
Award: Global Aerial Sports Development Excellence Award
Great Companies Global Business Awards: 2026
Founder: Gerard Hung
Founded: 2019
Location: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Industry: Sport & Performance
Specializations: Aerial Silks, Hoop, Trapeze, Aerial Chains & Athlete Development
Website: www.twistedcirque.co.za
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