Anna Thomas-Henry is a circus artist and coach born from a life of immersion in performing arts and athletics. Her experience started in gymnastics, dance and fitness gyms. Her interest in theatre took off from there and eventually all those things rolled together into circus arts. As an artist she specializes in tissu, aerial net, handbalance, and duo aerial acts. As an athlete she enjoys contortion, straps, rope and trick jump roping too.
Contact: annathomashenry@me.com
Danaë Montreuil has been working in movement for so long, she can’t remember when she started. She started in massage therapy, moved on to Pilates and eventually found Pole, Parkour and circus all in the same year and it all went ‘up’ from there. Her main focus areas are straps, rope and fabric, but she have dabbled in many other disciplines. So many. She enjoys it because it’s challenging, puzzling and sometimes scary. For students, she likes demystifying it and showing how accessible it can be for those who believe ‘I could never do that!’”
Danaë is usually followed everywhere by Buddy, pictured left.
Contact: danaemontreuil@yahoo.com
Elizabeth “Liza” Rose is an aerialist and circus educator based in New Orleans, whose circus career has spanned nearly two decades and taken her around the world. A generalist with a knack for translating aerial vocabulary, technique, and theory across apparatus, Liza works the most on static trapeze, hammock, rope, silks, and invented apparatus. She has a dance and gymnastics background and dabbles in floor acrobatics, hand balancing, and object manipulation. She often produces, choreographs, directs her own work and that of others. She is the founding director of Fly Circus Space, LLC, est. 2016.
Gena DuBose is a movement artist, aerial hoop coach and the founder of SOAR Aerial Dance.
Aerial arts, specifically Lyra, has been her passion since 2009. Though Gena was never a trained dancer, she has a natural athleticism that she uses to bring her own style of movement and grace to her artistry. She has spent over 10+ years navigating her path of creativity with a focus on physical awareness, movement capabilities, and how they pertain to the human body. Through trainings in STOTT Pilates, Power yoga, Ashtanga yoga, and ACE, she began to apply everything she had learned to her aerial practice, gaining certifications in each one along the way. Her work with SOAR focuses on collaborating with professional, and local artists to bridge the gap between recreational and traditional aerial arts. She teaches students how to thrive using creativity and technique, also helping other instructors expand on their own abilities through teacher trainings and mentorships. She specializes in “Lyra Sequencing,” and is the creator of the Aerial Instructor Enhancement Program, a 6-week online course for instructors to learn how to enhance their teaching using creativity and technique.
When she isn’t choreographing or coaching, you can find Gena sewing and creating unique back warmers for movement artists.
You can learn more about Gena and her teacher trainings at soaraerialdance.com.
Contact: gena.dubose@icloud.com
Gunnar Field has been coaching contortion and handstands for many years. He started his passion for contortion as a teenager after stopping gymnastics, he’s studied circus in Mongolia, China as well as around the US. Gunnar takes his passion for the art of contortion and shares it with students all over the world.
You can find him most days with his army of bendy students.
Contact: gunnarfield83@gmail.com
Jenn Bruyer After 18 years of living in Seattle WA Jenn (she/her) now enjoys the ranch life in the beautiful Kootenay Boundary area of British Columbia where she lives with her partner, horses, dogs, goats, ducks, and chickens. She is a multidisciplinary performance artist, choreographer, and coach. She has entertained audiences and guided students around the world including over 30 US states, China, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico since 2008.
Contact: heelhang@gmail.com
Kelly Ward has been pursuing her circus dreams for the last decade or so. During this time, she’s been lucky enough to perform and play on many stages, clubs, bars, and festivals in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2014, she produced her first show, Dreams of Cthulhu as part of the Seattle Fringe Festival. Soon after, she started a production company to combine her love of horror and circus… Cirque Macabre.
Contact: nightofthelepus@hotmail.com
Kim Zmolek (she/her) stepped off the ground in 2012 and has never looked back. With a background in Pilates, she brings her knowledge of body mechanics and movement pathways to her teaching, helping students to find success in their aerial endeavors. Her classes emphasize theory and technique, grounding students in proper mechanics while also teaching artistry and creative choreography. She offers keys to unlocking what can feel impossible and provides students with tools to build consistency and reliability in their aerial skills. Specializing in silks, rope, and sling, Kim is a sought after instructor having worked for VA, Apex Aerial Arts, Arcadia and the Bellingham Circus Guild. For more about Kim’s work, please see www.armbreakeraerial.com.
Lauren Kehl is an aerial coach, Pilates instructor, and personal trainer based in Seattle, WA who has been coaching for over 10 years. Starting her aerial journey as a recreational adult at age 28, Lauren has a particular gift for working with adult beginners and students who struggle, and strives to teach in a way that is accessible and inclusive.Lauren attended the Intensive year at NECCA in 2011 before deciding to pursue coaching full time. Since then, she has helped to expand and develop the curriculum at Versatile Arts, her home studio, and is one half of the teacher training team there. She has led workshops at AYCOfest, the American Circus Educators conference, and NECCA’s workshop weekend. You can learn more about Lauren at laurenkehl.com.
Contact: laurenslingmaven@gmail.com
Vincenza Standridge is a full-time dinosaur, part time student, and general circus weirdo. When she’s not stomping through prehistoric forests, she can be found creating art onstage and off. She was born into the world of ballet and ballroom dance but defected to the circus at the age of 19. A few years later she found her apparatus of choice, the pole; both flying and stationary. When she is not teaching or training on it, she can be found climbing, dancing, acrobalance-ing, and generally trying to learn any circus art she can get her hands on. Her favorite thing about teaching is helping people become more connected and confident in their bodies and watching them take those skills with them outside of the studio.