Virtual Aerial Dance Festival 2021 Showcase Performances Performers

Jenn Bruyer lives in the rugged West Kootenay area of Southern British Columbia with her partner and their horses, dogs, goats, ducks and chickens. She has been immersed in aerial arts since 2008, and is driven by her love of understanding and sharing fabric, sling and trapeze [of all sorts]. She also enjoys exploring cord lisse, cloud swing, lyra, net, rope & harness and anything else someone puts in front of her. She has coached, choreographed and performed around the world including over 30 US states, China, Italy, Germany, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico – and now works largely from home supporting her patreon community: patreon.com/heelhang As an Aerial Coach, she seeks to provide the highest quality progressive instruction to aerialists of all abilities from novice to professional performer. Her mission as a human is to cultivate a warm, non-judgmental learning environment that fosters community, to build physical and emotional strength within the individuals who participate in this environment and methodically construct a vehicle by which to create art.

Marco Motta is a multidisciplinary artist (contortionist, dancer, aerial acrobat specializing in aerial straps) and circus director born in Salvador Bahia, Brazil and currently lives in Spain. He participated in several circus festivals and has won 3rd prize (Firco Festival), 2019 CircusTalk Critic’s Choice, Firco Festival 2019, and special prize of the jury 38e Festival Mondial Du Cirque de Demain standing out in these festivals for his unique style that is detached from the predominant aesthetic.

Formerly a gymnast and still sometimes an acrobat, Danielle Hendricks has been a Pilates teacher and aerialist for over two decades.

Kate Hutchinson is an aerial dancer who creates expressive and empowering art. Collaboration, research and imagery are paramount in her emotionally driven projects about strength and magic. Combining her 20 years of classical ballet training with a decade of extensive aerial study, Katherine is known for her grace in the air. She is a strong, dynamic athlete but never forgets the expressive aspects of performance. These principles are central to Katherine’s trademarked class Air Ballet™.

Teo Spencer, originally from Vermont, studied movement and circus arts at the University of San Martin in Argentina. After completing his studies, Teo performed with Fuerza Bruta in Argentina, Pilobolus Dance Theatre and Punch Drunk (creators of sleep no more) in the United States. Known for his unique style of aerial movement and multidisciplinary approach, he currently lives in Montreal Quebec and performs with La Marche Du Crabe of Montreal.

Carolina Cabañas began with ballet as a child, then graduated from Costa Rica University in Contemporary Dance. Started to study Aerial Dance in 2000 with a wide variety of experts in Circus and Aerial Dance all over the world, and specially in France. She has participated in numerous national and international productions, including the XLIII Cervantino Festival in Mexico, FIA in Costa Rica, and aerial dance festivals in France, Ireland, United States, Croatia and Slovenia. She has created the first Aerial Dance Festival in Latin America, the International Aerial Dance Festival of Costa Rica (FIDACR). She founded the first aerial dance school and company and the only aerial dance teacher training in the country, already training more than 70 teachers all over the country. Her artistic mission is to develop new languages of movement in the air and to merge aerial ideas with other artistic disciplines and with technological resources.

Rebekah Leach is the author of twelve beloved instructional manuals (to date) on the art of aerial dance. She has opened and closed two aerial studios. Currently residing in Castle Rock, CO, with her husband and two entertaining children, Rebekah most enjoys mentoring aerial teachers, coaching in private lessons and teaching her crazy-brainy-ways through online aerial classes.

Midnite Townsend (she/her) is an international burlesque and aerial entertainer and educator. Midnite joined Frequent Flyers in 2005, started teaching group fitness in 2012, and won Queen of Burlesque in 2014. This fall she will begin her masters in somatic counseling and dance therapy. Dance and movement provides Midnite important means for expression, exploration and healing. She advocates for BIPOC and adoptees and has presented for the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network and Korean Adoptees of Chicago. You can move with Midnite on her youtube channel – youtube.com/c/movewithmidnite

Susan Voyticky, a native Brooklynite, traveled far and wide to study at both Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and The Circus Space in London. She has worked for the past two decades for a variety of wide companies; including performing with Keith Hennessy’s Circo Zero and the New Pickle Circus in San Francisco, touring the U.S. with the Universoul Circus, a year in Japan at Universal Studios and the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and Circus Abyssinia in New York. Susan recently co-founded Loki Circus Theater to create innovative movement theater productions using a mixture of circus, physical theater and dance.

Veronica Blair is a professional aerialist with over 15 years of performing and teaching experience. She is currently Aerial Director for Celebrity Cruises Entertainment. Expanding her portfolio beyond performing, Veronica launched the development of “The Uncle Junior Project” in 2010. The ongoing documentary shines a light on the careers of African-American circus performers, including Emanual “Uncle Junior” Ruffin who remained largely uncredited for his contributions to American Circus until after his death. In 2017, she was invited to speak at the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival about her experience as producer and director of “The Uncle Junior Project”, and served as organizer and moderator on a panel highlighting the African-American circus experience. She’s also worked with the African-American Art and Culture Complex to stage “Entrapment to Entertainment: A Celebration of Blacks in American Circus”, a three-month exhibition that ran from October, 2013 – January 2014 with over 1,000 attendees.

Terry Crane has been practicing, performing, and living circus for two decades. He holds degrees from Oberlin College and the National Circus School of Montreal. He performs in the big top, on the stage, and in the street. He has performed in dozens of countries and for numerous companies including Teatro Zinzanni, the UMO ensemble, Flynn Creek Circus, Circus Flora, and Circus Monti. His work is influenced by his roots in contact improvisation, capoeira, dance, personal clown and wild nature. As a mentor, Terry delights in sharing his love of vertical rope technique, circus creation, and collaboration. As a director, Terry is on a relentless quest to tell true fictions, contradict human isolation, and portray paradox.

Jason Span is a former gymnast of eleven years and a former US Navy Hospital Corpsman based out of Jacksonville, Florida. He was honorably discharged from active duty in the United States Navy after serving for ten years to pursue his dream of becoming an aerial artist. Jason quickly developed his artistry on aerial silks in June 2015 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He relocated back to his home town in Jacksonville, Florida on October 2015 when he joined Bittersweet Studios. Always seeking to improve his skills, Jason began to cross train on multiple apparatuses such as aerial hoop, aerial straps and pole (dance). Jason began teaching and performing aerial arts at Bittersweet Studios and is currently touring with AIDA Cruises based out of Germany. Since his journey, Jason has earned several accolades: 2018 Second Place: Pole Sports & Arts World Championships, 2018 Champion: US Pole Sports Federation National Championships, 2018 Champion: US Pole Sports Federation Pole Art National Championships 2017, Champion: Pole Sport Organization Southeastern Pole Championship 2017, Champion: Men’s Professional Pole FL Pole Fitness Championships 2017 Second Place: Silks Professional FL Pole Fitness Championships 2017 Second Place: Men’s Elite Division US Pole Sports Federation Championships 2016 Champion: Men’s Professional Pole FL Pole Fitness Championships 2016 Men’s Silks Finalist: U.S. Aerial Championships.