Mentorship
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Mentors:
Rebekah Leach Julianna Hane Rain Anya Sarah Bebe Holmes Elizabeth Stich Amy Tynan Chirico Anne Miller Constance Palmer Jessica Johnson T Lawrence-Simon Sonya Smith Amanda Goble |
Meet Our Mentors
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Rebekah Leach
Founder of Born to Fly™ Productions (AerialDancing,com), and AerialWorks Castle Rock, Rebekah wears many hats in the aerial industry. Her background in dance (ballet, modern, hip hop, and salsa to name a few), rhythmic gymnastics, and math education informs her unique aerial curriculum. Rebekah's teaching specialty is developing curriculum for beginners through intermediate students. Her curriculum focuses on theory and solving problems, so students truly understand the apparatus. Her goal is to train people to be innovators. She is passionate about helping people connect to their own bodies, integrate the body with the mind, and find one's own dance. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Julianna Hane
As the Director of Training for Born to Fly Teacher Programs and Support and founder of Revolve Aerial Dance, Julianna Hane brings a variety of movement training techniques to the aerial world. She holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and a BA in Dance from Winthrop University. She is also a Certified Laban Movement Analyst, registered yoga teacher, and teacher training graduate of The Pilates Center in Boulder, CO. Having taught dance since 2004 and aerial arts since 2008, Julianna has developed curriculum for college dance programs, K-12 dance programs, and private studios, and offers teacher trainings across the USA. Her master’s thesis focused on the process of making aerial dances, and her passion is training the body/mind from multiple perspectives to integrate the function of the body with personal expression. Ms. Hane is the author of the Aerial Teacher’s Handbook and co-author of the Aerial Hoop Manuals Vols. 1 & 2. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Rain Anya
Rain has been a passionate instructor of aerial arts since 2004. Rain's teaching style focuses on gaining solid foundation, technique, and strength as well incorporating the creativity and artistry of this expressive discipline. Rain has taught studio classes, specialty workshops and private lessons at over 25 aerial venues across the US and abroad. Rain is Yoga Alliance certified and has extensive knowledge in various other movement forms that inform her distinct style, including a lifelong background in theatre and dance. She has performed original aerial theatre with her company Paper Doll Militia since 2006. Rain also works as a trainer and consultant for theatre and film, notable clients include top Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif for her role in Dhoom 3, and sports legend Serena Williams. Currently, Rain leads aerial teacher training programs across the US and UK which are a part of the Born To Fly™ Certification process. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Sarah Bebe Holmes
Sarah teaches master classes in skills, choreography and aerial theatre as well as Teacher Trainings for aerial arts around Europe and and USA. She has also taught in India, Croatia, Lebanon, Egypt, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Greece, Italy. She has been a featured instructor at European Aerial Dance Festival, European Aerial and Acrobatic Convention, and TILT Festival. Sarah began teaching circus arts in 2005, at first primarily with children. She taught circus arts to at-risk youth at The Real School in Maine, revolutionized the Movement Department at Reach the Children School in New Mexico, was head counselor at Wisefool, New Mexico’s circus camp and taught circus to under-privileged children in Mumbai, India. She has developed curriculums at Kinetic Arts Center, Trapeze Arts, and Athletic Playground and taught circus outreach with FIT and Vagaboom. Sarah now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, working as a choreographer for aerial theatre productions and performing with Paper Doll Militia. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Elizabeth Stich
A childhood ballerina turned college modern dancer turned aerialist, Liz has been an aerial instructor and performer for 10 years – first with Revolve Aerial Dance and Aerial Arts of Utah, then at Dixie State University. She has taught aerial dance courses and master classes at multiple colleges and universities. In addition to her love of teaching, Liz is a passionate performer, including battling wind and water in over 200 shows of Cirque de la Mer at Sea World San Diego. Liz holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance from the University of Utah, a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Dance Education from the University of Georgia, and a Certificate in Laban Movement Analysis/Baretenieff Fundamentals from Integrated Movement Studies. She is a graduate of NECCA's Pro Track program, and has co-presented on the creative application of Laban theory to aerial dance with colleague Julianna Hane at the Motus Humanus Roundtable. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Amy Chirico
Amy is a Master Trainer with Born to Fly, and founder of AerialCLT in Charlotte, NC. Her foundation as a K-12 music educator has allowed her to develop a rich studio program in aerial fabric using Rebekah Leach's manuals. Amy's background in yoga informs her dynamic warm-ups, effective structuring of classes, and balancing of muscular strength and flexibility. Her aerial yoga sequences featured on AerialDancing.com demonstrate her extensive understanding of the body. Amy's goal is to train students to think and act independently rather than relying on the instructor for every detail. Mentorship Specialties
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Anne Miller
Anne Miller is the co-owner of Suspend, an aerial and cirque arts studio in Louisville, Kentucky. She has a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology, and was classically trained in dance. This informs her style and teaching of the aerial arts, which tends to have a strong focus on technique, safety, and transition. She enjoys working with students with unique needs, and developing individual modifications to build up the movement vocabulary of new learners. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Constance Echo Palmer
Constance is a dancer and aerialist that specializes in vertical apparatus; fabric, corde lisse (rope), and double/multi corde. She is versed in partnering on bars (trapeze and lyra) as well as vertical apparatus. Constance is just coming off a tour with a traditional tent show, performing her acts up to 30 times per week. Her passion for performing is only matched by her passion for teaching. Constance was the director of The Space: A Movement Arts Studio in Atlanta, GA, USA from 2014-2018. She continues to teach at The Space, as well as across the US and abroad when she is not on stage. Constance is dedicated to growing community for aerial students and teachers locally as well as globally. She founded and organizes the Atlanta Aerial Arts Festival and started the group Aerial Instructors and Studio Owners on Facebook. Constance is excited to join the Born to Fly network as a teacher trainer, collaborator, and marketing specialist. Constance is also a contributor to The Aerial Rope Manual Vol. 2 authored by Rebekah Leach. As a long time believer in Born to Fly, she completed Paper Doll Militias Level 1 Fabric and Trapeze as well as Level 2 Fabric courses and Alex Allan’s Dynamic Teacher Training for rope and fabric under the Born to Fly network. Mentorship Specialties:
Courses taught under Born to Fly Network:
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Jessica Johnson
Jessica is the founder and owner of Sora Aerial Arts (formerly Bella Forza Fitness) in Lexington, KY as well as the artistic director of Sora Contemporary Circus. Aside from running her businesses, Jessica is also a choreographer, an award-winning aerial artist, and produces original aerial theatre productions for both her students and her professional company. Jessica holds a Bachelor's in Special Education: Learning and Behavior Disorders and taught in the public school system for 3 years before pursuing aerial arts as a full time career. She is now a Teacher Trainer with Paper Doll Militia's Aerial Teacher Training Program under Born to Fly™, and is certified in Flow Movement dance training under Marlo Fisken. Jessica is inspired by expressive art, energized by the process of creation, and is driven by the creativity and enthusiasm of her students. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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T Lawrence-Simon
T has been studying and performing aerial since 2007, and has been teaching movement in many forms since 2002. T started training circus during his college years, while spending every summer working at Circus Smirkus in Vermont. Focusing on the aerial hoop, T attended the New England Center for Circus Arts in their Professional Training Program from 2010-2012. While at NECCA, T became the leader of the aerial hoop program, curating the hoop curriculum into carefully thought out levels and sequences. Since then, he has been advanced staff at Versatile Arts and SANCA in Seattle, and currently at ESH Circus Arts in Somerville, MA. T has also toured the world with his workshops and classes, bringing his depth of knowledge, precision technique, and safety to all the students and teachers he’s mentored. T is the creator of the Hoop Artist Teacher Training program, and is happy to be opening a relationship with Born to Fly. Mentorship Specialties:
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Sonya Smith
Sonya Smith is the first to complete the Aerial Track of the MFA in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder, publishing her contributions to the growing body of academic writing centered on Aerial Dance. A scientific artist, Smith has accumulated somatic information from Alexander Technique, Kinesiology, and athletic training as well as a certificate in Pilates and a Gyrokinesis Apprenticeship. Smith’s curiosity about the body and effective training methods for aerial and ground-based dancing is insatiable. She combines a passion for highly physical dancing and a quirky theatricality both on the ground and in the air, weaving together Contact Improvisation, bungee and harnesses, lyra, and a variety of invented aerial apparatus. Smith spent a decade studying and dancing in with Joanna Haigood/Zaccho Dance Theatre, Project Bandaloop, Jo Kreiter/Flyaway Productions, Sara Shelton Mann, Eat Cake Productions, and Terry Sendgraff before returning to academia where she has continued to earn residencies and produce work in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the country. Mentorship Specialties
Courses Taught Under Born to Fly Network
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Amanda Goble
Amanda has taught classes, workshops, private lessons, and teacher trainings since 2005. She is known for her precise and enthusiastic teaching style - her technical depth, keen eye for details, clarity in breaking down skills, and ability to foster the development of personal style and expression in her students. One of the original founding members of MOTH Poetic Circus, she has collaborated with groups including Paper Doll Militia and Only Child Aerial Theater. She has worked as an aerialist, dancer, actor, and director. Former owner of Equilibrium Pilates, Amanda holds two comprehensive Pilates teacher certifications, and has mentored teacher trainees. She has studied at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, and is pole certified through elevatEd. She served as Assistant Executive Director at SHOW Circus Studio and has taught on staff at various schools and studios, including Boston University and NECCA. She has written curricula, created safety and business policies, and developed programming. Always curious about movement, her technical and creative perspectives merge circus, physical acting, dance, and athletics/fitness. She is pleased connect with Born to Fly. Mentorship Specialties:
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All mentors are independent consultants, and this page serves as a marketplace for their services. Each mentor has their own process for working with trainees. If you have further questions or wish to contact a mentor directly, please email us and we can connect you.
"I'm excited to be part of Born to Fly. I've been wanting to expand my teaching skills. I like how you put your program together, and how you welcome other aerial teachers/aerial yoga teachers. Thank you for creating this. More Power." |