Addie Pitre

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @addiemoonflower

Addie Pitre truly has a love for creative expression in all it's many forms. Other than creating wearable art, one of her ultimate favorites is the ability to translate music into movement utilizing the entire body. She has always loved to dance, but something really opened her heart to a new level when she began learning Aerial Arts several years ago through Aerial Fabric Acrobatics in Denver, CO. Self empowerment, healing, strength, and courage are only a few of the incredible characteristics sharing this art through teaching and performance has granted her. 

She has trained at Aerial Cirque Over Denver and Miraas Circus Arts, learning much from Megan McMaster in recent years. Addie has performed for many events around Denver, Sonic Bloom Music Festival, as well as special events in New Orleans, her hometown. Addie is an ambassador of the heart, encouraging all to believe, live and move from this space. She has a deep love for teaching Aerial Arts and truly lights up with the ability to instill this love in others!

Katrina Schwarzenberger

Flexibility & Contortion Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @katrina_1231_

Katrina began her circus journey 9 years ago. With a background in Tae Kwon Do, she fell in love with aerial dance during her first class. Through training flexibility to improve her aerial skills, she found another joy in contortion. By teaching she has been able to share her passion for aerial the past 7 years and her love of contortion the past 4 years. In addition to teaching, she finds joy and excitement performing her art whether it has been at an outdoor festival or private event. She enjoys helping students of all ages and abilities reach their goals and surpass their own expectations.

Rachel Speights

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Rachel Speights aka Rachel Marie Lamarr is a chemist by day and an aspiring aerial dancer by night.  She fell in love with aerial dance because it is both technical and artistic. She began her aerial journey in 2013 and quickly found her circus home and family at Miraas Circus arts (now Gravity Aerial Arts).

Though her first love was aerial fabric, Rachel has since continued to develop her passion through the study of other apparatuses. She gets excited by the prospect of transitioning knowledge from one apparatus to another and has therefore begun studying unique and invented apparatuses. Rachel is also experienced in partner aerials, having performed in group acts with up to 8 people as well as one-on-one hand to hand performances.

Rachel has been seen performing at Santa Fe Renaissance Festival, Carnivale de Sensuale, among other ambient and choreographed performances. She is thrilled to often be a part of Gravity Aerial Arts showcases and productions.

Anthony Nunez

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @smileitsinstyle

Anthony (he/him/él) began his aerial journey in 2015, with a focus on aerial rope/corde lisse and dance trapeze. He has had the privilege of training under renowned aerialists, including Jenny Kramer (Seattle, WA), Lisa Natoli (New Orleans, LA), Lisanna Paloma (Cirque du Soleil), and Jenny Atomic (Las Vegas, NV).

For Anthony, community is the heart of his aerial journey. This connection has led him to perform at meaningful events, such as a donation piece for the Gender Identity Center of Colorado fundraiser, The Colorado Health Networks' Red Ball (a fashion fundraiser for those impacted by HIV/AIDS), and contributions to the local dance company Radical Love Movement. He also enjoys the vibrant nightlife scene, regularly appearing at The Clocktower Cabaret on Denver's 16th Street Mall.

As a proud member of the Gravity Family, Anthony is passionate about offering classes designed to make you sweat, laugh, and build connections. Beyond the aerial arts, Anthony has a strong background in healthcare, with current work centering on public health research projects focused on transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) populations. Anthony holds a master’s degree in applied psychology, is a first-generation American, and is bilingual in Spanish and English.

“I believe that every person is born with talent” – Maya Angelou 

Erin Hicks

Aerial & Acrobatic Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @3rinnhicks

Erin has over 10 years of experience training and competing in gymnastics and martial arts. She began her aerial journey at Miraas back in 2016. Since then, she has primarily focused on training silks, which is by far her favorite apparatus because if its versatility and the opportunity for big drops. She looks forward to sharing her love of dynamic moves and big drops with her students. 

Hanan Shorrosh

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @lemonsnap.sami

Hanan has always loved adventure and especially climbing high in the air. As a baby she tried repeatedly to climb the TV set, to the dismay and horror of her parents. After a childhood and young adulthood filled with climbing trees and roaming around the world, she discovered and fell in love with aerial silks in 2013. Since then, she has trained in several aerial studios and performed in various locations around Denver. She loves the freedom of expression and movement in aerial performance and believes there is nothing else quite like it. She has also discovered a second passion in teaching and sharing her joy in aerial, and she absolutely loves seeing her students reach their aerial goals. Gravity Aerial Arts has become her second home and family in the last few years and she is delighted to be a part of Gravity’s supportive and enthusiastic community!

Sofia Rodriguez

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @cirquedancer

Sofia has been expressing herself through movement since she was five years old, beginning with the study of Ballet and Jazz in her hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. She moved to Austin, Texas at the age of 10, and her involvement in dance was slowly replaced by other responsibilities.

It was not until she was working as a 4th-grade teacher that she turned back to dance as a pastime. That is when she discovered aerials and contortion. After several years of practicing as a hobby, she decided to leave teaching and become a professional performer and instructor.

For two years she worked as the studio manager and a principal instructor at Aerial Horizon, a circus arts studio in San Antonio, imparting her knowledge and passion while training for performances.

With her husband's acceptance to medical school in the summer of 2019, Sofia began her life in Colorado. For 2 years, she was a principal instructor at Aerial Works in Castle Rock, working with owner Rebekah Leach to teach aerials and flexibility to students of all ages and skill levels, including via online classes in adaptation to the pandemic’s limitations. With the closing of Aerial Works, Sofia has begun working with multiple studios, including Frequent Flyers, Gravity, and Cirque Over Denver.

Hannah Fortier

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @hannahjoy4ta

Hannah entered the circus world in 2017 and never looked back! The most magical feeling for Hannah is watching someone new to aerial fall in love with it just like she did. She loves to see each student’s journey of progress in skill, strength, and connection to the beautiful community at Gravity. You can catch Hannah teaching lyra every weekend, performing regularly around the city of Denver, or see her on a flight when she’s working her day job as a flight attendant! 

Casey Pottle

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @caseyaeriallet

Casey is a lover of movement with a passion for sharing it with others. She has over a decade of dance training and experience in ballet and contemporary dance. Casey fell in love with Aerial Arts upon moving to Denver, CO and has since trained with Born to Fly and worked with several renowned aerialists including Rebekah Leach, Danielle Garrison, and Marguerite Endsley. A firm believer that you are always a student of your craft, she continues to train in both aerial arts and ballet.

In addition to teaching, Casey performs in multiple aerial and dance events around Denver. She has performed on aerial sling, aerial silks, and aerial loops, as well as dances en pointe. Casey has most recently joined the instructor and performing team at Iluminar Aerial Dance. 

Her classes are centered around expression, encouraging students to explore their own creativity.

Anastasia Timina

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @anastasia.timina.aerial

Anastasia Timina first discovered aerial in 2011 as a physical outlet, but quickly fell in love with its creative possibilities. She committed to circus as a career in 2013 and has since performed in shows and taught in studios across the country. Anastasia’s movement style is dark and dramatic, a mixture of slow hypnotic movement and fast dynamic sequences. Her emphasis is on fascinating shapes and clean lines all while upholding the illusion of defying gravity. She approaches teaching skills through the incremental progressions of a martial artist, informed by kinesthetics and anatomy. Anastasia enjoys, teaches, and performs all forms of aerial, but specializes in rope. She completed the Aerial Teacher Training Program in January of 2016 and since has been working as a coach to help others discover their potential to fly.

Cheryl Buck

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @cheryldbuck

Cheryl has found joy and freedom while dancing since she was a small child. She graduated from Loretto Heights College with a B.A. in modern dance. At the age of 52 she discovered the fun of dancing in the air. Cheryl realized shortly after she began her Aerial journey, that she wanted to teach others that anything is possible. She took a teacher training program from Cathy Gauche at Boulder Circus Center, and has been having a blast teaching since. She likes to incorporate elements of dance and improvisation into her classes whenever possible.

Alyssa Wurzel

Aerial Instructor/Performer

Instagram: @ampd16

Alyssa believes life is best lived with intentional movement, in herself and instructing others. An avid mountain sports enthusiast, Alyssa can be found snowboarding, dirt biking, practicing yoga, aerial arts, and pole dancing. She loves sharing her passions with others and is the happiest when she’s moving and dancing with friends! Alyssa has been practicing yoga for fifteen years and instructing for seven, building a deeper connection with her body and striving to help others do the same. She found aerial in 2018 and was instantly hooked by the perfect mix of full body challenge and graceful dance. She has since been instructing pole and aerial since 2020 and loves helping others meet their goals. Come move, spin and dance with Alyssa. Her goals are to keep you smiling, keep you challenged, and guide you on your movement journey to feeling strong, confident and in touch with your body.

Leah Grandstaff

Aerial Instructor & Performer

Instagram: @leahtard.wedgie

Leah was introduced to the circus arts with the aerial silks in 2013. It wasn't long before she found partner acrobatics & a whole new outlook on trust! Inspired to share her love of circus disciplines, she began her journey as an aerial acrobatics coach in 2016. Notable professional development certifications include Aircat Aerial Arts, Aeriality Aerial Yoga, Air Control Pilates ®, & BhavanaKids Yoga. Leah has been a cast member of the Phantom Circus since 2016 & In the Wings aerial dance company since 2019. She specializes in aerial silks, duo-trapeze & partner acrobatics, but enjoys exploring all manner of apparatuses including lyra, dance trapeze, corde lisse, straps, sling & loops.

Bayard & Leah

Duo Acro & Duo Trapeze Instructors/Performers

Instagram: @cirque_gravizoides

Bayard & Leah have been working together since 2017, with a combined total years circus experience of nearly 20 years. As a duo, they perform partner acrobatics, duo-trapeze, acro-trap fusion as well as partnering on various invented apparatus (like the aerial chandelier) for corporate & private events in addition to casting with the Handsome Little Devils, In the Wings Aerial Dance, Aircats Aerial Arts, the Circus Collective, RAW Artists, Thrill Entertainment & the Phantom Circus.