Michelle Bernier received her MFA in Dance from CU Boulder with a dual focus in Somatics and Digital Media, and she serves as Executive Director and Artistic Co-Director of Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema. She has cultivated works in the fields of stage & site choreography, multimedia installation, and Screendance (also known as Dance for Camera or Dance Film). Bernier has presented lectures and workshops at Universidad de Campinas (SP, Brazil), Texas State University, California Institute of the Arts, and national conferences for National Dance Educators Organization’s National Conference and Dance Studies Association. Her films have been screened at American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers (USA), Host Dance Film Festival (UK), NYBA Dance Film Festival (NYC & Argentina), Multiplié Dance Film (Norway), Screendance Festival (Sweden), Wicklow ScreenDance Lab (Ireland), and more. She is currently a member of the Dance faculty at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and was recently honored with the inaugural Emerging Leader in Dance Award from The Dance Archive.
Jenn Bruyer enjoys the rural life in the beautiful Creston Valley area of British Columbia where she lives with her husband, horses, and dogs. 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. Jenn self describes as a movement generalist, with a deep love for all types of dance and a specialty in ‘Aerial Dance’. As a coach, she seeks to provide the highest quality progressive instruction to aerialists of all abilities from novice to professional performer.
A seasoned acrobat and movement specialist, Cosmo Dudley has spent his career mastering disciplines like handbalancing, aerial straps, and Chinese pole, with extensive training across four continents. Beyond his personal practice, Cosmo has been coaching since 2004, taking on pivotal leadership roles, managing multiple studios, and designing comprehensive curricula. Crucially, his hands-on experience in training and mentoring other instructors ensures your team will gain the practical, pedagogical tools to confidently lead exceptional handstand programs.
Issac Endo works with subjects, objects, and the space in-between. Grounded in embodied practice, their approach extends into design, fabrication, digital media, and critical theory. Originally an interprète, they graduated from the National Circus School as Metteur en Piste (dramaturge and director of circus). They have since worked collaboratively across disciplines and nations, always in pursuit of the same questions: what does it mean to be present, to be acted upon, and to act? And what can happen when you treat every medium — human or otherwise — as something worth elevating? This work does not happen to. It happens with.
Danielle Hendricks spent her childhood climbing fences, trees, balance beams and rooftops in Fresno, California. She holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Kinesiology and Dance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Danielle is a nationally certified Pilates Instructor and has been teaching the Pilates method for twenty-five years, primarily in Denver, but also Boston, Chicago, Martha’s Vineyard, San Francisco, and Clovis, CA. She was lucky enough to perform, teach, and choreograph with Frequent Flyers for 20 years, as well as perform with other dance companies in the Boulder/Denver area. Danielle trained in the art of bungee dance with the “the mother of aerial dance/motivity,” Terry Sendgraff, and has taught bungee dance almost every year at the Aerial Dance Festival since 2005. In 2020, she relocated back to Fresno County, where she continues to teach online Pilates to clients around the country, as well as in-person Pilates and Sculpt classes at CORE. Clovis.
Valerie Morris has been a dancer since 1980 and became an aerial dancer in 1996 with Frequent Flyers. She has had the pleasure of performing with Movement Laboratories, Lancaster Ballet, Boston Ballet, CU Dance Department, Boulder Ballet, Frequent Flyers Productions, Wellingon Circus Trust (faculty and board member, NZ), AeroTerra (director, NZ), and Empress Stiltdance (NZ). She has happily returned to Frequent Flyers Productions after a four-year hiatus in New Zealand. Her secret life as a scientist keeps her busy during the day, using stable isotopes to unlock the secrets of global climate change.
Niff Nicholls (she/her) has been coaching aerial arts for over two decades, specializing in progressions, technique, and innovative choreography across a wide range of aerial apparatuses. Known for her “aerial brain,” Niff has a gift for creating and envisioning unique pathways and sequences that challenge and inspire.
Niff is the founder and Director of Secret Circus in Philadelphia, Pa. She has over 20 years of teaching and performing experience, from artists to producer to rigger. Niff brings both deep technical knowledge and a keen eye for what each student needs to grow. Her approach is grounded in years of study, practice, and a commitment to helping aerialists—whether novice or professional—achieve their goals through thoughtful, progressive instruction.
As a coach and choreographer, Niff is widely sought after for her creativity, clarity, and clear teaching style. Her mission is to cultivate a warm, non-judgmental learning environment that fosters community, builds both physical and emotional strength, and supports the creation of meaningful, expressive art.
Sarah Norden (she/they) is an emerging circus performer, creator, and researcher based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. She is a recent graduate of École nationale de cirque specializing in aerial hoop. She also has significant experience with dance, clowning, and group acrobatics, and enjoys engaging with circus off-stage as a coach, dramaturg, and researcher. Before pursuing circus professionally, Sarah earned a BA from Wesleyan University, where they studied the intersection of science, art, ethics, and the environment. Their approach to circus is shaped by this circuitous path: they like to think about movement and move about thinking. Their recent creative interests include discomfort, queer ecology, and the materiality of the body. As a coach, Sarah is passionate about teaching aerial research skills, deconstructing mainstream circus aesthetics, and mentoring students to build sustainable, nurturing relationships with training and creation. She loves views that make you whoop and holler, books that make you stay up all night, and friends that make you feel at home in the world.
Ariana Papousek is primarily a self-taught aerialist. Fusing her background of competitive gymnastics with traditional circus, Ariana has created a unique and dynamic style of movement that has gained a lot of attention. Her early years of work as a competitive/rhythmic gymnast cultivated proper technique, body awareness, and creativity. Ariana’s intention is to inspire confidence, courage, and grace while ensuring that each student feels comfortable and empowered. Ariana has graced the stage for many large events and bands such as Elephant Revival Red Rocks, Shpongle Red Rocks, String Cheese Incident, Quixotic, Envision Festival, Burning Man, Sonic Bloom, Hulaween, Arise Festival, and more.
Nancy Smith originally wanted to be an astronaut or a racecar driver and instead she became the founder & artistic director of Frequent Flyers® Productions since its inception in 1988 and the Aerial Dance Festival since 1999. She teaches Aerial Release Technique (A.R.T.) around the US. Her work with Frequent Flyers has been presented in Boston, Baltimore, California, Louisiana, Virginia, Montreal, Utah, the Bahamas, throughout Colorado, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. She has received numerous awards including “Living Legend of Dance in Colorado” and “Women Who Light the Community” among others. She is a Lecturer for CU Boulder’s Dance Dept. Ms. Smith also co-wrote the first book on the history / theory of Aerial Dance with Jayne Bernasconi.
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. She is now the Education Coordinator, Pro-Track Coach, Professional Performance Company Member, and Multi-Apparatus Instructor for Frequent Flyers. 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.
Since discovering aerial arts in 2015, Artoor Voskanian has been deeply committed to the ongoing exploration of movement, technique, and intentional training. He has immersed himself in learning from a wide range of coaches across the country, developing a strong, well-rounded understanding of how bodies move and adapt with movement. As a coach, Artoor understands the importance of clearly breaking down complex techniques into accessible, actionable pieces. He values thoughtful progressions, intelligent conditioning, and a training environment where safety, curiosity, and individual needs are prioritized. His goal is for every student to feel supported, empowered, and confident in their practice, while building a strong technical foundation that allows for longevity and growth.
