C4 Circus Workshop Weekend 2024

Hayley Larson

Hayley is a multidisciplinary circus artist who is just as happy spinning through the air as she is rolling on the ground. As a soloist, Hayley performs on aerial fabric and cyr wheel, and dabbles in juggling and handstands. She fosters her love of collaboration through synchronized silks performances with fellow dancer Rachel Nesnevich, and as a duo trapeze porter for Duo Filamental with flyer Rachel Webberman. With a degree in Dance from Oberlin College, Hayley uses her background as a dancer to bring a crisp, complex style to her choreography that underscores the commanding stage presence so often found in her performances.

Currently, Hayley is based in Chicago, IL where she performs with Aloft Circus Arts’ touring ensemble show Brave Space and coaches circus throughout the city.

Craig Lewis

Craig was first introduced to aerial arts through San Francisco Circus Center in 2009. Coming from a previous lifelong background in rock climbing and caving, he was immediately drawn to the rigging and safety elements of this art form. He has trained as an aerialist primarily on silks since 2009, completing the majority of his initial training at Aerial Space in Asheville, and acting as a rigging assistant at Asheville Aerial Arts.

In 2013, Craig founded Night Owl Circus Arts (NOCA) in Johnson City, TN. At the time, NOCA was just Craig teaching one silks class per week, but today it has grown to become a larger aerial studio with 20 instructors, two locations, and over 70 classes per week. As NOCA’s grew, Craig continued to further his rigging knowledge through many avenues. Dr. Delbert Hall is a mentor of his, and Craig trained extensively under him, both as a regular student in his classes, and as an assistant on many rigging projects. He has also trained under Todd Spiering, Brett Copes, and Jonathon Duell. In 2021, Craig spent two months touring with A Magical Cirque Christmas as their acrobatic rigger, overseeing aerialist safety and also acting as a Butterfly Lift Operator in 46 different proscenium theaters. Craig has been an organization member of American Circus Educators (ACE) since 2020, and now serves as a member of the Safety Committee.

Craig believes you should always keep learning. One of his favorite things about teaching is when he gets to learn something new himself during a class! He is passionate about helping aerialists, instructors, and aerial studio owners learn about safety, and he strives to help raise the bar of safety across this industry.

Thomas Martin

Thomas is a freelance circus artist working and training in the Washington, D.C. / Baltimore area. Specializing in fabric, dance trapeze and aerial chains, he is currently a resident performer at SAX Bar and Nightclub in Washington, D.C. His background in dance and visual art from Towson University has influence on his performances, allowing him to express himself physically and intellectually through circus.

Christine Morano

Christine is a dancer, aerialist, and acrobat with over a decade of professional performance experience. She has coached throughout the United States since 2009. Christine uses her education in biology and anatomy to help fuel her understanding and teachings. She seeks to meet her students where they are, teach and verbalize in multiple ways, and listens with compassion to understand any questions so she may fully think out the best and/or alternative solution. She uses progressions and drills to make sure her students are ready to succeed at skills they are working toward. Morano has experience in multiple dance styles, thrives on collaborative work, and excels at movement & choreographic education to almost any age. She is compassionate and dedicated, with a constant eagerness to grow as an artist, educator, athlete, and human being.

Angie Prescott

Angie was drawn to the profession of physical therapy through a life-long love of athletics and fitness. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2006 with a B.S. in Kinesiology. She then completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University of Maryland in Baltimore in 2009.

Angie’s method of treatment focuses on identifying areas of dysfunction and using hands-on techniques to improve movement. A lifelong gymnast and circus performer, Angie feels that the understanding of human movement that she developed during her training and coaching has had a huge influence on how she treats her patients. Angie opened ACRO PT with the goal of providing local specialized care to circus artists, gymnasts, polers, climbers and any athlete that finds themself in need of quality specialty rehab.

Her passion for physical therapy, circus, and acrobatics/gymnastics have led her to read and research extensively on the topic. She hopes to become a key resource for gymnasts, acrobats, aerialists, polers, dancers and body-weight strength enthusiasts, as these athletes and their injuries are unique and need experience-based care.

Sofia Rodriguez

After teaching 4th grade in Austin, TX for 5 years, Sofia ran away to the circus and currently lives in Colorado where she teaches aerial arts and flexibility to various skill levels and ages. As an instructor for over 6 years, single point lyra is her passion but she is adept at teaching dance trapeze, sling, and fabric. She emphasizes form and theory to build skill with not just movement mastery, but with creativity and sequence development as well. Aside from working full-time as an aerial instructor, she has instructed immersions at the Aerial Dance Festival, retreats at Sweet Retreats, and travels to bring her unique workshops to studios across the nation.

Sebastian Rojas Alfaro

Sebastianis one of the co-founders of Celeste Aerial Arts in Detroit, and cat-dad of 5 furry little babies. Sebastian started off as a martial artist in 2003 and began teaching Tae-Kwon-Do after he obtained his black belt in 2008. Martial arts has given him an understanding of the body and awareness that smoothly translated to aerials. He originally started his aerial practice on silks. Around 2016 he found his passion for rope and straps and over the next few years began to develop his own unique teaching style based on dynamic movements and attention to detail in technique.

Anastasia Timina

Anastasia 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.