Meet Our Instructors!
Jessie
Jessie found the circus in 2016 and quickly fell in love. She began training silks, sling, and lyra immediately and found her passion for teaching soon after. She has trained, taught, and performed in Florida, Missouri, and South Carolina for the better part of the past decade. jessie believes in continuing education and continues to learn from top aerialists in the industry. Some of her aerial accomplishments include winning the 2018 Aerialympics gold medal and the 2019 Aerialympics silver medal in the advanced sling division. She also produced and performed in the award winning St. Lou Fringe Festival aerial show "When Women Were Birds." Jessie was the co-founder of the Sideshow Menagerie, a professional aerial performance troupe in St. Louis.
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When Jessie moved back to South Carolina, she had a dream of creating an aerial community that is passionate about art, fitness, and safety that she has been fortunate enough to experience in studios in other cities. Columbia Aerial Fitness was born! Jessie is the owner and she specializes in Aerial Sling, Aerial Chains, Aerial Silks, Rope, and Dance Trapeze.
Zoë
Zoë has always enjoyed moving her body from a young age. She started dancing at the age of 3 and eventually went on to perform with the world-renown Moscow Ballet Company in her teens! A few short years later in 2008, she began her aerial journey with pole classes. She's lived in Mexico, and Australia, and spent some time in Southeast Asia as well as training in Muay Thai! After returning stateside, Zoë found the aerial arts and took up training in Lyra and Aerial Silks, which quickly became her new passion. She soon brought home a gold medal for her 2016 PSO junior division performance. From California to Vegas, she has trained under highly accomplished teachers, some of whom are also Cirque Du Soleil performers. When she moved to South Carolina, she realized the aerial dance scene left a lot to be desired and wanted to be a part of bringing safe and fun movement to the people of Columbia! Zoë is also a certified fitness, nutrition, and behavior change coach whose passion is helping others find their way on a healthy path.
Madeline
Madeline has a background in dance and muscle theater performance! You can also find her cosplaying her favorite characters so if you ever need costume help, s he's your girl! She began her aerial journey in 2020 and she instantly fell in love with silks, but has dabbled on the other apparatuses as well.
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Madeline is passionate about continuing education and enjoys learning from world renowned aerialists so that she can teach fund new sequences and techniques to her students. She also loves fitness and strength training and finds that aerial combines artistry, grace, and strength in a way that gives her a sense of accomplishment and a means of self expression. Madeline teaches silks and strength and conditioning.
Nikki
Nikki began her aerial career in 2021 and completed the Aradia Teacher Training and became an aerial instructor shortly after. She enjoys teaching aerial silks, but lyra is her true passion. She is a beautiful performer and she not only knows how to break down foundational skills for new students, but she challenges her advanced lyra and silks students. She teaches rope, silks, and lyra at Columbia Aerial Fitness. You can also enroll in her exotic aerial class where she teaches you how to slow down the pace and connect with yourself and your apparatus.
Lily
Lily has a background as a competitive gymnast and spent 10 years falling in love with being strong. During her gymnastics career, she learned that she loved moving her body in unconventional ways. After an injury forced her to retire, she tried many muggle sports like pole vaulting, recreational kickball, weightlifting, and even Jiu Jitsu, but something was always missing. She found aerial in 2022 and has loved regaining her strength, the ability to explore movement again, and being able to be upside down on a regular basis.
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Lily teaches many of our fabric foundational classes and helps students build strength and body awareness for advanced skills such as inversions and handstands.
Emily
Emily has been teaching aerial to youth for four years and teaching youth is her passion. She began her aerial career on fabric but has competed in a local aerial competition on lyra doing doubles! Emily teaches our level 1 and level 2 youth classes. She helps our youth build bodily awareness and she helps them build fortitude during her classes. She also helps them choreograph performances for showcases!