~An aerial and cultural movement retreat with Fly Karavek & Elevated Aerials, hosted by Brittany Naegel (@britsaerialife)~
Dates: March 1-6, 2027
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Apparatus Focus: Sling & Teardrop Trapeze (soft & hard apparatus, all provided for you)
Prerequisites: Pull over mount to hips w/ apparatus at head height. Invert from standing in bottom of loop/bar. An intermediate knowledge of fabric wraps/skills (specific teardrop experience NOT required as I know this is a unique apparatus). A yearning for learning, both in aerials and Thai culture!
As we wrapped up our 4th Aerial Finesse Intensive at EA, I couldn’t help but think about all of the humans that have come through these doors over the years… so many hands, hearts and minds have gone into making this studio what it is today. I couldn’t be prouder of where we’ve been and where we’re going as we’ve been working especially hard this past month to expand our little aerial home here inside of Swift Movement Studio.
We’ve seemed to always beat to our own drum, keeping our blinders on and focusing on what feels good to us. That is what’s steered the ship and continues to point us in a direction of creative growth.
I am in awe of this life spent dancing in the air with others, sharing lifes many challenges and successes with one another. The people who have been walking through this door consistently over the years have become like family. Many of which have been around since our infancy!
I am immensely grateful for this time spent together, and am not sure where I’d be without you all… Many many thanks for your continued support in this art form we hold so dearly! Cheers to the upcoming years ahead!!
Sincerely, Brittany Naegel, owner & founder of Elevated Aerials
🌀 Aerial Finesse, a 4-Day Creative Aerial Intensive with @britsaerialife & @hancock_samantha combining skill deep dives, creative movement games & inward practice development. This intensive works to merge two cornerstones of movement: technique and creativity. With equal parts skill focus and finding freeness in your movement, you will explore all the depths of your practice, leaving you with a better understanding of who YOU are as an aerial mover.
When: Thursday March 26th – Sunday March 29th
Apparatus focus: Sling (Aerial hammock). Utilizing the Sling we will break down the complexities of Spin and Dynamics that can be transferred across all apparatuses.
Creative Movement Focus: We will use a variety of apparatuses and tools, none of which students need to have experience, to explore new movement pathways.
Calling all movement lovers, theater enthusiasts, dancing queens/kings & more!!
The time has come – We are honored to be able to invite you to our 8th annual student showcase taking place on Sunday, November 9th at our home base inside of Swift Movement Studio. Doors will open at 2:30PM, with the show starting promptly at 3PM. Please come dressed in layers (weather dependent), come ready to cheer on each performer as they’ve been dreaming up and working hard for the past year to present this work for you; their friends, family, and friends yet to meet.
Purchase your pre-sale admission now for $25, or $30 at the door day of show.
Proceeds from this years showcase will go towards equipment needed for expanding our vertical dance ventures at the studio & beyond! Unsure what vertical dance is?! You may get a little sneak peak if you make your way to your seat early!
**To help keep ticket costs to a minimum, there will not be a physical ticket. If purchasing pre-sales, please state the name of the purchaser at the front door day of show.**
**Additional parking can be found on Spring Grove Ave & surrounding neighborhood side streets (wear comfortable walking shoes). After party will take place at Higher Gravity in Northside immediately following show.**
If you did not purchase pre-sales – Purchase tickets at the door.
This year marks Elevated Aerials’ 8th Student Showcase!
Showcase season is the cornerstone of all the magic that makes our community unique and beautiful!
For the past 9 years, our student showcase has been a space for students to express, create and share what they have learned. We invite each of you to embark on this journey.
Whether you’re a showcase veteran or you’re dipping your toe in for the first time, we are here for you every step of the way.
We have a TON of classes happening all summer long to keep you entertained and enjoying life in flight! The schedule is up through the end of August, and registration is now OPEN for ALL classes, workshops, and private lessons happening this summer at EA!!
– Plan out your summer and book your aerial flights now –
On February 2-7 we’ll be venturing back to Thailand for our Cetanā Retreat!! The word “Cetanā” (chet-tah-nah) in Thai means “Intention”, a mental factor that moves or urges the mind in a particular direction, toward a specific object or goal. The steps leading to these retreats began over a decade ago… and as the planning progressed, we kept coming back to the same word, intention. For every intentional step made over the past decade has led to this place, with Fly Karavek.
If you have a love for aerials and have always wanted to explore Thailand, we hope you’ll join us next year! We’ll be spending most days training, focusing on both a soft & hard apparatus (sling & teardrop). Gaining a deeper understanding of how our apparatus moves, how we move, and how we move together while also getting to explore pieces of Northern Thailand, relax by the pool or simply jam in the air. We’ll have multiple adventure days, with one of those days getting the opportunity to hang from a hot air balloon! To top it all off, on the final day we’ll be traveling to an ethical elephant sanctuary where we’ll get to fly alongside these incredible beings.
Thailand holds a very special place in our hearts. We can’t wait to explore and share space in this beautiful place with fellow aerial movement lovers!!!
2027 retreat dates, coming soon!! Sign up for email notifications when enrollment opens.
There are some that love to dance, some that love to perform, some that love to create, some that love to share their art, their heart and so much more…
We are called Aerialists.
We are honored to be able to invite you to our 7th annual student showcase taking place on Sunday, November 10th at our home base inside of Swift Movement Studio. Doors will open at 2:30PM, with the show starting at 3PM. Please come dressed in layers (dependent on weather), come ready to cheer on each performer as they’ve been dreaming up and working hard for the past year to present this work for you; their friends, family, and friends yet to meet.
Purchase your pre-sale tickets now for $25, or $30 at the door day of show.
100% of proceeds from this years showcase will go to our aerial family down at Empyrean Arts in Asheville, NC and BelovedAsheville as they recover from the hurricane Helene aftermath.
** To help keep ticket costs to a minimum, there will be no physical ticket. If purchasing a pre-sale, please state the name of the purchaser at the front door day of show. **
** Additional parking can be found at our neighbors at the Taft Brewporium, where we will celebrate our performers immediately following show. **
Rachel began her formal circus training at New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro VT in Contortion and Aerial Sling. She was awarded a scholarship to Actor’s Gymnasium in Chicago IL and completed their Circus Arts Intensive program. She further specialized her training in Chicago through study in Mongolian Contortion technique under the mentorship of Mongolian coach Oyunchimeg Yadamjav. Rachel joined Host of Sparrows Aerial Circus in 2015 where she has been performing ever since. Rachel started Shape Shifters Contortion LLC with a mission to provide outreach workshops to regional performing arts studios. Rachel’s pursuit of continuing education and professional development has led her to achieve flexibility teacher training certifications through Cirque du Soleil’s Alixa Sutton. She has also completed professional development training on Physical Therapy techniques for injury prevention through Cirque Physio. Rachel is a professional member of American Circus Educators and maintains a Basic Life Support provider certification through the American Heart Association.
We’re bringing Aerial Finesse to THAILAND for 6 days and 5 nights in beautiful Chiang Rai in the transformative space of Fly Karavek! Join us for a movement immersion combining skill deep dives, partnering work, creative movement games & inward practice development. Throughout the week, we will work to merge two cornerstones of movement: technique and creativity! With equal parts skill focus and finding freeness in your movement, you will explore all the depths of your practice, leaving with a better understanding of who YOU are as an aerial mover, all while soaking in the beautiful Thai culture.
Apparatus focus: Sling (Aerial Hammock)
Utilizing the Sling we will break down the complexities of Spin, Technical Skills and even some Dynamics that can be transferred across all apparatuses.
Creative Movement Focus: We will use a variety of apparatuses and tools, none of which students need to have experience, to explore new movement pathways.
What’s Included:
20+ hours of workshops and free play!
Hot air balloon + Aerial experience!
Elephant + Aerial experience!
Organic farm to table meals!
Private bedroom w/ bathroom and AC!
All transportations & excursions!!
What’s NOT Included:
Flights
Video Submission Requirements: Required for application for this intensive. We’ve included a video for reference of these items as we know everyone has different names. Please don’t worry about doing these skills exactly as seen in the video or spending time perfecting them, we just want to see where you are at. This helps us in deciding what areas to focus on skill wise.
1: Spin to Flare invert in backpack position. AKA your weight supported in the loop.
2: Standing Flare to invert with a spin. Straight arms or bent, doesn’t matter. We just want to see your flare up without your weight being supported in the sling.
3: Catchers wrap. We want to see you getting into catcher’s wrap in a dynamic way.
*A $550 nonrefundable deposit is required in order to secure your spot, along with your video submission. Remaining balance may be made in installments, with the first installment beginning 30 days after registration. All payments made are non-refundable, but may be transferred to another name in case of emergency.
