Elevated Aerials Where Strength Meets Artistry
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.
Interested in becoming a certified aerial coach? Join us this winter as we host our first ever teacher training with Paper Doll Militia’s Teacher Training Program. Our own studio manager, Samantha Hancock will be running the training that is packed full of essential information, proven progressions, and a full technical breakdown of each skill and the art of teaching.
This is a comprehensive in-person course designed for both emerging and existing instructors to deepen their understanding of aerial arts, and help them to develop their own unique voice as an instructor.
Paper Doll Militia are leaders in the industry, with over 15 years of teaching experience in studios all over the world. Their breadth of knowledge and quintessential creative approach have hugely shaped this in-depth and well rounded program.
Elevated Aerials is a Host Studio for the Paper Doll Militia Remote Teacher Training. We encourage and provide support for our instructors and community to enhance their craft through professional development. Participants attend the Paper Doll Militia Teacher Training and Certificate program at our approved facility.
To find out more about the Paper Doll Militia Teacher Training Programs, visit their website:
WEBSITE LINK
www.paperdollmilitia.com/aerial-instruction/teacher-trainings/overview/
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 –
~An Elevated Aerials & Fly Karavek sling & teardrop trapeze retreat w/ coach Brittany Naegel (@britsaerialife) in Thailand~
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.
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 will be welcoming Rachel to EA the first weekend of August! Grab yourself a spot in her workshops here!
6 Day Creative Aerial Immersion: Thai style
with Brittany Naegel & Samantha Hancock
March 3-8, 2025
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.
4: Planche Beat. A forward/backward plank beat.
5: 360/Salto Drop from diapers wrap.
Pricing: $3250
*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.
6 Days of Yoga, Aerial & Wellness
with Brittany Naegel & Alicia Calderwood
February 24 – March 1, 2025
Brittany Naegel (owner of Elevated Aerials in Cincinnati, OH) and Alicia Calderwood (owner of Pura Vida Studio in Cary, NC) have teamed up to offer this 6 day / 5 night retreat in the stunning space of Fly Karavek located in the mountains of Northern Thailand! “Jai Yen” in Thai means a heart characterized by composure, calm, and patience.
Reconnect with us for a week full of yoga and aerial fabric explorations… Enjoy sunbathing in the salt water infinity pool, embrace new human and elephant friends, pay a visit to some of the most awe inspiring temples, learn about what makes Thailand so spectacular and more! If you are a yoga & aerial fabric lover, we can’t wait to welcome you to a slice of heaven on Earth.
Location: Fly Karavek in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Retreat workshop focus: Yoga & Aerial Fabric Flowssss
Apparatus focus: Sling (Aerial Hammock)
Prerequisites:
Students must have 6+ months of consistent aerial fabric practice.
Bent arm and/or straight arm hold for 20 seconds or more.
Must be able to mount a chest height sling by pulling over to hips. (foot tag okay!)
What’s Included:
15+ hours of workshops/classes and free play!
Elephant + Aerial Experience!
Low Hot Air Balloon + Aerial Experience!
Organic farm to table meals!
Private bedroom w/ bathroom and AC!
All transportations & excursions!!
What’s NOT Included:
Flights
Pricing: $3250
*A $550 nonrefundable deposit is required in order to secure your spot. 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.
We are thrilled to announce that we’ll be offering TWO unique retreats in Thailand this upcoming winter at Fly Karavek!!!
For our first retreat in 2025, we’re teaming up with Pura Vida Studio owner Alicia Calderwood for a week full of yoga & aerial fabric flows! This week will be geared towards advanced beginner+ aerial artists as we soak up the tranquility of Northern Thailand.
Taking place the following week, we will be bringing our beloved intensive Aerial Finesse to Thailand with EA instructors Brittany Naegel & Samantha Hancock! For the past two years we’ve hosted Aerial Finesse at our home studio, and we can’t wait to see the transformation and creativity that comes from moving in such a unique healing space such as Fly Karavek. This week will be geared towards intermediate+ aerial artists as we dive deep into our movement practice.
Want to be notified when registration opens???
EA instructors Brittany Naegel & Samantha Hancock are heading to Canada this summer to teach a full weekend of workshops followed by a 3 day Vertical Dance dance immersion hosted by Cirque’letics! Yes, you heard that right… we are thrilled to be able to share our love of the sling, lyra and floor with folks up north and we can’t wait to explore the cliff sides of beautiful Newfoundland!!
Scroll through to see which workshops we’ll be offering…
