Our Team

Having started aerial arts in with zero background in dance or gymnastics, Winnie understands the difficulty of being a true beginner. In early 2009, after a frustrating seven weeks of being unable to climb a silk, Winnie approached the apparatus and found herself able to ascend! The magic of that moment has never left her. In June 2010, she founded Sky Candy and her life hasn’t been the same since. Winnie primarily teaches sling, silks, trapeze, bungee, and flexibility.

(P.S. Yes, she was Charlotte in the ZACH’s 2016/17 production of Charlotte's Web.)

Julia fell in love with the circus when she was 11, but she thought she was too old to get started. (Spoiler: she was not.) A decade later, she moved cross-country to train at the San Francisco Circus Center. Julia has taught at Sky Candy since 2012 and is living proof that it’s never too late to pursue your upside-down dreams. You’ll most often find her on static and single-point trapeze but also teaches bungee, harness, and handstands.

(P.S. She’s low-key training her cats to do tricks so that they too can join the circus.)

Hannah is proud to serve as Sky Candy's Admin Director and Front Desk unicorn wrangler! Inspired by a three-ring circus traveling through her Pennsylvania hometown, she began her own circus adventure at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, where she would also go on to teach wire walking. She continued training at Circomedia in Bristol, with a focus on aerials and partner acrobatics, and was honored to perform with many talented artists, including at Glastonbury Festival. She loves all things trapeze (solo, duo, flying, swinging!), and is a recent convert to sling (aka the soft trapeze).

(P.S. Her favorite cryptid is the Mothman.)

khattieQ is a performer from Puerto Rico. Co-creator and star of the award winning ‘Catalina La O Presenta: Now With Me’. They have played as a professional musician with over twenty bands. Most notably, as drummer for queer femme core band The Tuna Helpers and guitarist and singer for punk band BLXPLTN. Professional credits include Denim Doves for Salvage Vanguard Theater, Heaven Born Wind at the University of British Columbia, and frank theatre’s Be-Longing and I Cannot Lie To The Stars That Made Me. They hosted Rumble Theatre’s Untrue Stories Live Cabaret Series. khattieQ is brand new to aerial arts and they are excited to be learning along side all of you!

Adrienne started dancing at age 4, and continued studying ballet and jazz until she went off to college. Over ten years ago, she moved to Austin, Texas and jumped back into dance as a burlesque performer. After being convinced to try an aerial silks class in 2007—despite a very real fear that lack of upper body strength would lead to disaster—Adrienne fell in love with aerial dance. It turns out that practice builds strength, and aerial dance provided a new way for her to build a healthier body and mind. After being crowned Miss Texas Pole Star Amateur Silks 2012, she started performing aerially in and around Austin.

Adrienne began teaching in 2015 at Brass Ovaries, and started teaching at Sky Candy in the summer of 2017. She loves sharing the beauty and strength of aerial dance with new students, and is excited to work with students to meet their goals—whether they are doing pull ups, having fun, or improving performance.

Amy received her BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from TCU. As a freelance performance artist, she has had the opportunity to dance all over the US, Europe, and on film with many companies/choreographers/musicians including (but not limited to) Ellen Bartel Dance Collective, Jennifer Sherburn, Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth, Blue Lapis Light, BlipSwitch, Sky Candy, Sorne, Kesha, Nightdrive, and many more. As a choreographer, Amy presents work for stage, music videos, corporate activations, and the occasional dance film. Amy is also a Certified Yoga Instructor, Licensed Massage Therapist, and creator of Amy's Apothecary. Amy's teaching style is a reflection of her varied learnings. She incorporates everything from Limón to Contact Improvisation to elements of chi gong and yoga.

Ashley found pole in 2010 and performed all over the Chicago area for many years and even occasionally traveled to compete in smaller competitions. Ashley took one Intro to Aerials class and was hooked, she fell in love with the Lyra and Fabric and just never left.

Ashley coaches lyra, silks, and pole. You’ll find her on stage or behind the scenes as lead rigger for almost all of our shows.

Carolyn Logan is a graduate of the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) 2013-2015. She then studied under Chloe Farah in Montreal. Carolyn has been traveling and teaching Static Trapeze, Duo Trapeze, and Flying Trapeze for the last decade. Find her also at Uprise Circus, a nonprofit Social Circus Org in Austin!

A special educator turned circus runaway, Caryn tried aerials in 2019 and has never looked back! When she's not working front desk and living the circus dream in trapeze and lyra, Caryn can often be found playing board games with friends surrounded by her pet cats, lizard, and snails.

Colleen has been Sky Candy's ball of golden string in the MindBody labyrinth since April 2014. If you need a ghost chased out of your account, who you gonna call? Colleen also does the graphic design for our shows and in-studio graphics. She is currently studying in the field of Sustainability at ACC, and Sling here at Sky Candy.

Danielle Cohen is Canadian born and a former Honolulu based aerialist. For twelve years she was a company member and aerial teacher for Samadhi Hawaii, as well as co-director and performer for Volary Aerial Burlesque. She has performed on single point trapeze, lyra, sling, flying pole, and chains, but her first love and specialty is aerial fabric (a.k.a silks). Danielle was initially drawn to aerial arts as a new way of dancing; however, her interest has continued to grow through years of training, injuries, children, and a maturing body. “One of my biggest life goals is to keep moving until the day I die. How do I respect my body and its limitations, while continuing to learn and safely push my boundaries? These are the same questions I apply to my teaching. As a teacher I focus on creating thoughtful progressions that help my students achieve their goals at a pace which allows for reflection, digestion and subsequent growth. Dance and movement have always served as an important road to my mental health and healing. I do my very best to create classes and private lessons where my students feel welcome and are able to celebrate the smallest of victories. I’m so excited to continue this journey as part of the Sky Candy team!”

Emily is an Austinite who has returned to the city after being away for college. She has taken several Sky Candy classes over the years, but is particularly fond of the trapeze. Outside of the circus, Emily is training to be a massage therapist and she also plays rugby!

Erica Mix started aerials at LSU back in 2011 while getting her business degree. She performed, trained and taught in Baton Rouge for many years before moving to Austin, TX and joining Sky Candy's circus crew! Erica loves to work as a duo partner, but solo she specializes in teaching or performing silks, sling, lyra, and more. She lives by the quote, 'expression is the opposite of depression," and uses aerials to keep her mind and body happy every day.

Ginger Snaps, the Tastiest Tease in Texas, is a long time burlesque performer, aerialist, and enthusiastic shenanigan instigator! She has been voted the ""Best Burlesque Performer"" in Austin by the Austin Chronicle reader's poll every year since 2016 because she is fortunate to live and perform in a city as weird as she is. She has been seen on stages and screens around the world and is an avid fat-activist and founder of the Aerials for Plus Sized Bodies program and accompanying professional development workshops.

(P.S. Fun Fact - Ginger loves to spend time in the ocean looking at sea creatures and has been an honorary mermaid ever since a whale shark forced her to ride it!)

Jennifer loves sharing her passion for aerial arts with her students. She first fell in love with the circus at age 16 after performing in her first flying trapeze show on vacationing in Club Med St. Lucia.

After graduation from SFA with a degree in Dance, Journalism and Secondary Education she joined Club Med Resorts, where for 12 years she was the choreographer, entertainment manager and Circus Performer based in around the world including - the Caribbean, Thailand, Mexico, Japan and Australia.

After leaving Club Med she taught aerial classes at Vault Houston and participated in the aerial instructor courses with Amy Elle and NECCA’s Elsie Smith.

Eventually her love for Austin brought her to the capital city where she has taught and performed with Sky Candy, Trapeze Austin, and S&S Productions.

Kalyn started her aerial journey in 2019 right here in Sky Candy's Plus Size Bodies class, and has never looked back! While the lyra is her ride or die, she has also been known to dabble in other apparatuses from time to time. She loves the Sky Candy community and finds it to be the most welcoming place to express yourself however you see fit. She is passionate about including all body types in circus and would love to visit the Round Side (a.k.a. lyra) with you.

Katie has had an interest in movement since an early age. Involved in dance from childhood through college, it was a natural progression to fall in love with the aerial arts. As a physical therapist, she enjoys empowering her patients through movement and exercise, and much in the same way finds joy in teaching the students at Sky Candy. She has been training Lyra since 2010 and teaching since 2014. In addition to spinning upside down, she enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, playing with her fur babies, and eating amazing food.

Kit Brooks (they/them) has worked with youth of all ages & abilities for the past five years. They moved to Austin in 2017 after earning a Master's degree in Learning Sciences from Indiana University. Kit has spent the past two years working as an elementary teacher in a learning disabilities classroom while completing a second Master's degree, this time in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Special Education. Kit is both chronically ill & disabled, and they are passionate about creating inclusive educational environments where everyone can thrive. They began their aerial dance journey with a trapeze & lyra series several years ago, and they fell in love with the practice. Most of all, Kit appreciates the non-competitive nature that Sky Candy has cultivated -- circus really is for everybody! Kit recently completed the youth instructor apprenticeship program, and they are excited to bring their experience as a professional educator to the Sky Candy program.

Lauren Campbell started her aerial journey in 2015 right here at Sky Candy! She loves being a part of the circus community as a student, member of the Front Desk team, and as an instructor. Her favorite apparatuses are Sling and Pole. Lauren hopes to inspire young minds to express themselves through art and movement. Her favorite part about teaching is encouraging students to believe in themselves.

Leigh Fisher is a yoga teacher, roller skater, hula hooper, theatre practitioner, vocalist, and writer. She can't believe it took her this long to try the circus arts, but the second she did it was love at first sight. Her favs are Sling and Lyra, and you can catch her at the front desk or teaching yoga/flexibility.

(P.S. Leigh studied martial arts for many years and holds an orange belt in Krav Maga.)

Marisa has always had a passion for the performing arts and has many years experience in theatre, dance, and burlesque. She began her aerial training in 2011 and became an instructor in 2013. Her favorite apparatuses include lyra, sling, pole, and cube. She is a particular fan of partner work. Marisa loves seamless transitions, fluidity, and musicality. She also loves exploring and learning new things through her own training.

(P.S. Fun fact: Marisa has had some exciting opportunities over the years, including performing alongside Nas, Busta Rhymes, and Rev Run.)

Melissa Swanepoel came to circus and the movement arts as an adult, after a childhood of wishing she wasn’t “too old” to join in the fun.

She started training at Sky Candy in 2014 and was keen to try All The Things — but with time she found her focus on lyra and a passion for handstands.

Melissa is excited to share the joy of movement and incremental progress with folks who are just beginning their handstand journey.

When not pushing the ground away or spinning high above it, Melissa keeps busy and creative with her indoor jungle of plants and writing projects.

Michele is a professional aerial coach, physical therapist, Pilates instructor, and certified strength training and performance specialist. She has been teaching and performing aerial arts nationally for over 20 years. With an extensive background in human anatomy and kinesiology, she specializes in aerial silks, single and double point sling (aka hammock), and rope. Before relocating to Austin, Michele had been teaching in her private studio in Seattle from 2005-2011, and also has been teaching at Versatile Arts (as seen in Oprah Magazine) since 2010. In 2012 Michele attended advanced aerial silks teaching workshops with Elise Smith (NECCA).

Michele is a highly sought out instructor, and has been hired to teach aerial workshops across the United States, and to coach and choreograph for silks artists in Cirque Du Soleil.

Her advanced knowledge in injury prevention, body mechanics, neurodynamics, conditioning techniques, and alignment enables her to help students acquire fitness goals and aerial skills that they never thought they could.

Rachael took a tumbling class when she was 3 years old, which started her down a path of lifelong movement training. She has her BFA in Choreography and Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. She co-directed R Squared, a dance and movement company for several years. Her creative work has been shown in the US and abroad. Rachael is passionate about aiding her students in a full expression of themselves through movement.

(P.S. Rachael's goal in life is to be a cat lady and with 3 cats, she is well on her way.)

Sam's story started ages ago as a gymnast who was fortunate enough to be chosen to join Cirque du Soleil’s show, Quidam back in 1998.

For the past 20+ years he has worked inside the circus entertainment business, as an acrobat/aerialist/dancer, as well as choreographer and act creator for other performers. He has had the pleasure of performing with la Clique in London, Soap in Berlin, Teatro Zinzanni in Seattle, and for the prestigious Cirque du Demain Festival in Paris. For over 7 years he led Odysseo, the largest touring circus show in the world, as the head acrobat and aerialist trainer, and then for the last 2 years as the resident artistic director.

His passion is coaching artists and helping them find their own voice.

Austin native Sarah Marsh fell in love with the circus at a young age when she went to The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and saw the sparkling aerialists and bendy contortionists with her mom. She loves circus arts for the expression of movement, physicality, and flexibility. In 2007 she discovered pole, and in 2008 aerial hoop (lyra) and has trained with exceptional pole talent such as Felix Cane, Natasha Wang, and Cirque du Soleil pole artist Jenyne Butterfly. Sarah has also studied at the New England Center for Circus Arts, NECCA, focusing specifically on lyra. With these skills, Sarah has been able to perform across the US and continues to dazzle audiences around Texas and beyond. In July 2022, Sarah won an internationally acclaimed competition with the title of Exotic Generation USA Professional Pole Theatre Champion! Sarah has been teaching with Sky Candy since 2017 and loves seeing her students accomplish new skills and gain confidence in their strength and movement.

(P.S. Fun fact: Sarah has been a featured aerialist and pole artist on the Jerry Springer Show (twice!).)

Selima Harbison is a versatile and passionate aerial arts teacher with a lifelong background in dance and athletics. Having studied psychology at the University of Texas, she brings a deep understanding of human behavior and motivation to her teaching approach. With over 8 years of experience as a barre, dance, and gymnastics instructor, Selima has honed her skills in guiding students towards their full potential.

Her true passions lie in the captivating world of aerial arts, where she finds joy and freedom in mastering aerial silks and flying trapeze. Not just limited to physical feats, Selima also embraces the art of clowning, infusing her life with humor and whimsy. As an aerial arts teacher, she inspires and empowers her students to embrace creativity, build strength, and discover their inner grace as they take flight in the mesmerizing world of aerial arts.

Taylor has a long history of teaching and performing on the ground. In college, she took a movement class that had a trapeze unit, absolutely fell in love with it, and went to Sky Candy wanting more. Now she teaches and performs in the air! Taylor teaches silks, rope, trapeze, sling, and lyra to both kids and adults.

(P.S. When she's not working her body, she's working her mind as a tax accountant.)

After years of admiring aerialists on Instagram, Tiara finally took a chance on an Intro to Aerials class with Sky Candy and hasn't looked back. She mainly trains on lyra (for now) while working at the front desk to make sure everyone has just as good of an experience as she did.

(P.S. She also used to have a radio show about pop music at her college radio station, hence some of her eclectic picks for the sound system.)

Born in Oakland, CA Xochitl Sosa grew up sandwiched between the urban culture of the bay area and the fertile soils of the redwoods. Exposure to circus at a young age gave Xochitl a purpose. Opening opportunities, circus taught her how to balance life and direct her duality into art.

These experiences that shaped her upbringing construct the narrative of her choreography. Specializing in aerial dance, she has been a highlighted artist and coach in the circus community since 2007. Her original work has won such praise as an Isadora Duncan Award and she has worked as an artist most notably with Cirque du Soleil, Acrobatic Conundrum and Zaccho Dance Theater.

Xochitl recognizes circus arts as a limitless vehicle for storytelling. Its intensity and risk call for trust, communication, vulnerability, and presence. As Founder and Artistic Director of Cirque Vida, a new contemporary circus company, Xochitl merges disciplines in an innovative way to highlight human experiences. Recognizing the need for diverse narratives, Xochitl is committed to collaborating and creating space for BIPOC and LGBTQ artists to bring their stories to the stage.