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Kristina is pretty sure she was never meant to have her feet on the ground. What led her to this conclusion has been a lifelong pursuit of mind-body movement and artistic expression. Spending most summers in university programs and intensives throughout the U.S., she studied theatre and music alongside leading contemporary performers. Eventually, this creative Alaskan native uprooted herself and settled on the East Coast to begin her degree in Musical Theater through the rigorous Bachelor of Music program at the Catholic University of America and graduated with a minor in English Literature in 2002. She discovered Pilates through college internships and completed her 700-hour certification training in the ten months following graduation.
Always pursuing new and exciting forms of movement, Kristina has been an E-RYT 200 since 2013 and has trained in kinesiology, movement, post-rehabilitative movement, and flexibility. Discovering the intersection of movement and performance in aerial arts, she found a home at Ascend in 2014 as a student and then as a teacher in 2015 and is pursuing Womack & Bowman’s “Master the Silks” certification. Kristina’s unique position as a student, teacher, and performer gives her the freedom to explore the exciting, mysterious inner-workings of aerials and hone her style and technique in sequencing tricks for students. As someone who previously struggled with climbing the silks, she triumphs in building budding aerialists and gracefully nailing complicated routines. Nowadays, she spends her time perfecting her splits, drops, and storytelling on all apparatuses while carefully listening to the air—oh, the secrets it can tell!
A risk taker from an early age, Jackie first explored her fearlessness through karate and gymnastics. After sustaining an injury as a young adult, she turned to yoga to feed her fierceness and became certified to teach in 2014. This led her to dabbling in acroyoga and later becoming certified in aerial yoga, so, naturally, she progressed to joining the circus and has not looked back since! Without hesitation, she dove into learning aerial hoop and grew to love the silks for the problem-solving and strength they require. She began teaching at Ascend in January 2017 and can vouch for the sense of support and community that stems from the Ascend family.
Having been a student, teacher, and performer here, Jackie has a unique relationship with aerial arts and understands the challenges and empowerment aerialists find at each stage of their journey. She has blossomed into a confident artist with a sharp technical eye and inspires growth and passion in her peers and students. Sporting an ever-glowing enthusiasm and awesome galactic attire, Jackie always brings her A game as soon as she sets foot in Ascend. She creates an encouraging, comfortable environment during her classes while not skimping on fun or safety. When she takes her metaphorical but still very-cool instructor cap off, she is just as much of a student as the rest of us.
Growing up as a competitive gymnast and diver, Amber has always sought out thrill and fun in her everyday life. Now the Team Director at Rainbow Gymnastics in Sewell, New Jersey, she started teaching gymnastics in 2002 and has taught all ages and levels, from preschool to competitive. After attending an introduction workshop in 2015, she decided to change up her exercise regimen and challenge herself creatively by training in aerials and started teaching youth classes at Ascend in March 2018. She really enjoys sharing her gymnastics expertise with the Ascend community and helping shape young aerialists’ journeys.
As both an instructor and student, Amber continues to grow in her own aerial pursuits by working her mind alongside her body while practicing and teaching combinations. Despite a lifelong investment and involvement in fitness and competition, she has found Ascend challenging and fulfilling her in ways she did not think possible. She has found a home on the lyra for its likeness to gymnastics equipment and loves hanging upside down whenever she gets the chance. Amber’s commitment to growth and need for a challenge keeps her students on their toes—or off, in this case, and her passion for movement and killer technical skills translate into the compassion and energy she delivers when teaching and planning ground and air routines.
Celina is a PDF software sales specialist who was interested in aerial silks for a long time, but was too afraid to try it. After battling lymphoma a few years ago, she realized that life is short, why not take a chance? She started taking classes at Ascend and fell in love with the aerial world. Before learning how to fly, she was drinking the CrossFit Kool-Aid for 2 years and then slowly transitioned to yoga and aerial yoga. She completed her teacher training at Ascend in 2018. When she’s not in the air, you can find her in the kitchen trying new recipes, volunteering at the local animal shelter, snuggling with her bunnies, and binging the latest Netflix original series. She is good at motivating her students to exceed their potential and loves seeing their awesome reactions when they nail a trick! She believes that everyone is capable of achieving their dreams no matter how far out they may seem.
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” –W. E. Hickson
Hannah is a lifelong performer who fell in love with the stage after landing the lead role in her third grade musical. She began practicing circus arts in 2012, looking for a new creative outlet to fill the void left from aging out of colorguard. She started with fire staff spinning, and has since added hula hoop dance, aerial arts, and stilt walking to her performance repertoire. She can be found performing at community events, fundraisers, and parties around the Delaware Valley
In addition to performing, Hannah teaches hula hoop dance and makes custom hula hoops. She also volunteers as vice president of The Philadelphia Spin Coalition (SpinCo), a non-profit with the goal of providing accessible and affordable movement arts education and social gatherings for people of all ages and backgrounds. Outside of circus, Hannah works as a software developer building web apps and websites. Most notably, she was the lead developer on the NORAD Tracks Santa 3D Santa Tracker from 2015 to 2021.
Hannah strives to share her love of circus arts with people of all backgrounds. She believes in the power of movement and self expression to promote both mental and physical wellness. She looks forward to seeing the continued growth of interest in circus arts in the coming years.
Brooke Hahnert doesn’t have a traditional movement background – she really didn’t move much at all until she stumbled into a Kentucky aerial studio 6.5 years ago and tumbled head over heels in love with aerial hoop. Aerials quickly became a key piece of her life, offering sanctuary from the outside world. In 2021 she moved to Delaware, where she found a new circus home at Ascend. Brooke has continuously challenged herself and her fear of heights through the pursuit of aerial knowledge and theory. She began teaching shortly after completing her Aerial Teacher training at Ascend in March 2023. When Brooke isn’t at the studio you can bet she’s either grabbing a coconut latte, playing D&D, listening to a true crime podcast on her commute, or researching the next recipe she wants to make for her friends.
Liz Smith has been Training at Ascend since March of 2019, and in that time she developed a special affinity for the Lyra. Prior to studying aerial arts Liz spent more than a decade dancing Samba. Since battling her fear of heights the lyra has been an astounding source of pride and accomplishment for Liz. That personal growth in aerial arts has engendered confidence that has expanded to other areas of her life. Members of the aerial community introduced Liz to the world of tall ship sailing, which led to more climbing and maneuvering at extreme heights. As usual, life has taken the unexpected and fashioned it into something challenging, but simultaneously rewarding. Liz completed her Teacher training with Ascend in 2023 and has enjoyed guiding students on their own aerial journeys.
Lindsay Grant (she/her) has been performing on stage since she was a child. Most recently, Lindsay has been seen on stage as Cinderella in “Into the Woods,” Morticia in “The Addams Family Musical, and as part of the tap ensemble in “Something Rotten.” Lindsay’s love of dance and movement led her to start her aerial training at Ascend Flow Arts in 2018. Lindsay has studied silks, sling, lyra, and static trapeze. Outside of performing arts, Lindsay works in business risk, remediating customer accounts when there’s been a technological issue.
Aerial arts has provided Lindsay with a way to gain unmeasured confidence and to be vulnerable with tons of amazing instructors and peers available for support. Lindsay hopes to help create the same supportive and inspirational environment when teaching from which she benefits to this day.
