Meet Our Incredible Staff

Morgan

Morgan (she/her) is a co-owner of Momentum, and has been a trapeze artist for 16 years, training first on the flying trapeze at Trapeze U in Gilbert, AZ. When she moved to Flagstaff, she began training and teaching static trapeze, and has been an instructor for since 2013. Morgan focuses on appropriate skill progressions and creativity on the trapeze. She prides herself in her passion, and loves to take others under her wing and help them find joy and freedom in the air.

Morgan is also a passionate river guide and spends summers in the Grand Canyon and in Idaho on the water.

Ingrid

Ingrid (she/they) is Momentum's Facility Manager. Ingrid began training pole and lyra in 2014. Throughout their journey they have experienced the incredible healing power of movement and community, and became inspired to teach others. They are passionate about making aerial accessible for all bodies and their classes focus on fun, intuitive movement. Ingrid completed her aerial apprenticeship at Momentum in 2019 and the Born to Fly Lyra teacher training in 2020.

Beth

Beth (she/her) is a pole athlete that has been training for the past 8 years. She began dancing at age 8, training in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and acrobatics. She began pole in 2014 because she wanted to get back into dance and discovered aerial pole connected with her past dance history, adding a new found love of being in the air. Aside from teaching, she also performs in community events and with a few local troupes.

Maggie

Maggie (she/her) started her aerial journey 5 years ago after spending 18 years as a ballet, jazz, and contemporary dancer. Maggie has trained with the American Ballet Theater and is also a Progressing Ballet Techniques certified teacher. When she’s not instructing she works in Flagstaff as a Myofascial Release Therapist. Maggie completed her aerial apprenticeship in Spring 2020 and teaches Lyra and Lyra choreography classes. In addition to teaching, she is one of the co-creators of the Viola Award nominated aerial Halloween show: A Frightful Fête.

Sunn

Sunn (she/her) has been training in Lyra for over three years and finished her apprenticeship with Momentum in the winter of 2020. Her trainings in yoga and her background in health coaching helps her to brings a mind and body perspective to class. Aerial dance has helped her to not only gain strength, but it has also brought her more confidence and courage than anything she had done before.

MORGAN

Morgan (they/them) began dancing at the age of three, participating in a medley of children’s dance classes from ballet to jazz to acrobatics. They discovered the aerial arts at eight years old and have since developed a zeal for choreographing and performing on the lyra. Choreographing a routine is an incredible way to create art and expression with the body. The movements tell a story and the only way to show the audience the emotions of your story is to feel it. Morgan completed the Momentum Aerial apprenticeship in the fall semester of 2021 and is now teaching lyra at Momentum Aerial when they are not practicing for their next Aerialympics Competition!

Joanie

Joanie (she/her) is a co-owner of Momentum, and has over a decade of experience teaching aerial arts. Originally trained in jazz and modern,  she went on to co-found the Crested Butte Dance Collective, where she developed one of the only aerial training programs in Southwest Colorado.  

Joanie is a director of Dark Sky Aerial, a site-specific aerial theatre company based in the Western US.  When she isn't teaching lyra (aerial hoop) or silks at Momentum Aerial, you can also find her teaching circus arts at her camp Funtown Circus.  Joanie has been through aerial teacher training with the Born to Fly / Paper Doll Militia, and originally trained under Cathy Gaugh of Aircat Aerial Arts. She is trained in Physically Integrative Dance and Dance for Parkinson's. 

Liz

Liz (she/her) started her aerial journey in 2015 and has never looked back! Her focus is primarily in corde lisse, and she loves strength and momentum-based movement. She has worked hard over the past few years to develop an incredibly strong dynamic rope program, and currently teaches rope at Momentum. She has worked with rope artists all over the world, and has completed a dynamic rope teacher training from Alex Allan and a straps teacher training from Aaron Kozloff. In addition to teaching, she has also performed with Dark Sky Aerial, Further West Productions, and independently for various local and community events. She is one of the co-creators of the Viola award nominated aerial Halloween show: A Frightful Fête. 

Amy

Amy (she/her) started her evolution as an aerial athlete in her 40s. Initially, her goal was to complement her yoga practice and obstacle course racing, but she quickly fell in love with being in the air, too! Amy enjoys Silks, Lyra, and Trapeze. She relishes the challenges of choreography, physical expression, and strength and loves introducing new students to the fabulous world of aerial fabric!

KYM

Kym (she/her) started training in Silks and Lyra in her 40s and has loved gaining strength and exploring the beauty of this unique art. She is a former high school and middle school teacher with over 8 years of aerial experience. She completed her apprenticeship with momentum in 2021 and her level 1 teacher training through Paper Doll Militia in 2022. She is passionate about helping beginners gain strength and confidence in the air.

Ali

Ali (she/her) found partner acro in 2011 and aerial in 2017, inspired by the strength and grace required for the circus arts. Ali regularly performs in several of Northern Arizona’s shows and has participated in Rope Lab and AcroLove teacher training programs. Her classes in lyra, rope, and acro focus on building solid foundations as a canvas for creative exploration. She loves to solve the “body puzzles” that new movement patterns offer, helping her students gain confidence and fluidity in the air.

Carol

Carol (she/her) started aerial as a means of building strength into her 40s. After a couple years of conditioning classes, she finally decided to progress into the technique classes, where she discovered a perfect laboratory to explore her interest in biomechanics, build on a lifetime of dance training and educating, and have fun with Flagstaff’s greatest humans. While Carol has played on various apparatuses, Trapeze is where she found her home.  She is thrilled to be part of the Momentum team!

Jes

Jes (she/her) is Momentum’s Student Communications Manager. She found a creative outlet in aerial during the pandemic, after extensively training in dance and cheerleading for most of her life. Momentum Aerial became her happy place very quickly. After years of being a preschool teacher, she began focusing more on aerial arts in 2022. Jes has completed level 1 teacher training through Paper Doll Militia for silks and trapeze and attended the American Circus Educator’s Conference in Austin, TX.

Jes teaches trapeze, silks and pole at Momentum to all ages. While maintaining training in every apparatus offered at Momentum that she can fit into her schedule, static trapeze continues to be where she feels most at home. In addition to performing in Momentum-affiliated shows like Hungry Hearts & Frightful Fete, you can also watch Jes perform in Cottonwood, AZ as a company member of Hydrangea Sky Movement Arts.

Heather

A former high school art teacher, Heather (she/her) teaches the intermediate/advanced silks classes at momentum. She has 12 years of aerial training from various schools around the country, and has a background in gymnastics and capoeira. Heather enjoys corde lisse/rope and trapeze as well as silks! She is also the artist of the beautiful mural at the studio. She is currently a performer for QT Entertainment and Dark Sky Aerial.

Laurel

Laurel (she/her) has had a life-long passion for performing arts, starting as a competitive figure skater at the age of 9. She competed regionally and nationally for 5 years and is now a coach for the Flagstaff Figure Skating Club. Laurel discovered aerial arts in 2016 and immediately fell in love with the combination of it’s beauty, artistry, and power. She has performed with various performing arts groups in Flagstaff including Dark Sky Aerial and Canyon Movement Company. Laurel has completed the Born to Fly Aerial Hoop Level 1 Instructor Training.

Dawn

Dawn (she/her) is the Executive Director of Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, and has 5 years of trapeze training. She completed our apprenticeship program in Spring 2020, and continued to train and teach for 8 months while pregnant with her baby in 2021. Dawn has guidance to offer to pregnant and postpartum aerialists, and teaches youth, teen and adult trapeze classes at Momentum.

Elisa

Elisa (she/her), from Phoenix, holds a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA and a MFA in Dance from Arizona State University. She began her aerial training with Altitude Aerials in 2010 then continued her training and performance with Scorpius Dance Theatre and at Vertical Fix with MoNika El. With Scorpius she had the pleasure of performing aerial roles nationally and internationally. She moved to Flagstaff with her dog Luis in August of 2021 to be a Dance teacher at Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy. She is very excited to be teaching at Momentum Aerial!

Tyler

Tyler (she/her) primarily teaches intermediate level pole classes at Momentum.

Aerial Apprentices

Our aerial apprenticeship is a rigorous 80 hour program, training upcoming instructors to be safe, effective and welcoming! For current students wishing to learn more about our apprenticeship program, you can apply for the apprenticeship here.