In 2012, AirAligned Artistic Director Tresa Honaker lived every aerialists’ nightmare. She sustained a spinal injury from a fall that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She performed, along with members of AirAligned, at TEDx Talk in Sacramento back in June of 2015. The video has just been released, so we thought we would share. Tresa’s story serves as a reminder for every aerialist to keep safety a priority.
You’ll get to watch three performances total. The first is from the amazing Jerusha Horlick (my favorite is the clean exit from double footlocks into a double knee hook climb). The second performance features a duet by Joseph Simms and Marni Marshall.
Tresa shares her story and then performs with David Taylor-Gomes on piano. David wrote on his Facebook page, “[Tresa] is so inspiring to me, and I am so fortunate to have met her. This is also the only time I’ve ever been in a theater where EVERY single person gave a standing ovation.” I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience after her performance. I’m so glad she got up there and did that, and it’s great to hear her fighting through her injury. You go girl!