About AerialDancing.com

Our Mission

Purpose of AerialDancing.com
Rebekah Leach started brainstorming ideas for AerialDancing.com in June 2009. As the physical location of her aerial dance studio sadly dissolved, getting online was a way to connect to past students, and in time, new ones as well. The vision of AerialDancing.com has grown and molded into providing resources for aerialists everywhere.

During the past decade, Rebekah has been deligently working on documenting aerial moves through pictures, words and video. So far, she has written 8 manuals. Many more are planned and being written as you read this. Paying members of the site gain access to a full Video Library that demonstrates the moves described in the manuals. The videos and manuals are designed to go hand in hand.

As it stands currently, the Video Library (accessible to paying members) includes over 550 videos:

150+ Hoop Videos & Beginner Sequences
40+ Duo Hoop Videos
65+ Fabric Videos
100+ Aerial Yoga videos (including sequences and full length classes with voice-over instruction)
60+ Rope Videos (lots more on the way right now!)
10+ videos of rigging workshops (Brett Copes), important videos on safety (example: Kamikaze Video), equipment, etc.

Curious to view a sample video?

We put sample videos occasionally on our blogs such as this one: http://www.aerialdancing.com/blog/?p=147

The new version of this site launched in September 2013. Since then, we've had 1,000 members register and counting! This is a place where members can post events and get listed in a worldwide studio directory - Make sure to get your listings as well as keep them updated. While most of our members are in the United States, this site has a huge audience around the globe. We are honored to say that among our members, currently over 50 countries are represented!

We hope that you will find aerial happiness in this site. There is a lot of depth in teaching and learning the aerial arts, and we are here to help you dive deeper into both.

About the Founders

Rebekah Leach
Rebekah Leach is an aerial dancer who is very passionate about creating aerial dance art, as well as teaching and promoting creativity in others. She has been teaching ever since she knew something to teach, and has been dancing ever since she could walk. Here's a small taste of the movement forms she has enjoyed studying at some point in her life: modern dance, ballet, tap, hip hop, breakdancing, yoga, ballet, Pilates, salsa, baton twirling, rhythmic gymnastics (specialty: ribbon), hula hooping, stunt-focused cheerleading, and even some pop 'n lock learned from street artists.

Rebekah has taken advantage of all performing opportunities she could get her hands on since she had enough skills to put together a piece. She has performed everywhere from benefits with Grammy winners to symphony orchestras, to mega-church celebrations. She has also enjoyed many a tour with Aerial Experience Productions. She has also enjoyed working with Rina van de Kamp with the Daughter of Zion Aerial Dance Company in Santa Ynez, California, where she fell in love with the creative, collaborative process involved in putting together works of art. She appreciates work that evokes the whole range of human emotion, has depth of expression, has social commentary, laughter, inspiration and brings together a community. Rebekah has a background in many traditional dance styles, as well as some not-so-traditional, which come together in a unique blend to influence the way in which she approaches the aerial arts.

Rebekah started teaching aerial fabric dance in San Luis Obispo, California, in 2006. She developed a unique curriculum to teach beginning students who were having trouble with the upper body strength required for advanced movement. After moving to Ojai, CA, Rebekah opened a studio where she taught all forms of aerial dance, and fostered the creativity of students of all ages. On the move once more, Rebekah continues to take her love of aerial dance along the way as she works on writing more aerial instructional manuals and developing this site. You can also find out more about Rebekah's aerial dance pursuits at her personal website: www.rebekahleach.com.

Matthew Leach
Matthew is Rebekah's other half and a huge reason why Rebekah is able to do what she does. If you send an e-mail to info@aerialdancing.com, you are most likely to hear back from Matthew. While Rebekah creates the content, Matthew manages the content once it is made. He does all of the hard work of administration, bookkeeping, customer service, etc. He makes sure books are shipped out on time, everyone gets their downloads, etc. Matthew is a high school physics teacher, and the best dad in the world to a beautiful 5 year old girl (who is a total daddy's girl) and a 1 year old son.

Collaborators

Julianna Hane
Director of Teacher Training

Julianna Gaillard Hane, a native of South Carolina, traded life on a cotton farm to be a dancer and aerialist. Julianna holds a M.F.A. in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. During her graduate study Julianna founded Revolve Aerial Dance, a school and performing company specializing in aerial fabric, trapeze, and aerial hoop. Through the company she co-produced aerial concerts, performed in corporate events, and set an aerial dance work on the Snow College Dance Company in Ephraim, Utah. She wrote her master’s thesis on aerial dance choreography under the guidance of Donna White, Eric Handman, Abby Fiat and Tandy Beal.

Her collaborations on AerialDancing.com include co-authoring the Aerial Hoop Manual Series with Rebekah Leach; she is helping to create sequences that will appear on the site in the near future; she runs the Remote Teacher Assessment Program (RTAP), and last but not least, she has helped launch a world-class teacher training program that uses Rebekah Leach's manuals as a basis for curriculum. Julianna is the Director of Teacher Training at Born to Fly™ Productions. To learn more, visit www.BornToFlyAerial.com.

julianna@aerialdancing.com | www.borntoflyaerial.com

Rain Anya
Rope Collaborator

Aerialist, actor, and dancer Rain Anya holds a degree in “Performance for Social Change.” She has trained extensively in aerial arts and physical theatre, including immersive programs such as Circomedia (Bristol, UK), NECCA (Brattleboro, VT), and Circle in the Square (NYC, NY). Rain's aerial career began with the political circus company Wise Fool New Mexico. Out of inspired collaborations there, the seeds for the Paper Doll Militia were sown. With over two decades of experience onstage, Rain’s life’s work is in the integration of circus arts with other performance and movement disciplines. Most recent credits include: BALD; Beyond the Veil; Fog Fest (San Francisco); Circus Luminous (Santa Fe), London-based Peter Pan, (US tour), and This Twisted Tale (U.S. Tour and Edinburgh Fringe Festival).

Rain has been a passionate instructor of aerial arts since 2004. Rain's teaching style focuses on gaining solid foundation, technique, and strength as well incorporating the creativity and artistry of this expressive discipline. Rain has taught studio classes, specialty workshops and private lessons at over 20 aerial venues across the US and abroad. Rain is also Yoga Alliance certified and has extensive knowledge in various other movement forms that inform her distinct style, including a lifelong background in theatre and dance. Rain also works as an aerial consultant for industries outside of the circus; recent credits include training a top Bollywood actress for the feature film Dhoom 3, nation-wide casting call for threesixty entertainment, aerial choreographer for the creation of the original musical Midsummer, and act development for professional aerial artists.

Rain and Rebekah are currently collaborating together to work on an Aerial Rope Manual Series. Rain will be appearing in many of the rope videos uploaded in the video library.

rain@aerialdancing.com | http://www.paperdollmilitia.com/

Amy Tynan
Aerial Yoga Collaborator

Amy Tynan is founder and head instructor of AerialCLT in Charlotte, North Carolina. She began teaching and performing aerial arts in 2010. Prior to entering the aerial world, Amy received her BA in Music Education and taught music for 5 years. Teaching has always been a passion for Amy in any capacity - a teacher by trade, no matter the medium. Amy’s aerial and fitness education training includes a 200 RYT with Grace Morales and intensive studying and workshops with Rebekah Leach, Cheetah Platt, Rachel Strickland, Jamie Hodgson, and Caroline Wright. Amy believes in encouraging students to think and act independently rather than relying upon a teacher or instructor for every next move. Her specialty in teaching is creating a student who is self motivated and self disciplined to learn, discover, and grow.

Amy is currently a Born to Fly™ Master Teacher Trainer in the area of Aerial Yoga. If awards were given out for sequence-creating, she would take the cake for the sequences that she has developed and contributed to the extensive video library at AerialDancing.com. Amy's background in Aerial Yoga makes her our resident go-to expert on the art of blending yoga with the sling.

borntoflyaerial@gmail.com | www.borntoflyaerial.com

Jordan Anderson
Aerial Yoga Collaborator

Jordan discovered a love for teaching in 2004, and has dedicated herself to it ever since. In 2009 Jordan received her Unnata® Aerial Yoga teacher certification, founded Aerial Fit®, and dedicated herself to teaching and training full-time.

Together with her life partner Clayton, Jordan opened Circus Building in Charleston SC in 2013. Their vision is a space that offers a full schedule of aerial classes, provides opportunities for new performers, and maintains high standards of rigging, safety, learning progressions, and professional ethics. They offer Unnata® Aerial Yoga Teacher Trainings in Charleston SC and enjoy welcoming visiting instructors to offer workshops and private lessons.

Jordan's aerial home is fabric (silks and slings in various formats and hangings). She comes from a yoga background and enjoys moving with her breath, geeking out on anatomical efficiency, puzzling together new ways of wrapping, and exploring in general. She has trained regionally and internationally, seeking out anyone who inspires her with a unique approach to aerial or to the body in general. She loves teaching and is inspired by all of her students and teachers.

An introvert at heart, Jordan began performing to challenge herself in a new way and found a love for it that was surprising. She enjoys performing acro and aerial and performs regularly. She is a performer with Wonderson Duo, specializing in solo and duo work on aerial silks, static trapeze, floor, and invented apparatus. A web designer in her spare time, you can find her at http://www.aerialfit.com, http://www.circusbuildingentertainment.com, http://www.wonderson.com, and http://www.circusbuilding.com

hang@aerialfit.com | www.aerialfit.com

Clayton Woodson
Our Go-To Male Advisor

Clayton was first introduced to high level performance training as a competive swimmer. Training regimes of 4 hours a day, 5 days a week were the norm for nearly ten years. At this level, great successes were measured in imporvements of tenths or even hundredths of a second. The focus of most of this training was developing strength, endurance and speed.

After his swimming career ended, he bagan en equally dedicated yoga practice. This time great successes were measured in reprogramming poor body alignment habits and in the simple joy of movement. Another 10 years were focused on understanding the anatomy of movement and the importance of mindfulness.

Clayton's yoga practice lead him to discover partner yoga with his life partner Jordan Anderson. Partner yoga lead to acro yoga which in turn steered them towards aerial yoga. From aerial yoga it was a short step into aerial circus arts. Jordan and Clayton founded Aerial Fit (www.AerialFit.com) in Charleston, SC in 2009 and opened Charleston's first dedicated aerial and circus space, Circus Building (www.CircusBuilding.com) in 2013. Clayton and Jordan perform together under the name Wonderson (www.Wonderson.com).

clayton@aerialdancing.com | www.circusbuilding.com

Allie Cooper
Rope Collaborator

Allie Cooper is a professional and internationally recognized circus artist specializing in aerial acts including vertical rope, aerial silks, Chinese Pole, dance pole, aerial hoop (lyra), and aerial cube.

Allie Cooper began learning the fundamentals of aerial work under the teachings of Kevin O'Connor in 2008. Her honest style has developed to utilize momentum and natural pathways and to embrace functionality. She has traveled extensively in Europe and has had the privilege to share and learn from the artists who inspire her most. Allie has performed and taught across the United States, Europe, Central America, and Asia. Most recently she performed at the Envision Festival in Costa Rica, Moisture Festival in Seattle, and Lucidity in Santa Barbara. She also taught workshops for La Petite Chouette In Santa Barbara, the Dia Mundial del Circo 2012 in Mexico City and was a Club Med Artist in Phuket, Thailand.

Allie has teamed up with AerialDancing.com to create a study of momentum like no one has documented yet to date! We are creating a series of videos, which will available in the video library, and written word/pictures which will be part of the second volume of the Aerial Rope Manual Series. Allie has also joined the team of top-notch Born to Fly™ Master Teachers. Take a workshop and learn from Allie live!

allie@aerialdancing.com | www.borntoflyaerial.com

Studio Blur
Website Development

Studio Blur has done an awesome job creating and running our website. They played a huge part in making all of our dreams a reality, and we appreciate all the work they do day in and day out to keep the website running smooth.