Jaime Bouvier started learning aerial silks at the Studio Cleveland in 2010 and came to Sokol for the higher ceilings. In 2015, she did a summer intensive in aerial hoop at NECCA, where she regularly returns. Since then, she has studied at the Les Rencontres de Danses Aerienne in France, The Island in Bristol, La Caserne in Montreal, and schools across North America, ecspecially Iron City Circus Arts in Pittsburgh and HAG in Hamilton. She has taught workshops across North America and Europe in trapeze, straps, rope, lyra, hammock, silks, partner acrobatics, and stilt dancing. She received first place with Colleen Agozzini in duo-lyra at the 2019 Aerialympics in St. Louis. She has performed professionally with circus companies, in full-length productions, and many corporate gigs, on all of these apparatus solo, and more happily with a partner, and most happily inventing new skills. She directed, How the Circus Stole Christmas at Cleveland Public Theatre, co-created Sacred Space, directed Flight of Lightning at IngenuityFest, and created the Not a Cabaret series at the Bohemian National Hall as a developmental space for artists. Before circus, she was a longtime director, actor, and performance artist, with her work covered by Case Western’s Daily and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Vanessa began her circus journey in 2010 with aerial silks classes at Sokol Greater Cleveland. She continues to specialize in aerial silks, and also practices aerial hammock and stilt walking. Vanessa has taught classes and workshops at Sokol Greater Cleveland and The Studio Cleveland. Recent performance highlights include The Seance self-produced show in 2019, Ingenuity Fest, and Jefferson Rocks West Park. Vanessa enjoys the creative aspect of weaving story and character into aerial acts and pushing students to find new ways of expressing themselves through movement in the air. Vanessa currently offers aerial silks workshop series at Sokol Greater Cleveland and is available for private lessons upon request.

Amanda started her circus journey in 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio with a focus in aerial silks. She has performed publicly in Cleveland with multiple circus groups and had a leading role in the 2019 Creepy Cabaret Halloween performance "The Seance." Amanda has particular interests in teaching silks beginners, developing new pathways and skills, learning new climbs, and adding to her aerial Spotify playlist. Amanda currently offers beginner aerial silks workshop series at Sokol Greater Cleveland and is available for private lessons upon request.

Adrienne took a chance on her first aerial silks class in 2011, became immediately hooked, and has been flying ever since. She has taught and performed in Cleveland since 2012, and directed/performed in our first self-produced show, “The Seance, a Creepy Cabaret” in 2019. Adrienne enjoys focusing on complicated aerial sequences, choregraphing routines with character development, and experimenting with fabric theory. She also enjoys the big drops. Adrienne offers a variety of aerial silks workshop that focus on specific types of movement, linking sequences together, and improving technique. These workshops are held at Sokol Greater Cleveland. Adrienne is also available for private lessons upon request.

A former NCAA Division I diver and lifelong athlete, Erica comes from a diverse movement background including gymnastics, trampoline, baton twirling, swimming, and cheerleading. These days, you’ll find her doing all things acro most days of the week; especially icarian, dynamic standing, and group skills. She also dabbles in juggling, prop manipulation (fire/led), and very occasionally, aerial. The stage is her happy place, allowing her to play, connect, and share her love of circus. She has been performing and teaching with Crooked River Circus since 2021. Some of her favorite roles were Rudolph in ‘How the Circus Stole Christmas’, The Sapling in ‘TREES!’, and Hazel the Bride in the ‘Seance’.

Megan started her aerial journey in 2017 as a form of stress relief while completing medical school. Since then, in lieu of running away to join the circus, she has continued to perform with her Cleveland circus family and has expanded her repertoire of aerial apparatuses. She has performed with CRC at various events both locally and internationally, has choreographed multiple pieces, and teaches aerial silks and hammock. She remains a Cleveland Clinic general surgery resident but outside of the hospital and her circus life, she can be found exploring the Cleveland food and drink scene, catching a Broadway show, or knitting something new.

Kyra Cobb has been captivating audiences as a performer since they were little. But after only dabbling in theater in college, they decided to challenge themselves physically and try out some pole classes. Last year, they placed third in the doubles category at the 2023 Pole Championship Series in Columbus, Ohio. You can also see this dynamic performer flowing through acro yoga poses, twisting themselves around on aerial silks or on lollipop pole, and occasionally eating fire. Most recently, they dove back into their theatrical side in Crooked River Circus productions. Along with performing, Kyra helps with writing scripts for the circus and coordinating performers for public and private events. 

Reggie Fields is a versatile DJ, Sound Designer and Producer. Reggie is frequently collaborating with clubs, circuses & art collectives. His musical talents are diverse. Reggie’s background is based in mashup DJing with heavy sampling. He studied music in college where he was a stage manager for the School of Music. He collaborated with musicians and drew a lot of inspiration from working with artists in classical, jazz, electronic and world music genres. When Reggie is not spinning music, he enjoys yoga, exercise and cooking. He enjoys the wonder and awe that the circus brings. Nominated “Best DJ of Cleveland”, some of his career highlights include playing at the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Rock Hall of Fame and an international tour.

Maribel has been enjoying aerial arts since 2018, her first love is the lyra and dance pole is a close second. What started as a fun workout turned into one of her biggest passions. She has been teaching and performing for over 5 years, always happy to share her love for the aerial arts and meeting all the wonderful people in the circus community. Past roles for Crooked River Circus include The Sun in TREES! and Paloma in the Seance 2023. Other performances include How the Circus Stole Christmas, Ingenuity Fest 2019-2024, and Circusmania. When she is not flying, you can find her obsessing over her 3 cats, Lyra, Bellatrix and Salem, or probably reading another book.

Lola has had a lifetime passion for movement and found her love for circus arts in 2018. Lola is most passionate performing in the circus with a hula hoop, solo or in the air upon someone’s shoulders! Lola brings a lot of energy, smiles, and sparkles to every performance!

Ayton has been practicing partner acrobatics for almost a decade. He is passionate about both teaching and performing. Acro yoga is one of many circus arts he has dedicated his time to in addition to fire spinning, staff, cyr wheel, and many more. He is often found traveling the globe with his dog Betelgeuse.

Ken has over ten years of yoga and acro yoga experience as a teacher and performer. He served as assistant stage manager for Crooked River Circus’s CircusMania performance earlier this year and stage manager for the Seance: ‘Til Death Do Us Part.

Mike is a partner acrobat with a little over 2 years experience doing acro. He has been performing for about 1 year and trains 8-10 hrs a week with both acrobatics and duo trapeze. His favorite is dance lifts and trapeze with icarian becoming a new favorite. By day, Mike is an engineer who trains CrossFit, strongman and swimming. When he is not working or doing acro you will find him paddle boarding or one wheeling.

With a lifelong passion for movement and performance, Andrea brings energy, flexibility, and heart to every stage while showcasing her dynamic blend of dance, acrobatics, and theater. Her circus art flows from her background in cheer, coaching, dance, gymnastics, acting, theater, and clowning. Having worked ten years as a yoga teacher, she is a natural educator passionate about helping others unlock their movement potential. Notable performances include Jefferson Park Rocks, Ingenuity Fest 2024, CSU, and the CRC Not a Cabaret ‘24–25 season. Whether teaching, coaching, or performing, she thrives on connecting with others through creativity, flexibility, and joy.

Jesse is a performer and artist currently working as a preschool teacher at Mandel JDS in Beachwood. She started with CRC as a stage manager in December of 2022 and decided a year later to start training and taking classes with the company. Jesse is a working actor, director, designer, and stage manager and has always had a passion for theatre. She is so excited to finally be showcasing her circus skills in CRC productions!

Dr Dan is a medical school professor, national champion racecar driver, and weekend vaudevillian. He has been performing since last century, makes innovative props, teaches circus arts, and has been featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Performs with 9th Avenue Street Circus, Wizbang, Circus Theatre,  Bindlestiff Family Circus, Theatre Bizarre, Borderlight Fringe Festival, Crooked River Circus, and many others.

Sophy's biggest passions are teaching and performing circus arts. Her driving force over the past three years has been making partner acro accessible and affordable for everyone through community events and low-cost education in the Midwest and beyond. She enjoys creating performances that span a wide spectrum-ranging from levity (comedy) to gravity (deep, often difficult themes), from juggling to stilts and acrobatics. She has taught a wide range of disciplines including adaptive circus arts, Hebrew, dance, gymnastics, biology, yoga, and ESL.

Timothy Furman, a stick-balancing evangelist, circus clown, & engineer who traverses the United States to cultivate acrobatic skills and foster a welcoming, enriching acro community through skill-sharing events and his practice. Tim's driving goal is to help his students become the safest, and most informed members of the community possible about all aspects of the practice and instill in them a passion for acro and a desire to make it a welcoming space.

Hafez is a professor of maths. He bartends and cooks at night. Three years ago while having limes in his hands, he discovered juggling, and his love for circus. He joined the Akron juggle club after learning juggling, and with the help of the community grew his knowledge and skills in circus. He loves teaching juggling workshops for everyone, from professional jugglers to non jugglers. He loves combining different fields of circus with juggling, such as partner acro, balancing, aerial, and experimenting with new and silly ideas.

Sophia Kopasakis goes by the stage name Volcanic Lioness. She started out her Flow Arts performing career with the contact staff. After a few years of practicing with the contact staff, she began working with the palm torches, rope dart, dragon staff, battle axe, double speed swords, poi, acro staff, juggling clubs, fans, double contact staffs, 3 section staff, and contact juggling balls. Her love for flow arts and circus arts continues to increase as she continues to discover many different ways to express herself. Sophia's style of flow stems from a combination of her Greek dance background, athletic background, and martial arts inspiration. She also finds great joy in teaching others how to find their own personal flow.

Allison has been practicing pole for 8 years. She began performing with Crooked River Circus in 2022 and loves every minute of the shenanigans. Allison’s passion for movement began in childhood with her roller skating background. She competed at the US National Championships, winning a gold medal in 2007. When not practicing pole, you can find her standing on her hands or teaching middle school in Lorain!

Bryan has been playing with fire for 7 years now, and the fire burns brighter than ever! With a major in 2 and 3 poi and a minor in staff and juggling, Bryan performs around various events and festivals. He has performed with Crooked River Circus for a number of years now, always changing up the show with new ideas.

Kim has been performing in aerial arts for 8 years and has trained in Ohio, Costa Rica, and Thailand. She has trained, performed, and choreographed a number of aerial silks acts at events such as IngenuityFest, Jefferson Rocks, The Seance at Sokol Greater Cleveland, and How the Circus Stole Christmas at Cleveland Public Theater. Her most proud moment was being awarded the silver medal in the 2022 U.S. Aerialympics for adult silks. Kim has also danced 4 seasons with the Cleveland Dance Project in hip hop and fusion dance styles.  When not performing, you can find her either at home adoring her cats, Leo and Lily, or off traveling the world. 

Julia Rabbit is a circus performer who specializes in sideshow stunts. She has been entertaining events with other skills such as hoop and fire dance, stiltwalking, and vaudeville variety; as well as teaching flow-based workshops.

Jackie started her circus career in 2018 with Miss Mystic, working primarily with fire eating and fire dancing performance, specializing in dragonstaff and fire eating. Since then, she has enjoyed growing her skillset to include juggling, aerial arts, and acrobatics! Jackie has worked with a variety of circus troupes around Ohio including The Ohio Burn Unit and The Amazing Giants, but is most proud to call Crooked River Circus her home! Jackie is a Clinical Counselor/Therapist by day and a clown by night, and you can find her anywhere between Canton and Cleveland getting up to silly stunts and magical performances!

Gabriel joined CRC in mid February after meeting Andrea and Mike at an Acroyoga workshop. He has been practicing ever since and enjoys learning new skills. His primary activities include obstacle course racing, ninja, and functional fitness. He also works part time at his family restaurant.

While Jess has been involved in theatre since the age of 15, most of her experience has been on the technical side, working as both a stage manager and master electrician. Jess looks forward to many future CRC productions to come.

Em has been hula hooping for over a decade, playing with fire and exploring other flow forms along the way. In 2022, she began performing on stage in various musical projects as a singer and a keyboard player. Along with exploring movement with partner acrobatics, she is currently a vocalist in local bands Gimme Sugar (A Rolling Stones Tribute Band) and Waste Casket. Her latest endeavor has been melding her two favorite hobbies into one production by bringing circus art and live music together with The Crooked River Circus Band.

Kat has been enjoying aerial for over two years. Though she dabbles in everything from hammock, to pole, to lollipop--lyra is her true passion! Kat loves the process of building an act and sharing it with an audience. With the goal of becoming the strongest version of herself, Kat discovered an obsession with spin. In a world where things can feel so out of control, she feels most herself when she's spinning like a top! Kat has a fervor for story telling and a love of creative writing that nearly rivals her aerial headspace. Which is why she has begun writing for Crooked River Productions. Kat has written short and long form pieces since she was able to hold a pencil.

Cheyanne or SpinnyKitty is an aerialist who has been training for several years, specializing in lyra and silks. A seasoned performer, she has brought her artistry to a variety of stages and festivals, including Fan Expo Cleveland, Firefish Festival, Cleveland Public Theatre, among many others. In addition to performing, she shares her passion for the aerial arts by teaching kids’ classes at Sky Circus Cleveland. Follow her journey and performances on Instagram @SpinnyKitty and on Facebook at SpinnyKitty Performing Artist.

Gaby is a new performer with Crooked River Circus. Her movement background began in bellydance, and then competition dance studio training which led her to contortion. She became a certified yoga teacher in her early twenties. Joining a circus had always been a dream of hers. This past year she has been learning partner acrobatics and found a new love for juggling!

Adaptive ground and aerial artist that brings a flair to any function. Available to perform with a variety of flow and fire flow props, partner acrobatics, and some aerial apparatuses including lollipop, pole, and trapeze.

Claudia is a well rounded aerialist. Specializing in pole and Lyra. She also has started doing Acro and loves being part of the circus. She has a background in dance and weight lifting. Claudia has competed in bodybuilding, powerlifting, and pole competitions. She is excited to expand her circus disciplines.