O Space, Vashon Island, WA, Winter 2013
It’s Liza like “Liza with a ‘Z’ “. Hi.
I’m an aerialist and circus educator based in New Orleans. My career has spanned two decades and has taken me around the world. I am a generalist with a knack for translating aerial vocabulary, technique, and theory across different apparatus. I work on static trapeze, hammock, rope, lyra, and silks, and I love an invented apparatus. I have a dance and gymnastics background and dabble in floor acrobatics, hand balancing, chair stacking, and object manipulation.
My goal as a coach and mentor is to teach circus artists how to fuse acrobatic movement technique and creative praxis so that they are empowered to achieve new levels of creativity and sustainability in their work. I emphasize theory over skills and creativity over replication.
Some brief career highlights: As a performer, I have been featured as an aerialist in film and TV including in American Horror Story: Freakshow and CLAWS on TNT. I was a finalist in the US Aerial Championships in 2016. I have worked as an aerial choreographer for film and stage with directors Zalmon King and Ryan Murphy; circus companies The Aerialistas and The Acrobatic Conundrum; and recording artists Zoe Keating, Vockah Redu, and Lindsey Stirling. I've been a teaching artist since 2010 and have coached at Versatile Arts in Seattle, Circus Smirkus in Vermont, Sky Candy in Austin, and Aloft in Chicago. I've taught internationally at La Central in Barcelona, Circo de Mente in Mexico City, and Aer Africa in Nairobi. I ran my own studio, Fly Circus Space, and produced the legendary Fly Movement Salon, a monthly circus open mic night in New Orleans, from 2015-2023.
In early 2023 I transitioned to a coaching model that focuses on training and mentorship for individual artists, creating aerial choreography, and curriculum development for circus schools and programs. I am also an NASM certified personal trainer, a corrective exercise specialist, a certified nutrition coach, and a registered yoga teacher. I am working toward a degree in Physical Therapy. I still perform regularly for large corporate events with my circus collective Bon Temps Cirque, in partnership with New Orleans based event entertainment company Frenchmen Street Productions.
When I’m not doing circus, I’m hanging out at home with my incredible teenage son, my amazing partner, and our happy furry menagerie. My superpowers include being an officially diagnosed autistic woman and being gratefully, delightfully queer.