TUTORS
Carolyn Ailsa
Known as Twisted Nymph, Carolyn is a cabaret circus practitioner with 15 years of experience in the cabaret and circus industry. She has mainly trained contortion under Allison Schieler, Hannah Finn and Claudia Hughes and loves trying classes with others to experience different techniques. Carolyn taught...
Chrissie Ardill
Chrissie is interested in how we can bring dance dynamics, detail and momentum to the equipment we use. She has been training, performing and teaching in aerial harness, hoop and other aerial disciplines for 13 years. Originally from Ireland and based in Glasgow, Scotland, Chrissie performs with aerial dance/circus...
Iliana Atamaniuk
Iliana started circus at the age of 5 and never got away from it! She continued her studies at the Academy of Circus and Performance Arts in the Netherlands, followed by the École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque in Brussels where she graduated in her specialty aerial hoop. Currently, she travels the world...
Erin and Maxime
Both Erin and Maxime work as performers, coaches, choreographers, producers, accessibility consultants, and workshop facilitators. They are passionate advocates for Disability-led art and accessibility, striving to create more welcoming spaces and representation. They are the creators of an...
Lindsey Butcher
Since graduating from London School of Contemporary Dance a long time ago (!), Lindsey has worked with numerous dance, theatre, opera companies and directors as a dancer, aerialist, teacher, mentor and choreographer.
These include; Extemporary Dance Theatre, Random Dance Co....
Lee Clayden
Lee started dancing at the age of 21 and graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a 1st degree. He has guessed with ENO, The Charnock Company, Companhia Portuguesa de Bailado Contempreano, Random Dance Company, Kerry Nicholls, Vincent Dance Theatre, Aletta Collins...
Kate Dunne
She co-hosts "Vertical Play" with collaborator Emmen Donnelly - an explorative and playful vertical workshop..
José (Pepe) Espinoza
Alice Gilmartin
She started her training at the national centre for circus arts in 2012 where she learnt the correct alignment and balance of handstands.
Beverley Grant
Beverley is from Edinburgh, Scotland. She trained as a professional dancer at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance graduating in 2012, since graduating she has performed with multiple dance and aerial companies, nationally and internationally. Most recently with Fidget Feet, All or Nothing...
Magalie Lanriot
Magalie is a Portugal-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She began her career as a contemporary dancer, but it was through vertical dancing that she found her home. In 2014, she was in the cast of ‘Rites of War’, a performance by Lindsey Butcher & Darshan Singh Bhuller (Gravity & Levity).
Chantal McCormick
Chantal McCormick is a director, choreographer, aerialist, teacher, mentor, coach & Cultural Leader. Chantal trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance and became interested in aerial circus after graduating. She toured with established dance and circus companies in the UK touring to Trinidad, Europe...
KJ Mortimer
KJ currently performs for Stopgap Dance Company and Commotion Dance. KJ integrates release technique, flying low and yoga into her dance practice. KJ began her contemporary dance training at The University of Chichester graduating with a 1st Class BA (Hons) degree in 2010, after which she went on to join Transitions Dance Company where she toured internationally and gained her...
Maisie Mo
Maisie Mo is a contemporary circus artist based in London, whose work explores themes of identity, storytelling and ‘play’ through a combination of aerial straps and dance. She has trained at the National Centre for Circus Arts and in La Flic Scuola di Circo. In the last year, she has performed in England, Italy and the Czech Republic in open stages and festivals and ensemble shows.
Laura Pero
Originally from London, Laura has roots in dance and aerial circus. She currently specialises in, human movement enhancement through joint mobility & strength training with Kinstretch® (a training concept by Functional Range Systems®)
Since 1995 Laura's work with her chosen physical disciplines has...
Ana Prada
Ana Prada was born and raised in Colombia and has been an aerial dancer and yoga practitioner since 1998. She studied contemporary dance in New York City, where she started to explore aerial apparatus like dance trapeze and rope. She then moved to Montreal where she specialized in aerial silks and hoop. Ana has worked with La Esquina Desplazada, Triknia dance company...
Gaia Santuccio
Gaia is a aerial rope artist, teacher and movement researcher. Made in Sicily, at the age of 16 she moved to the UkKand lived in many places across Europe since. She is currently based in Budapest.
After her Master studies at DOCH in Contemporary Circus Practices ending in June 2022, she was part of the pilot year directed and led by...
Amelia Thornton
Amelia Thornton is an aerial straps artist and neuroscientist from Brighton, UK. She has a first-class psychology degree from the University of Bristol and a master’s in neuroscience from the University of Oxford and three years of professional circus arts training. Amelia’s work blends science and art, drawing on themes from physics, statistics and neuroplasticity.
Jenny Tufts
Jenny is an American-born, Ireland-based specialist in spinning bar apparatus, and a chronic dabbler in everything else. She started performing with Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre in 2020, and has since gone on to perform with the Festival Completement Cirque (Canada), Fool's Delight (UK), Disneyland Paris (France), and the Hamburg Winterspektakel...
Laila Umeko
Laila is a trapezist, mover and circus artist. Traveller at heart, she was born in South Africa, grew up in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and can usually be found in Brussels, Belgium. Since graduating from ESAC (École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque), she has spent her time hanging upside down (professionally) across Europe...
FESTIVAL TEAM
Lindsey Butcher
Festival Director
Since graduating from London School of Contemporary Dance a long time ago (!), Lindsey has worked with numerous dance, theatre, opera companies and directors as a dancer, aerialist, teacher, mentor and choreographer...
Paul
Booking Manager
Paul is the Booking Manager for EADF, answering all of your queries by email to info@eadf.co.uk and dealing with any booking or website issues. He'll be at the desk during the festival for the two weeks to answer any last minute questions!
Simon Edwards
Head Rigger
Simon is based in North Wales and works as a rigger and rigging consultant (www.aerialrigger.com). His rigging expertise is based on his professional rock climbing and mountaineering experience and he holds...
Mark Morreau
Videographer/Photographer
Mark Morreau has been documenting the EADF since 2013, creating an invaluable record of the festival through film and photography.
Mark is a former circus performer, whose aerial career spanned three decades..
Carolina Cabañas
Carolina has 22 years of experience in performing arts, mainly in contemporary dance, ballet Aerial dance and contemporary circus.
Within her training, it is worth highlighting her studies at the University of Costa Rica, Chalons en Champagne and Center National de Danse in France...
Rebecca Rennison
Rebecca Rennison (London, UK) is a multi-award-winning international aerial circus artist and aerial choreographer. Graduating from the acclaimed Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts with a BA (Hons) in Dance, Rebecca fell head over heels with aerial circus and has made a career of seamlessly weaving together lyrical acrobatics, dance and...
Delia Ceruti
Delia Ceruti is an Italian professional aerial artist whose work has largely been influenced by movement, and shaped by her desire to work on her own body’s strengths and weaknesses.
She started her circus training quite late in life in the UK, and being too late for circus school - she was told, she ended up...
Suzon Gheur
Suzon was born in Brussels from a mother passionate about moving bodies. As the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, she also grew up embracing the limits of the body and soul.
Suzon graduated from a masters in physical education in 2012 and passed her circus teacher certificate a year later...
*Aerial Mel Stevens
*Aerial Mel Stevens is a deaf, disabled, Queer, N-B., BIPOC aerial artist, rigger, and circus show director, and Accessibility and Inclusion Consultant with NoFit State Circus and Artistic Directors of The Future ( ADF) CircusWorks Director & NASAUK Director and Board Member Founder of Aim to Fly UK.
Katharine Arnold
Katharine is an aerialist, choreographer and circus consultant who has worked internationally across live events, cabaret, theatre, film and tv. She worked on Disney’s Dumbo with Tim Burton, as Eva Green’s stunt double and as aerial trainer and consultant, and toured with Cirque Du Soleil as a solo act...
Alex Allan
Alex is a Corde Lisse Artist and Dancer best known for his performative work that blends the boundaries of circus, dance and theatre. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Alex graduated with a Bachelor of Communications – Theatre & Media. Here he began exploring Circus techniques through the lens of Theatre...
Katie Hill
Katie is a straps artist and acrobat based in London. Studying an MA in Performance Design and Practise at Central Saint Martins and her BA at The National Centre for Circus Arts, where she now teaches on the degree programme. Since graduating Katie has been lucky to perform across the world and...
Kat Cooley
Trained in Cornwall, Kat attended St. Austell College where she graduated with a distinction in her BTEC Dance qualification. She then received her BA (Honours) Degree in Performing Arts (Dance) from LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) in 2009. After graduating she was taken on by international aerial dance company Fidget Feet (based in Ireland) and is now an associate artist with the company...
Tess Munro Pedreros
Tess is a theatrical dangler who creates intimate and innovative performances in the air. Raised in Aotearoa and schooled by the world, she has collaborated and created in almost every continent. She loves the community she finds in creative danglers everywhere and is passionate about developing aerial arts practice.
Emmen Donnelly
Emmen is an accomplished and respected member of the Irish and UK aerial and circus community, currently working in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His methods of practice help support Irish aerial training and performance with his Vertical Play workshops proving hugely successful and even pioneering Irelands first ever rope meet!
Kalina Suter
Kalina is a dance trapeze artist and coach who guides artists and movers in unearthing their creative style. She grew up in the Appalachian forests of West Virginia where trick riding, dancing, and tree climbing fostered an early love of instinctive movement. As Kalina got older, these creative outlets were replaced by the study of contemporary dance, ballet, and physical theatre...
Lil Rice
Lil Rice started her circus career at Giffords Circus in 2011 at the age of 22, dancing and singing in the cast of War and Peace as well as assisting Nell and the director Irina Brown.
Lil went on to study Cyr Wheel at The National Centre for Circus Arts in London graduating with first class honours. The act that Lil created is unique – singing while performing acrobatics in a cyr wheel...
Sianna Bruce
Siânna (pronounced Shana) has over a decade of experience in the performance industry. Originally from Scotland now based in Sweden she specialises in vertical dance, counterweight, and performer flying, whilst also dabbling in spiral, sling and dance trapeze. Her expertise lies in large-scale productions and outdoor spectacle work.
Stuart Waters
Stuart is a queer, neurodiverse dance artist who advocates for diversity, mental health and emotional safety through safe practice awareness, training and public speaking. Having worked as performer and maker for 23 years with Protein Dance, Motionhouse and Wired Aerial Theatre, Stuart has become a dance maker in his own right, underpinning biographical art making with a therapeutic approach...
Serenity Smith Forchion
Serenity and her twin sister are award winning aerialists, founders of Nimble Arts & New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). Serenity’s resume includes Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey, Pickle Family Circus, Special Award at Wuqiao Festival, Bronze Medal at Albacete Circus Festival, Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and American Circus Educators Award for Excellence in Education.