Do you find yourself wondering how to be a highly effective teacher that can demo and spot, without compromising your body in the process? This 60-minute discussion will dive deep on different coaching strategies that will not only keep your body from being sacrificed to your students’ gains, but give you a tool box full of new teaching skills to better reach more types of students. Together we’ll collaboratively examine and practice ways to preserve their teaching body. 

Facilitator: Erinina Marie Ness of Cirque Instructability

Cirque Instructabiity is a collaboration between veteran pole and aerial coaches Ashley Robinson and Erinina Marie Ness. It is a new continuing education series, designed specifically for instructors that are looking to enhance their teaching practices. Together they have 24 years of coaching in the industry, combined with CSCS, EMT, RYT, CPT, HMS and CES and over 20 specialty certifications.

 In this ACE Discussion we’ll be exploring different types of contracts, contractual red flags and things you should make sure are in a contract as a business owner and/or contractor.

Facilitator: Max Hass

Max has taught copyright basics workshops to musicians, visual artists, and filmmakers for nearly 10 years, and has assisted a number of business owners with trademark registration, preparation and negotiation of contracts, and providing advice and counsel on copyright and other entertainment industry matters. He’s now a founding partner of Holon Law Partners, LLP, a cloud-based firm that serves businesses and individuals in the entertainment industry and other industries across the country.

Within the conversations around justice and equity it is imperative that we also recognize our material realities through the lens of culture, optics, and colorism.  What are the definitions of these and how do they impact our lives, progress, and society?  Through examining each of these from an intersectional stance we gain a deeper understanding of our diverse communities and our own roles within them— in this way we can begin to navigate deeper discussions within our own lives around the topics of social justice.

Facilitator: Theresa Edge + BCA (BIPOC Circus Alliance)

Theresa Edge, born in Fayetteville, NC, started her circus journey at the age of 26.  In lieu of a traditional movement background, her passion was in theatre and creative writing.  Her passion for using the circus arts as a medium for storytelling and change led her to contemporary circus company “the Nouveau Sud project” and she has since performed in multiple main stage shows, various gigs, coaching, and facilitating seminars on the intersection of equity and circus.  Theresa is first a mother of 2 and also the Asst. Artistic Director of Nouveau Sud- in hopes of creating more equity around circus arts.

About BCA: For the past two years, BCA has been facilitating working sessions with circus organizations around the nation on the topic of creating supportive, inclusive environments for BIPOC participation in Circus. During this discussion, BCA will be sharing some key learnings from these working sessions and creating small discussion groups to apply and extend these learnings for participants. BCA is a collective of circus practitioners and performing artists dedicated to creating more supportive, inclusive, and representative circus communities.

everyBODY is is dedicated to educating and training both instructors and studios on body inclusive teaching and effective coaching of diverse body types. While the focus is on Plus Size Aerialists, this training can also be applied to bodies that are: masters (40+), youth, disabled and injured/recovering from injury. This discussion will cover what people get wrong about training different body types and share what really matters, look at creative teaching and spotting methods that keep students and instructors safe, and provide actionable steps for real training success and regular deposits to that trick bank.

Facilitator: Ashley Robinson

Ashley Robinson is the owner and head coach of FlexyFit + Aerial Ashletes, out of Dallas, Texas. This dynamically melanated aerialist and coach helps people achieve their aerial ambitions with a focus on safety, skill mastery and better movement mechanics. She specializes in body inclusive teaching and coaching  for everyBODY, including plus-size aerialists, masters, youth, disabled and injured bodies. She is the current Athlete Chair for the United States Pole Sports Federation (USPSF), a judge for USPSF, PSO and Aerialympics and the creator of DFW’s first community Pole Show: Slay the Stage. Promoting body inclusion, better teaching practices, self-advocacy are passions of hers.

This session includes a presentation by functional juggling developer, Craig Quat, and is meant as an introduction to the basic elements and intentions of how and why juggling can be made more accessible for everyone. 
Additional information about community developments and cultural growth of inclusive practice from different parts of the world will also be shared and a portion of the meeting will include interactive sample lesson plan materials.

Facilitator: Craig Quat

Craig Quat is the 2014 ACE recipient of the award for innovation in circus arts education. He investigates the properties of juggling and searches for ways to make it more accessible to more people. In attempting to do so he created a discipline known as Functional Juggling, which formulates an equation of the sensory experience of juggling based on the relationships it allows us to form with space and time. Craig’s ideas make up the foundational philosophies of Functional Juggling and have inspired a new generation of educators to dream bigger and imagine more, than ever before. 

As a group, we will explore the meaning of inclusion and its importance. This session will also explore current opening and closing routines and accommodations to make them inclusive for circus practice.

Facilitator: Cornell Freeney

Cornell Freeney is the Founder and Director of the Unity Circus Project. At the age of 12, Cornell was in search of a positive outlet and was pointed in the direction of a social circus by the name of CircEsteem. From 2002 – 2008, he grew up in the organization. After graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in Elementary Education and touring as a professional acrobat, Cornell acted as the Head Coach and Program Coordinator for CircEsteem. 

This session will provide the participants with a 7 element “Taking it” informed decision approach (see below) to taking any substance whether it be food or drink,  functional food, nutriceutical, herbal product, over the counter medication, or illicit drug. This background for the use of this informed decision making model will be highlighted briefly. Specific examples using commonly used substances will be discussed in detail including marijuana (THC and CBD), caffeine, protein and related supplements, etc. The latest research and information will be provided on a variety of common substances. Participants will increase their awareness of issues related to substance use, increase their knowledge of specific substances, and have a framework from which they can approach any substance.  

Dean Krriellaars is the Director of the Applied Health Sciences program at the University of Manitoba, and a faculty member in physical therapy in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences. He is also the Scientific Director at the Circus Research Institute at the National Circus School in  Montreal. He has worked with the Sports Medicine Council of Manitoba to create a comprehensive program for making informed decisions about substance use and employed this program in many settings, in schools, in numerous sports and in the circus industry. His research is directed to enhancing human potential through movement using a physical literacy lens. 

Facilitator: Mike Mallory from RAD

Mike Mallory is a former competitive skier, mountain biker, and corrective exercise specialist working with everyone from professional athletes to people with everyday back pain.  These days you can find him in Denver, CO where he founded RAD; a myofascial release product and education company with one goal in mind, unleashing human movement.  

Janelle Peters (she/they) is a queer contortionist, aerialist and circus coach, as well as a therapist. Janelle is known online as @cirque_psych, where she creates content, and promotes conversations about mental health, wellbeing, and systemic change in circus. They also have a small private counseling practice in Colorado, where they live. 

Facilitator: CB Baga
CB Baga is an aerial instructor in Minneapolis, Minnesota, figure skater with American Ice Theatre, and sports law attorney at the law firm Faegre Drinker. CB’s legal work for clients focuses on dispute resolution and risk management. CB counsels clients in dispute resolution, commercial litigation, insurance, and sports and recreation. CB serves on the Title IX and NextGen Committees with the Sports Lawyers Association.

Facilitator: Oriana Lee
Oriana Lee is Co-Executive Director of Education, Outreach, and Employee Relations at Wise Fool New Mexico. Over the past five years, Oriana has also inspired as a coach, continued to learn as a student, dazzled as a performer, wowed as a theatrical director, and has served as an active member of the Wise Fool social circus community. Stiltwalking and Juggling are Oriana’s primary circus-based disciplines. Oriana is also an interdisciplinary artist and a Well-Being Coach, collaborating with both individuals and organizations on creating “well” work/live environments.