Jessica Perry

I was fortunate to discover aerial silks fairly early on as a teenager. At the time, there weren't a ton of training options in my hometown and my mom was starting to worry about me as I grew more and more daring on our home setup - a silks in our 13' high living room. We were so lucky when a friend recommended Chelsey as a coach to me. I learned so much from Chelsey about technique, artistic integrity, strength, and the importance of pointing your toes in an incredibly short time. It really speaks to her ability as a coach to communicate with people of all ages and abilities with exactly what they need, when they need it. The foundational skills I gained from her at that early stage have carried me through to the aerialist I am today. I still warm up with and teach "Chelsey's aerial warm up" to all my students!

Jessica Perry is an internationally recognized circus artist and entertainer. After touring Europe, Australia, and the US, with AIDA Cruise Productions, the Flying Jessicas, Creactive by Cirque du Soleil, Stufish Productions, Acrobatic Conundrum, and Dream World Cirque, she is now based in Las Vegas. She spent the pandemic developing a new act on the elusive Multicorde, or as she prefers to call it: the death spaghetti. She frequently travels to Colorado, Seattle, California, and beyond for events, artistic projects, and good people.

Available for corporate events and entertainment engagements, private lessons, and workshops in vertical aerial technique, act creation, and choreography on less-than-mainstream apparatuses.
www.jessicaperryeffect.com

EMMA CADY

Chelsey has been one of the most influential and supportive coaches I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Her attention to detail and deep understanding of aerial arts and body mechanics makes her unique in her field. Chelsey taught me more than just how to relate to aerial fabric, she taught me how to move. My understanding of and relationship to my body (not to mention my roll downs!) would not be what they are today without the instruction I received from Chelsey. She has remained a lasting mentor throughout my life, always ready to help me on my journey with such encouraging words as "Well that totally didn't suck!". I am grateful and honored to call her a friend and teacher. 
www.emmacady.com

VICTORIA ENGLAND

Val F. Russell

I have studied with Chelsey for five years now. I am amazed with her talent and willingness to share her art form. I do not say this lightly or to be funny, but she is a BADASS. I have studied under many great coaches, few are as prolific and technically precise as Chelsey. 

She has a deep technical understanding of the relationship between artist and apparatus. Let me tell you, she will make you work for it. There will be NO sloppy form under her astute eye.

One of my favorite stories that I pass on to my students is a tale of leg rotation. I spent two hours and good money rotating my leg until my body accepted the mechanics of the move. I was considering that she might be crazy after two hours of working on leg placement. Upon returning home I saw a picture of myself. I was ecstatic that my lines had improved and that my movements were clean and my lines were taking noticeable shape.

Chelsey is not a tricks teacher. She is a master of mechanical movement that comes from a deep understanding of both the equipment and how our bodies respond to it. From her you'll learn how to dance with your equipment.

I came to aerial later in life. Never did she destroy my hope for finding my place in an aerial world. She instead pushed and encouraged my successes. I live in Memphis, Tennessee where I started an aerial community. Chelsey came here to teach workshops and perform with me. I am so grateful to her for helping me fulfill dreams and expand my career. I’ve owned and operated two aerial studios in both Memphis, TN and Durango, CO. where I was the artistic director and brought physical theatre to my community.

Check out my new art where I’m pulling tricks out of my hat, literally www.theflyinghatter.com.

Chelsey is both a coach and a dear friend.
I am so grateful to have her in my life.

Leah Newcomb

I started learning aerial with Chelsey in 2010 at SANCA.  She was patient with my progress, but consistently pushed me to work my very hardest.  When I started training with her privately, my technique and strength began to improve drastically, thanks to her keen attention to detail and commitment to pedagogy.  Because of her, I had a solid foundation in aerial movement when I moved to NYC in 2011.  Having since trained with a number of highly regarded coaches with a wide variety of teaching styles, I have realized that Chelsey is truly a master of aerial technique, with an exceptional methodology of movement. Recently, I had the opportunity to return and train with Chelsey and found that even after years of working with other coaches, she was quickly able to pinpoint my limitations and break down the areas where my progress had slowed down.  Because of this, I have a renewed focus on my training and a stronger commitment to proper technique moving forward.

 Leah is a belly dancer and cabaret/circus performer based in New York. She has been studying aerial since 2010.  You can learn about her work at www.mizsharky.com

Jenn Bruyer

"When I decided that I wanted to learn aerial fabric, I knew the only person who could teach me everything I wanted to know was Chelsey. She has the ability to break down EVERYTHING - from very simple movements to highly complicated sequences - with the same level of precise detail, and quickly identify corrections to make my learning more efficient."

Jenn has been exploring movement through aerial arts performance since 2008 via static trapeze and tiny ring. A long-time rock climber, she is the co-owner of Vertical Girl; Vertical Girl exists to enhance the climbing community and support women who aspire to climb.
Learn more at: www.heelhang.com

Vivian Tam

I met Chelsey at a time when I'd been performing and teaching aerial for a couple of years mostly in the Seattle area. My solo work had hit a flat line and I was getting bored. Finding myself Just shy of making something I was really proud of, I wanted to get stronger, be more inventive, and just get to that next level. Chelsey helped me get through that plateau. She gave me a better foundation and direction for my aerial performance. She is a powerful and inspirational artist and mentor.

Vivian is an aerialist based in Seattle, WA. She loves to challenge herself as a versatile performer and draws inspiration from all forms of movement and performance arts. As a teacher, Vivian hopes to inspire her students to be confident, just as her teachers have done for her.

Vivian is an aerial instructor at SANCA and at Knotty Yoga, specializing in aerial fabric and hoop.
www.vivian-tam.com
insta: thevivshow  

Naami Wagner

In Fall 2012, I moved from Washington DC to Washington State to pursue my dream of becoming a circus performer. I moved without any prior circus experience and started out by taking as many adult intro classes at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts as I could handle. After some time, I applied to be a SANCA staff member, and a few months later started training to perform a fabric act for the staff show. The impending doom of a performance, for which I was underqualified, motivated me to seek out some professional help.

Chelsey's reputation as a no-nonsense, form-oriented coach preceded her, which is why I sought her out for private lessons. I found her reputation was technically accurate, though it didn't give her enough credit. Chelsey teaches from the ground up, focusing on a cohesive, performance-based style of movement. She is an engaged and enthusiastic coach that continues to be a motivating force in my aerial achievements.

Stephan Seo & Jacob Rodvelt-Gamlieli