PERFORMERS

Alseny is a professional circus artist acrobat dancer, who grew up in Conakry, Guinea west Africa. He trained in circus schools from the age of 9. He comes to us from the world renowned company Cavalia in the Odysseo show, Kalabante Productions, and complètement Montreal Cirque. He lives for every moment on stage and every smile he can put on someone’s face. Circus and acrobatics dance are his passion and life

Amancay is a belly dancer and aerialist in Chicago. She graduated from the Aloft Circus Arts Full-Time Training Program with a concentration in lyra and aerial sling. Her alter ego works as a business manager for Inaside Chicago Dance.

Hailing from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where circus art thrives, Battulga Battogtokh, better known as The Titanic Tulga, is a descendent of the legendary dynasty of Genghis Khan. In a showcase of unbelievable strength, this strongman demonstrates a herculean display of human dexterity as he juggles bowling balls, lifts large cumbersome telephone poles and perform unbelievable hand balancing displays Born and raised in Mongolia, Tulga trained in traditional warrior wrestling and sport competition.

Bobbi Reed has been training, performing and teaching in the pole and aerial community for 7 years.

Dahlia has been a dancer since she could walk, and fell in love with the art of contortion about a decade ago when she was living in Seattle. Dahlia is an internationally traveling performer, and when at home works with groups including The Vertical Sideshow and Fringe Factor, and loves getting nerdy with her family at AI Circus!

David has been dazzling audiences from television appearances and large half time shows, to the very intimate stages of cabaret shows, and everywhere in between! He is mostly known for being the goofy (yet loveable) strongman, performing “partner-acrobatics” alongside his beautiful partner and girlfriend, Hannah McGinnis. David and Hannah were featured on the “Steve Harvey Show” and “Access Hollywood” in 2012, where they were named one of Chicago’s “Top 5 variety acts”.

Dawn is the Founder and Director of Raks Geek, the bellydance and fire performance company that achieved viral internet fame with a video of a Wookiee bellydancing to a Klingon band - they've garnered acclaim from the US to the UK. She is also a noted singer-songwriter who has performed in 10 states; her latest album fuses traditional Chinese music with jazz and alt folk pop.

Dharmesh is a critically acclaimed juggler based in Chicago. He has performed with circus troupes like Aloft, Midnight Circus, and the Actors Gymnasium in addition to doing school assemblies across the midwest and east-coast. Dharmesh has had the honor of performing at Chicago Bull's games, along side performing greats like Cedrik the Entertainer, and even juggling on the Lyric Opera stage. He really loves juggling, and enjoys sharing it with people, via performances, showcases and teaching

Digit likes slow crawls on the beach, playing with rubber balancing balls, and climbing tiny silks. He loves to be the center of attention. (Puppeteer Jared Janssen)

Dizzy Lizzy Delicious is a Chicago-based circus artist known around the world for their hula hoop performance. Dizzy is also an aerialist specializing in silks, static trapeze, and lyra, and a sideshow artist doing all manner of gruesome things.

Hayley Larson and Rachel Webberman make up this duet. Halyey is a silks artist, dancer, rou cyr artist and juggler. Rachel practices handstands, and silks. They are the sweetest.

Drew is a Chicago based performer specializing in German wheel and acrobatics. He is the head minion and makeup artist for Acrobatica Infiniti.

Hannah strives to spread the same smiles to her audience that she had as a child when she saw her first circus performance. She was fascinated by the aerialists and promised herself that someday she too would be soaring through the air as they did! Years later, she was able to do just that by starting out at the Triton Trouper Circus, where she trained swinging trapeze, Spanish web, Aerial silk, stacking chairs, and partner acrobatics.

Jared is a brilliant juggler, and holds the world record for "longest balance of spoon on nose". His talents are numerous, and he also puppeteers "Digit Fingerhands"

Julie Marshall is an aerialist, performer, and self-described functional human being. She made her stage debut at age 12 as “silent townsperson #7”, and her career has done nothing but improve since then. Julie has intensive training in aerial hoop, aerial fabric, and flexibility. Julie is definitely a real person and not just a trench coat full of bees.

Kae Devyn is an aerialist and acrobat currently based in Las Vegas. Her aerial journey began at Aloft Loft in Chicago. Since beginning her journey in 2010, Kae has trained under the private tutelage of Dana Dugan at Aloft Loft and Rachel Walker (Cirque du Soleil, Kooza) at Ecole Leotard in Montreal. While focusing on static trapeze, Kae is also a skilled ground acrobat, working alone or with her acrobatic adagio partner to create innovative and entertaining acts.

Kate is a classically trained dancer receiving her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin. She moved to Chicago 4 years ago and has performed on stages, streets and tv screens as an actor and dancer ever since. She is a member of Methos Aerial where she is able to push herself creatively and physically performing in shows and events all over the Midwest.

Kimberly is a juggler, pole artist, buugeng master, designer, and makeup artist. Her vast variety of skills is far-reaching and permeates all of her artistry.

MP Letourneau is an award-winning choreographer and performance artist. A graduate from Columbia College Chicago in 2015, (BFA in dance) she combines contortion with various dance forms and aerial apparatuses. MP performs nationwide as a contortionist, pole artist, aerialist, and dancer and she currently performs in a resident show at the Faena Hotel in Miami with Quixotic. MP has trained in pole at Pole and Dance in Paris and contortion, aerial silks, & lyra in Chicago

A nerd by birth, Natalie unfurled from her human cocoon to find her first true love, Thundercats. The second love of her life she found at 2 years old: gymnastics. Before she could walk she could do pull ups and swing from a bar, and before she knew it she was a nationally competing gymnast. Natalie took a short hiatus from her intensely physical training to become a Mechanical Engineer. But now, as a grown up *and a circus artist*, she finds her thrills with rope, silks, straps, & more.

Patti is best known for her level of energy and musicality she brings to the stage. Each performance is given every inch of her soul and passion. Although her main goal is to always ensure the audience has a good time, she loves to do the unexpected on the pole and in her dance. She performs regularly across the Midwest and has been affectionately called the Spider and Controlled Chaos.

Rachel Karabenick is a Chicago-based aerial artist. She has a strong background in modern dance and ballet, which she translates to multiple aerial apparatus, including Chinese/Dance Pole, Single-point Trapeze, Aerial Hoop. Rachel performs regularly in the greater Chicago area, is a member of the Aloft Loft’s main company and performs across the country with the Las Vegas-based company Cirque Mechanics. She is currently on tour with Cavalia Circus.

Sally Sachs, LMT, teaches and trains pole at The Brass Ring Chicago and teaches various forms of aerials to small people at CircEsteem. She performs straps and pole throughout the midwest and knows a lot about shoulder anatomy.

Shirley Blazen is known for serving energy hijinks on her toes and on the mic as an acclaimed emcee and slapstick burlesque performer with a major geek streak. Blazen was the Burlesque Headliner of the 2018 Critical Strike Nerdlesque Festival. She's trained at and currently teaches Nerdlesque, dance and comedic performance art at Vaudezilla and Rebellion Rising Studios. She's batty, brazen and Oh So Amazin' she's Shirley Blazen!

Spring has 20 years of professional level gymnastic acrobatics. He is a Tumbler, Hand Balancer, Hand to hand specialist and can pass Juggling clubs. He is an accomplished fire twirler and often works that into his acts. Toured with the Zoppe Family Italian Circus as their resident Tumbler and everything man. If he wants to shred the gnar, he's also a Certified snowboard teacher, and in his free time he climbs mountains and enjoys being thrown across the room. Spring teaches circus classes at MSA

Thom Britton is a fire-eater, a classically trained Chef, a science lecturer, director of stage plays, computer guru, producer of circus shows and a sideshow/freakshow historian. Claims to Fame: He has worked for MasterChef Rick Bayless, opened for Green Day, performed on the street and at the Museum Of Science and Industry. Thom has juggled for the government (anti-obesity campaign for the C.D.C) and has won acclaim for his one-man show, "FreakShow & Tell.”