Kristen Shaw – Owner, Coach (Lyra, Silks, Handstands), Performer
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Kristen Shaw, also known by her performer name “Zyra,” was introduced to circus arts by her friend and was instantly curious about this diverse art form. After expressing her interest in learning some tricks, he agreed to show her some, and within moments she was literally standing on top of his head! Exhilaration followed and she was hooked. Kristen then enrolled in a local circus school and began taking aerial classes, which made her fall further in love with the art. She now focuses her training and study in the disciplines of aerial fabric, lyra, and handstands.
In 2007, she started performing and coaching at various festivals around the United States. At home in Minneapolis, Minnesota she became heavily involved with a local fire spinning community and festival called CampFire. Her passion for community and expertise in project organization led her to become the general manager for CampFire for seven years. She expanded the education program to include an aerial and acrobatic training track. What was once just a small local community was now an international festival, with aerialists and hand-balancing instructors from all over the United States and Canada teaching and sharing their art.
After her ten-year involvement with CampFire, she parted ways to focus on the expansion and growth of her business, Stomping Ground Studio, founded in 2013. After many successful years, the Covid-19 pandemic forced her to put her studio on hiatus for over a year. Kristen wasn’t about to let a pandemic set her back and used this time to focus on the future of Stomping Ground Studio. In 2021 she joined forces with her friend, fellow aerialist, and now co-owner of Stomping Ground Studio, Lynn Lunny. Soon after teaming up, Kristen and Lynn reopened Stomping Ground Studio in Northeast Minneapolis where their business continues to thrive and grow.
Click here to see Kristen’s class schedule. |
Lynn Lunny – Owner, Coach (Trapeze, Rope, Silks, Handstands), Performer
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Lynn Lunny discovered circus arts while living in Philadelphia, PA. She saw a small ad in the back of a newspaper and decided to give it a try and has been training and performing since. While training and coaching at Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, she also produced, choreographed, and performed in shows throughout the East Coast. Specializing in silks, rope, and trapeze, along the way she discovered a love for handstands and has been training for the past 6 years to find the elusive, perfect line. In 2014, Lynn relocated to Minneapolis, MN and coaches at Circus Juventas in St. Paul, Expertease Fitness in Minneapolis and other studios throughout the Twin Cities.
Click here to see Lynn’s class schedule. |
Nastaaja “Coco” Johnson – Coach (Silks, Sling)
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The incredible Coco (she/her)! This fierce human is not only a super creative artist but also the founder and director of Vivid Black Paint. Nastaaja, AKA Coach Coco, has years of experience in Circus & Art, Youth Development, Fitness, and Social Responsibility and holds a deep focus on Wellness and Culture. Coach Coco has held leadership roles for national organizations such as YMCA, YWCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and LA Fitness as well as with the Minneapolis Public Schools District. She has about 8 years of circus training and coaching experience and led a local Circus Program for several years before it was shuttered permanently due to the 2020-2021 Global Pandemic.
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Jenn Justad – Coach (Trapeze)
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Jenn started aerial in February of 2015 with lyra. She immediately fell in love with discovering all the amazing things her body could do and went on to train in trapeze, silks, and pole with coaches around the Twin Cities. She began teaching in 2017. She gets so much joy from sharing her knowledge and passion with new students and helping them all discover a newfound appreciation for their bodies and all they can do.
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Hali Kolkind – Coach (Beginner Aerial)
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Hali (she/her) has been practicing aerial arts for over 5 years, has performed, and has a passion for teaching others the basics of this beautiful art form. With a background of over 10 years of coaching gymnastics, Hali brings an eye for technique and the ability to break skills down for any skill set. She believes aerial is for every-body and loves cheering her students on as they find their own success and happiness.
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Alissa Kaasa – Coach (Rope, Lyra)
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Alissa (she/her) has been an aerialist for almost 10 years. From pole to straps, she’s done a little bit of everything. Alissa is a founding member of the Triple Trapeze performance group, TripleTease. She has taught Lyra, trapeze, and rope at multiple studios around the Twin Cities. She focuses on breaking down skills to manageable steps, learning and understanding technique and building strength. Alissa believes it’s worth taking your time and struggling through whatever challenges you. That’s what makes aerial work so enriching and therapeutic. The successes, big and small, are worth celebrating and building on.
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Josie Hoffman – Coach (Sling)
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Josie started her aerial journey in 2015 and began teaching aerial sling in 2018. She grew up with a range of movement practices from figure skating to fancy shawl pow wow dancing. Josie has a dancerly and artsy style of teaching. For Josie, aerial arts have been a source of healing and growth, and she loves to share these tools. Josie has a BFA in Fine Arts Studio with a Teaching Artist minor from Minneapolis College of Arts & Design. She has incorporated aerial into her fine arts and installation work, and also has done multiple teacher trainings in aerial and yoga arts.
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Katie Capistrant (Handstands, Partner Acro) & Dylan Portuguese (Partner Acro) – Coaches
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Katie is a Twin Cities’ based artist. She started her circus performance journey with fire flow arts and puppetry and then got introduced to acroyoga – later on teaching and hosting acro jams- which led her to circus style handstand training and partner acrobatics. The journey continues into dance, pole dance and lollipop and beyond. She has been performing on and off for 13 years and is excited to get back into teaching and hosting skillshare in circus arts. Dylan and Katie met at a handstand meet up and have been acro partners ever since. Their combined backgrounds in martial art, contemporary dance, modern, breakdance, pole, handbalance, parkour, and tricking contribute to their style of choreography and movement together. |
Bailey Shatz-Akin -Youth Coach
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Bailey (they/them) has over a decade of experience working with kids of all ages in environments ranging from circus and gymnastics coaching to backcountry wilderness trips. They started aerial as a kid as well and have been training and performing on and off since age 6, and at Stomping Ground since 2019. Bailey’s approach to coaching encourages self-confidence, creativity, and safe risk taking. Above all they aim to support kids in having fun while forming a positive relationship to their bodies. |
