St Louis Aerial & FLYing Studio Instructors

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Sherie Ragan
Studio Coordinator

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Nicole Law
​Studio Front Desk

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Rebecca Hellemans,
Head Coach/Instructor
​Meet Rebecca Hellemans, an Aerial Arts Coach whose name resonates with excellence, drive, and a profound commitment to cultivating the next generation of aerial artists.
With a passion that soars as high as the silks she gracefully maneuvers, Rebecca Hellemans has become a beacon of inspiration in the realm of aerial arts. With years of dedicated practice, training, and performance experience, she has honed her craft to an exceptional degree, mastering a multitude of disciplines including silks, hoops, pole, and more. Her journey is not just a testament to skill, but a testament to the power of perseverance and the artistry of the human spirit. What truly sets Rebecca apart, however, is her unwavering commitment to mentorship and education. As an Aerial Arts Coach, she channels her expertise into nurturing emerging talents, instilling in them not just the technical prowess of the art form, but also the discipline, confidence, and creative drive required to excel. Her teaching approach is a delicate balance between precision and exploration, encouraging her students to push their boundaries while respecting their personal journey. Whether she's suspended in mid-air or guiding her students to reach new heights, Rebecca Hellemans name has become synonymous with innovation, passion, and a dedication to the pursuit of beauty through movement.

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Andrea Brown, Dance Instructor
Hometown girl Andrea Brown, has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Psychology from Lindenwood University in spring of 2019. Her dance background spans 22 years, priming her to participate in dance team both during high school and college. Shortly after earning her degree, Andrea was offered a performing contract on the Carnival Legend with Carnival Cruise Line with hopes of completing more in the future. Andrea began working with On The Fly in November of 2020 workshopping a new show and was offered a position as an instructor shortly after. Since discovering OTF, she has started investing time aerials as a craft and is excited to continue that journey and hopes to continue training/teaching for as long as her body allows.

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Jordan Woods, Instructor

Jordan Woods is a Company Artist with Consuming Kinetics Dance Company where he has choreographed and danced in their productions of Bloom, Stasis and the Scenic Route. Associate Director of Rebel and Misfits Productions on their immersive productions of Macbeth: Come Like Shadows, Uncle Vanya: Valiantly Accepting Next Year’s Agony, and The Realistic Joneses. Director of The Q Collective’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Choreo. Silhouettes Productions of Altar Boyz and Director for Peter/Wendy. Instructor at STAGES, Gateway Center of Performing Arts, Consuming Kinetics Dance Company, On the Fly Productions, and COCA. Site-specific production of Aurum 2.0 in Paris, France through ACE Dance Company.  Bailar al Sol Video production of “Sign, Sealed, Delivered” and “Rebel”. Third Rail Down Composition Workshop 2020.  Choreo. Ozark Actors Theater production of Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. BFA Musical Theater from Missouri State. “Color Me with Your Paint Brush and We’ll Make Something Together.” 

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Adelle Gertsch, Instructor
Adelle Gertsch entered the aerial world in 2018. Over this time she has trained and received skills from a variety of places including Aloft, SDCC, and On the Fly. She has experience on various apparatuses including
lyra, dance trapeze, silks, straps, rope and more. Adelle believes everyone should enjoy the world of aerial arts. She is dedicated to creating an inclusive and nurturing environment for students of all levels and accommodating individual needs to make their aerial journey a fun and transformative experience.  
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Mariel Reynolds, Senior Instructor

Mariel grew up traveling in the circus with her third-generation family on Carson & Barnes and Franzen Bros. Circus. She began her performance career as an aerialist in her family's show, The Reynolds Family Circus. On her off-seasons, she trained classically on harp, violin, oboe, and voice. 
Her formative years were spent alternately as a St. Louis University theatre student, and living as an expat- singing in jazz clubs and studying at Ecole du Cirque Menival in Lyon, France. She graduated with an Honors triple major in Theatre, French and International Studies. Afterwards, she went on to circus "graduate school" at San Francisco's Circus Center, where she studied aerial arts and Mongolian contortion.  The past decade has taken her across the country and back, as an aerialist in The Zoppe Family Circus, in a Super Bowl commercial with the cast of Glee, opening for Willie Nelson, and as a singer in Teatro ZinZanni. She moved back to the Midwest with her family, where she continues creating and collaborating on works that feature multiple disciplines and fabulous costumes.

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Heather Stolfa, Floater/Sub

Heather is a dancer/singer/aerialist located in both Branson and St. Louis, MO. A graduate from Western Kentucky University, with a BFA in musical theatre and a minor in dance, Heather is in her third season working at the Saloon show at Silver Dollar City. Other Branson credits include Reza Edge of Illusion, Broadway: The Greatest Hits, and New Jersey Nights. She has also worked for The Stephen Foster Drama Association in Bardstown, KY and at Walt Disney World as a character performer. During the Branson "off-season", Heather spends her time in St. Louis working with On The Fly. She developed a passion for aerial arts when she began taking classes with On the Fly in 2018. Since then she has continued training and teaching with them when she is in town. When she is not performing she enjoys reading, journaling, sewing, working out, and playing with her puppy, Fitzgerald! 

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Liz Stevenson, Senior Instructor

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Gigi Ballinger, Senior Instructor

Gigi is a Cali girl at heart- growing up in the lush central coast, surfing in the morning, and enjoying the natural landscape in the evenings. She began her love affair with flying in high school when she started pole vaulting. As a nationally ranked pole vaulter, she attended college at University of southern Mississippi where she met the love of her life. Afterwards, she came back to central coast California and wanted to fly but didn't know how. She and her best friend decided to take a class in aerial silks and a lifetime passion was born. She has worked with numerous studios in California. She and her best friend founded Suspended Motion Aerial Arts, where she helped to direct over 35 studio showcases, and co-wrote 7 original aerial ballets. Gigi loves silks, aerial hammock, aerial lyra, and 3D objects. She also loves flow arts of all kinds, but her favorites are levi wand and flow flags. She can't wait to help you get your wings.

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Cici Bailey, Instructor

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​Merle Harlan, Instructor
Merle Harlan has been working with children in many capacities for decades. She has worked in many programs from coast to coast as a school teacher, gymnastics coach and an aerial and circus arts instructor. She holds a BA in elementary education with a minor in theatre from Principia College.
Merle was raised in upstate New York, surrounded by music and the performing arts, enjoying ballet, modern dance, gymnastics and singing. She began teaching gymnastics after graduating from The Principia School in St. Louis and then traveled west to Portland, OR, coaching beginner team levels and directing the Tiny Tot program at the Multnomah Athletic Club. She performed in local musical theatre and dance productions, including the musical,
"Barnum" where she performed as an aerialist on the Spanish Web. From that moment, circus was in her blood!
While living in Las Vegas for a few years, Merle began training on the Lyra with Cassie Sandou of The Sandou Trio, then moved to Arizona where she taught at the Circus School of Arizona with Rachel Stegman-Ware and the Phoenix Youth Circus Arts with Jens Larson, learning many different apparatus and ground skills including the low tightwire, juggling props and stilt walking. She has been a professional stilt walker for 7 years.
Merle has been working with On the Fly Productions in their summer camp programs since 2021 and is thrilled to continue bringing the circus arts to students in the St. Louis area.

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