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Meet our High FLYing Crew

Sherie Ragan
Studio Coordinator

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Michael Heineke,
Equipment Manager/Flying Director

Michael is from St. Louis and is a graduate of The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, with an emphasis in technical direction. Working with a wide range of entertainment groups, he has held a variety of titles including Technical Director, Aerial Rigger, Production Manager, Stage Manager and Master Electrician.
​Mike has been working in theater for more than twenty years and as an aerial rigger for over ten years.

​His calm demeanor, technical knowledge, wide range of theatrical experiences, and passion for his job make him a Flying Director favorite and we are thrilled to have him on our team!

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St Louis Aerial & FLYing Studio Instructors

Colleen Marie Patton, Lead Instructor

​After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with her teaching degree, Colleen Marie (Coco) taught for 6 years at various schools and then decided to quit her “day job” and follow her passion-dance!  With over 30 years of experience in multiple styles of dance it was a natural decision for her.  Little did she know it would bring her to the aerial world where she would discover an even stronger passion-the challenge of dancing in the air!  With the level of difficulty of her new-found love Colleen Marie sought out top-rated instruction in St. Louis, Chicago, Texas, Vermont and even as far as the Dominican Republic.  She obtained her coaching certification from the New England Center for Circus Arts and frequents workshops there to continue her education.  Career highlights include placing first in the Aerialympics 2018 in the advanced lyra division and performing both silks and lyra with the Pink Floyd tribute band, El Monstero, for 3 consecutive years.  Colleen Marie currently teaches aerial arts to students of all ages and abilities and performs for audiences as a soloist, part of artistic duos and ensembles. 

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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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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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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, Jr Instructor

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