Calista Asher

 Yuliya Baukova could see the circus from her bedroom window when she was growing up. But as a child, she didn’t know that one day she’d run away to join them! Yuliya is a Russian aerial dancer who has practiced for nearly six years.  She rapidly learned that what may look graceful and easy in the air actually takes weeks and months of practice. After training on trapeze for a few years, she joined Monarca, where she fell in love with sling. Today, Yuliya has expanded her work to lyra, silks, and, when she’s feeling daring, even straps.

Daniela Borrero started her aerial journey in 2021 after a bad break up and post-COVID depression. She quickly learned that aerial arts is not just a beautiful display of art and strength, but can also be a catalyst for healing one’s mental and physical health. Daniela is thankful for the incredible community she’s found here at Monarca in Flight and can’t wait to see where her circus journey takes her. Daniela started training in aerial straps two and a half years ago. This is her second showcase but first time performing on straps.

Julia Brodsky (she/her) began her circus journey in July of 2021 at Monarca in Flight. She’s grateful for the community, skills, and strength she’s found in this wonderful space! Her favorite apparatuses are lyra, dance trapeze, and any invented apparatus. She’d like to thank Cora for directing our group act, the other group act performers for being so much fun to collaborate with, and to all those involved in organizing and supporting this awesome showcase.

Alex Craigie Ahas been doing aerial for many years and loves every aspect of it. Her focus and specialty is in finding unique and connected flows on the fabrics and discovering new transitions. She loves the puzzle aerial presents and uses it to quiet her brain and find peace in her busy life.

Samantha Dean’s  love of performing began early on in her childhood while training in every form of dance she could find. In 2015, she first discovered aerial hoop, thinking it would be a fun way to keep in shape while dealing with the daily grind of life in Washington, DC. A few years later, she decided to make aerial a larger part of her life by trying out new apparatuses, becoming a lyra instructor and seeking out new training and performance opportunities. She has trained throughout the United States and Europe, including attending a variety of aerial festivals, and performed in stage shows, immersive theatre productions, nightclubs, corporate events, and private celebrations

Katarina Doctor  is an aerial artist, a bellydancer, and a research scientist in Artificial Intelligence (AI). She dances in the air, the earth, and the mind.

Cassie Drumm took her first pole dancing class in Philly in 2017 and quickly became obsessed with all things aerial. While pole was her first love, she is also versed in silks, sling, trapeze and straps. She started training at Monarca when she moved to the DMV in 2022 and is incredibly grateful for the community of support and the friendships she has forged. She uses aerial arts as an outlet for her weird ideas and a way to cope with the dumpster fire we’re living in.

Rosemarie Frost has been training aerial for 3.5 years after waiting what felt like a lifetime. She unexpectedly found her true home on rope after a 3-year long love affair with silks. Knowing she wanted to take up silks as a teen after watching a performance but having nowhere to train she is grateful for Monarca and Acoatzin for providing a space to fulfil her dreams and pursue what she loves. Additional thanks to all the dedicated instructors, Keith, and friends at Monarca who’s patience, kindness, and knowledge she benefits from greatly. Rosemarie is excited to finally preform after completing her dizzying dance with grad school.

Cora Harman is a cat trapped in a human body who will climb anything provided it is rigged safely. Her favorite thing to do is infuse her acts with a lot of character, often inspired by her unforgettable cats and her love of horror and lore. She is known for eating human organs and limbs on stage but can also clean up her act and pour champagne from various hanging objects and do your classical aerial tomfoolery.

Iyonna Johnson

Taylor Kay has circus in her blood (no really, that’s how her parents met).  After resisting following in their footsteps for her entire childhood, she finally gave in and picked up circus arts in 2023 as law school escapism.  She started with silks and will now play around with just about any apparatus she can.  Taylor is so grateful she gets to call the wonderfully supportive community at Monarca her circus home.

Kathryn Elizabeth Kelly is an actor, dancer, and choreographer, and has worked as a company member with Synetic Theater (2010-present), Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and DEVIATED THEATRE. Kathryn is a proud recipient of the 2025 and 2026 Artistic Fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for her work as a performing artist. This is Kathryn’s first aerial performance since having shoulder surgery in April, and she is so excited to be back on the hoop.

Jessica Li first discovered her love for aerial arts when she picked up the aerial hammock as a pandemic hobby, drawn to its creativity, playfulness, and physicality. This year, she took a leap by learning a new apparatus, the lyra, and is thrilled to be performing in her first group act! She sends immense gratitude to all her coaches and friends at Monarca for their constant encouragement and support. 

Callie McCaffrey

EChO  is a DC-based aerialist, flexibility practitioner, and instructor who loves blending acrobatics, bendy shapes, biomechanical nerdery, and vibe-based flowy transitions into strange and playful choreography. She’s equally happy rolling around on the ground exploring floorials and horizontal fabrics. EChO has trained at NECCA, in Montreal, and at the SF Circus Center, and has studied with contortion coaches across the U.S. and abroad. She has been teaching aerials and flexibility for over a decade. When she’s not helping students move more efficiently or bend more sustainably, EChO is deep in a career search (hire her!) and spends her time working on civic-tech projects aimed at making car-free travel in the DMV safer and more efficient—especially for cyclists. She’s grateful to Monarca for being a wonderfully supportive home for both training and creative chaos. This season, she’s had a blast being one of Cora’s angels—or, depending on who you ask, the Demonic Daikon (thanks to her CSA obsession).

Reyina Senatus hails from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she trained in many forms of dance, including ballet, jazz, and Haitian folklore. After years of complaining that she was “all legs and no upper body strength”, Reyina signed up for a silks class and never looked back. Despite telling her friends that she did not have the skills to perform an aerial act, all it took was a couple glasses of wine for her to sign up for the student showcase. Today, she’s making her aerial performance debut with a piece curated to share her Haitian culture with her audience.

Pat Vichas in her journey through the cosmos, has lived in six states, from West Coast to Deep South to East Coast and traveled to many other countries as well.  She started her aerial journey in Portland, OR doing aerial harness.  She has tried most aerial apparatuses, but silks are her apparatus of choice.  Time goes by so quickly when flying through the air.

Lindsay Walter fell in love with circus 12 years ago in Utah. While she’s dabbled in a little bit of everything over the years, rope and static trap have become her favorites because they tend to support more moves where you get to swing around like a monkey. Lindsay loves the physical, creative, and expressive aspects of circus, but it is the community that keeps her coming home to the studio. Monarca in Flight is a special group of people here in Virginia, and Lindsay is honored to perform alongside this fabulous group of humans tonight.

Alyssa Wassil as a child thought of herself as a mountain goat, because she loved to climb up, hang off of, and balance on things.  This persisted into her adult years, when she did trapeze for very short stints between 2013-2015 before landing permanently at Monarca in 2023.  Since restarting her hobby of hanging off things, Alyssa has also picked up sling and aerial rope.  Alyssa would like to thank all of her coaches and friends who have helped make this performance possible!