300 W. HARGETT ST, #40, RALEIGH, NC 919-714-9082‬
Meet the Team
Sara
Founder/CEO
Sara Phoenix created Cirque de Vol to combine her life passions. She specializes in performance production and aerial rigging, and has trained with Delbert Hall, Cathy Gauch of Aerial Aircats in Boulder, Co. and Ludwig of Ludwig rigs in Golden, CO. Sara worked for many years as a circus and performance artist, aerial instructor and meditation teacher. In 2009 she founded and led Cirque's event booking company where she organized, directed and produced staged aerial and circus theatre productions, including her personal passion project the Fringe Dwellers. Her favorite movement and performance art forms include hoop dance, fire arts, ritual performance, compositional and improvisational dance. Her intention is to create an aspiring community that fosters human growth through creative movement and community. She finds deep worth in practicing and sharing the joy that can be found in these art forms. Sara works in transformational and breakthrough coaching, and as founder and CEO of Cirque de Vol.
Shannon
Aerial Yoga Instructor, Certified with Amber Monson of Sky Gym, Atlanta
Shannon’s aerial journey began at Cirque de Vol as a student in 2018 in aerial silks and aerial yoga. Lyra may come most naturally to her but aerial yoga is her happy place. Shannon’s goal is to always leave aerial yoga class with a greater sense of self and with a little less stress from the week. As a plus-size yogi and aerialist, she hopes to create an environment for her students where everyBODY feels strong and capable where they are.
Houston
Event Booking & Performance Production, Guest CYR and Juggling Coach
Houston joined Cirque de Vol in April of 2024 as the Event Booking Manager. Houston’s Circus career began at age 9 as a juggler. He went on to win awards nationally for his act at the Juniors World Championships of Juggling and the Atlanta Juggling Festival. He holds a Bachelors in Fine Arts from UNC School of the Arts for Design & Production and founded his own circus company Circus EVO amidst the Pandemic in 2020. He has an immense passion for the world of circus and working alongside the artists that make up the awesome community! Contact Houston and book a performance at cirquedevolperforms.com
Natalia
Aerial & Yoga Instructor and Studio Manager
Natalia is an avid traveler and an incessant seeker of the true nature of being. Since childhood, she explored diverse artistic expressions including dancing, writing, poetry, music and theater, but her main interest was looking for paths that allow access to spiritual evolution and healing. That's why she started practicing Zen meditation and Yoga more than 12 years ago in Chile, her native country.
Over the years, she became a Registered Nurse specialized in Hemodialysis, worked at a children's hospital including Critical Care and Emergency room. But her passion for traveling and her constant personal search led her to quit her job and go for a trip to Asia for 8 months, where she learned about Buddhism in Tibet, and Hinduism and Yoga in India and Nepal, among other countries. Later on, she moved to the USA where she got certified as a 200hr yoga teacher by Yoga Alliance. Currently, Natalia is enrolled to complete her 500hr yoga teacher training.
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She fell in love with aerial arts during the pandemic. Natalia completed her Aerial Teacher Trainer in 2022 with The Paper Doll Militia Company.
Kaitlin
Aerial Yoga Instructor
Yoga has been a part of Kaitlin’s life for over 18 years, starting when a cheer coach introduced her to the practice to improve flexibility.
Kaitlin is currently completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training and looks forward to combining her passions for yoga, aerial arts, and mindfulness grounded in gratitude.
She has a special interest in helping beginner aerial yogis find the practice accessible, exciting, and rewarding. Come try a class with her today!
Cassidy
Aerial Silks Instructor, PDM + Empreyan-Aradia
Meet Cassidy. Data Scientist by day, sling slaying + silk instructor by night. Cassidy completed her Aerial Silk Instructor Training in November of 2021 with The Paper Doll Militia.
Kevin
Aerial Rigging & Safety
Kevin has been a professional rigger, work at height safety trainer and evaluator, rope access technician, backcountry access guide, and fall protection safety equipment retailer for over 10 years. His attraction to climbing and heights as a child amplified when his older sister introduced him to sport rock climbing at the age of ten. This passion has persisted ever since.
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While receiving his MBA at the University of Hawaii, Kevin partnered with the small climbing outfitter Climb Aloha. The company soon grew from selling rock climbing equipment to providing professional fall protection equipment to all work at height industries. In addition to equipment, the company expanded its recreational rock climbing school into an accreditation academy that serves working professionals.
Colleen
Aerial Coach, Performer, and Content Creator
Colleen fell in love with all things aerial in 2012. Since then she has studied with various teachers throughout Los Angeles, CA (Womack & Bowman, Paper Doll Militia) and Austin, TX (Blue Lapis Light) and loves performing at live events. She received her Aerial Yoga teacher certification from Up Flying Yoga in 2015. She has also completed her Aerial Silks Teacher Training through Paper Doll Militia. She believes you should never stop learning and this art form is ever evolving, giving us endless things to explore, create and discover. Her goal when teaching is to make sure everyone finds success at their own level and leaves feeling proud of what they have accomplished.
Maria
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Aerial Coach, Performer, and Event Coordinator
Maria started her aerial journey in Costa Rica around the age of 12. There she was part of Baile Plaza Victoria's dance company for five years. During this time, she was the lead aerialist for Baile Plaza Victoria and had the opportunity to perform in different shows, fundraisers and corporate events throughout the country; as well as leading youth workshops during the summer from ages 15-17. After moving to the United States at the age of 17 Maria joined Jamie Poletti's Cape Fear Circus Arts dance company, which allowed her to gain experience as a performer in the United States. Maria's passion and talent for art and multidisciplinary collaboration has been a major point of success in her life. She has used her experience to influence service teams in academia, non-profit research and most importantly, circus arts. Maria believes in the power of collaboration as a means for self-expression and empowerment. She also obtained a Psychology and Cognitive Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and aims to incorporate more abstract concepts such as memory, cognitive skills and body mechanics into her teachings. Maria's artistic background stems from a combination of visual arts, dancing and media art. She has experience working with sling, trapeze, but her favorite apparatuses are lyra, corde lisse and silks
Angela
Office Manager
Angela and her daugther first got involved in aerial and circus arts with Cirque de Vol in 2016, and Angela is a big part of cirque's manager team. She also works as a video content creator, reads tarot, has a huge heart, and lives at home with her many, many, cats.
Tanecia
Customer Service
We’re better together. Cirque de Vol’s doors are open to people of all backgrounds. Our community here values diversity, inclusion, and compassion. People of all sexual orientations, ages, abilities, and ethnic, economic, and racial backgrounds are welcome here.
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Email is the quickest way to reach us. Please use the “Contact Us” form here
or give us a call/text at 919 714 9082
We look foward to meeting you.