Jovia’s original soundtrack is now available to purchase as a digital download here. Video of the show coming soon!

Past Show Dates:

  • Saturday, February 18, 2023 @ 7pm

  • Sunday, February 19, 2023 @ 2pm

  • Thursday, February 23, 2023 @ 7pm

  • Friday, February 24, 2023 @ 7pm

  • Saturday, February 25, 2023 @ 7pm

Location: City Stage Theatre

Union Station
30 W Pershing Rd
Kansas City, MO 64108

 

The Story

Jovia is a mesmerizing, narrative circus show written and directed by local award-winning director Kelsey Aicher. It follows the story of Hirri, a jovian–or inhabitant of Jupiter–as he travels across the galaxy in order to meet the woman he has fallen in love with from a distance: The Sun. Hirri tumbles past the acrobatic Galilean moons of Jupiter, under dangling constellations, and through caroming asteroids to the inner planets. While some of the planets meet his visitation with anger or ambivalence, Hirri finds a warm, enticing welcome on the planet of Terra. Terra invites Hirri to stay on the planet where she shows him the elements of earth and water, both alien to his home planet of Jupiter. He is tempted to stay with the kindness of Terra, particularly after she introduces the element of fire, but the largest sunrise he has ever seen reminds Hirri of his initial quest. With gifts from his newfound friend, our protagonist sets forth once again to be united with his true love.

At its surface, Jovia is the story of a being falling in love with the Sun and traveling hundreds of millions of miles to finally reach what he has admired his entire life. At the core, it shares the ubiquitous human experience of following a dream despite improbable odds. There are friends, solitude, obstacles, and surprises along the journey. Sometimes the outcome is not what was expected at the onset, but that is okay. As Hirri discovers, chance and destiny have a way of intertwining themselves to make every journey worthwhile.

The cast of Jovia is composed of mainstay members of Aicher’s local professional performing company, Circus Scorpius, as well as regionally and internationally acclaimed guest artists. The production showcases aerial disciplines such as trapeze, lyra, silks, and cordelisse, as well as ground disciplines such as Cyr wheel, juggling, ballet, and partner acrobatics, all set to a unique soundtrack composed by Kristopher Estes-Brown. It is a vibrant, athletic show set in a whimsical story that all audience members are sure to enjoy.

Meet the Artists

Kelsey Aicher

KELSEY AICHER

Director, Writer, Choreographer, Acrobat, Aerialist

  • Kelsey began her aerial training on a whim in the summer of 2011 after moving to Portland, Oregon. She immediately fell in love, training silks, trapeze, and partner acrobatics diligently. Just over two years after her first class, Kelsey performed in her first professional show with Night Flight Aerial.

    She has been fortunate to have some of the best coaches, including Daniela Steiner, Rachel Walker, and Aimée Hancock for trapeze, Stefan Furst for partner acrobatics, and Nicolo Kehrwald and Brittany Walsh for handstands. She has had the pleasure of performing with companies such as Night Flight Aerial, Prismagic, Sir Cupcake’s Queer Circus, and Aerheart KC Circus Company. In 2015, Kelsey was a semi-finalist in the 5th Annual Denver Aerial & Acrobatics Arts Festival Competition Show and in 2016, she was awarded an artistic residency at The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven in Portland.

    As a perfomer, her goal is to draw in the audience by creating a performance that feels relatable to every individual. The study of character through her screenwriting education and the heightened sensitivity through her clairvoyance apprenticeship guide Kelsey in her art and interactions. Every movement, every shape, every skill has intention.

  • Inspired by science fiction books, heroes’ journeys, and a childhood love of astronomy, Kelsey created Jovia as a way to combine circus and cosmic fantasy into one epic, dazzling display of artistic athleticism.

  • 1. “Jupiter”
    5. “Galilean Moons”
    11. “Water”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

  • 5. “Galilean Moons”

  • 9. “Mars”
    11. “Water”
    14. “Venus”

SAMANTHA JO DAVIS

Co-Director, Choreographer, Aerialist, Dancer

  • Samantha Jo is an aerialist, dancer, and writer from St. Louis, Missouri, who’s considered Kansas City her home since 2015. While her aerial disciplines include trapeze, sling, rope, and lyra, she is most passionate and seasoned on silks. Samantha has trained silks under Elise Southwick, Jenn Bruyer, Terry Beeman, Juan Hernandez, Georgeanna Layton, and Lilly Steele. She is currently a company member of Kansas City Dance Collective. When she’s not training, teaching, or choreographing, she is probably reading books, stories, or articles related to trauma healing, social justice, and cultural reimagination.

    While Samantha has formed her entire aerial career here in Kansas City, with the inspiration and big-sister-type guidance from Kelsey Aicher and Elena Sherman, she will soon move to Dallas, Texas, to be with her new husband and explore the opportunities that await her there. Samantha is eager and hungry to discover what the future holds for her outside of her comfort zone. Currently, her plans consist primarily of writing and training her butt off. Jovia will not likely be her final aerial performance in Kansas City, however, as she plans to continue supporting the Circus Scorpius community in its creative endeavors.

  • Samantha had the honor of co-directing all scenes that take place on Earth in Jovia, including complete artistic control of the piece titled “Earth.”

  • 10. “Earth”
    13. “Gifts from Terra”

  • 9. “Mars”
    10. “Earth”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

  • 13. “Gifts from Terra”

Bella of Duo Dharma

DUO DHARMA - BELLA

Choreographer, Acrobat

  • "To create and inspire, To live and desire" has been Bella’s art mantra for the last 10+ years. She has always identified as an Artist at heart, only the medium has changed through the years. At early age, Bella was introduced to traditional dance and studied fine-art illustration during college. As an adult, she was introduced to the movement arts world in a new way with Cyr wheel spinning into her life in early 2020. It provided her with an outlet to focus on while the world was coming to a stand still during early pandemic shutdowns and created a new space for her to find art through movement. Bella is grateful for the incredible journey full of challenges and personal growth.

  • 16. “Solaris”

  • 16. “Solaris”

Cyr James of Duo Dharma

DUO DHARMA - CYR JAMES

Choreographer, Acrobat

  • Circus arts by day, saving planet Earth one stage at a time by night, Cyr James draws inspiration from every corner of the performing arts. With acts that range from character acting, fire eating and manipulation, partner acrobatics, unicycle, cyr wheel and sometimes all of the above. James brings unique talents and a fresh approach to every stage.

  • 16. “Solaris”

  • 16. “Solaris”

Charlsie Dressen

CHARLSIE DRESSEN

Acrobat, Dancer

  • Charlsie Dressen has been training in many dance styles since she was 10. Charlsie is currently training at UMKC to achieve her bachelor's in performance and composition. She has performed with companies such as Kansas City Contemporary Dance and Tristian Griffin Dance Company. Charlsie is very excited for this opportunity to perform in new styles of dance and performance.

  • 1. “Jupiter”

  • 4. “Dreaming”

KRISTOPHER ESTES-BROWN

Composer, Choreographer

  • Kristopher Estes-Brown is an American choreographer, composer, director, and educator. As a choreographer, he is best known for his athletic, expressive movement style, unique musicality, and eye-catching theatricality. Estes-Brown has created over 90 original dance works ranging from 8 full-length story ballets to a multitude of contemporary dance pieces. As a composer, Estes-Brown’s music melds a big cinematic sound with dance theater aesthetics. He has been commissioned by notable choreographers and theater producers nationwide to create original scores for new productions, and his musical compositions can be found in many short films and digital media offerings.

    Born in a rural town in the Midwest, Estes-Brown moved to Kansas City, Missouri as a child where he studied classical dance and music. Eventually he would go on to dance professionally in many ballet companies across the United States including Milwaukee Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and Eugene Ballet. From there, Estes-Brown developed his own choreographic lexicon that is the intersection of movement, music, and story-telling. His stage works have been performed all across the United States by numerous dance companies with great acclaim.

    In 2022, Estes-Brown was named Resident Choreographer of Mareck Dance as well as of University of Kansas Dance Company. His choreography can also be found in the Sundance Short Film, ‘Crude Oil.’ Estes-Brown is the Founder and Artistic Director of Concept Zero, a contemporary music and dance company. Concept Zero serves as the ground floor for Estes-Brown’s multimedia productions which blend original music, dance, video, and stagecraft.

  • Kristopher created the music for Jovia to be an eclectic collection of works created to embody the vastness and diversity of space. Each piece is a reflection of the protagonist's journey into the great unknown, and the wonder they find there.

  • 8. “The Astroid Belt”

MALLORY GITTEMEIER

Acrobat, Aerialist, Dancer

  • Mallory Gittemeier is a St. Louis native and has been a dancer/aerialist/choreographer in the Kansas City area since 2010. She received her BFA in Dance (emphasis in Ballet) and a BA in Mathematics from Webster University. Mallory started her professional career as a guest artist with MADCO and as a Bharata Natyam dancer with Dances of India. She has danced with VidaDance, City in Motion, Kansas City Contemporary Dance, Gurukul Indian Dance Company, and is currently a dancer with Kansas City Dance Collective and Material Girl and The Fame Monster. As an aerialist, Mallory has performed with Circus Scorpius, Aerheart, Kansas City Aerial Arts, and Voler. Mallory is the Finance Director of Kansas City Dance Collective and works full-time as a reporting analyst.

  • 1. “Jupiter”
    5. “Galilean Moons”

  • 10. “Earth”
    14. “Venus”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

  • 8. “The Asteroid Belt”

JESSICA HARVEY

Choreographer, Acrobat, Aerialist

  • Jessica Harvey is an aerial performer from Arkansas. Her disciplines are lyra, Cyr wheel, partner aerial, dance, and acrobatics. At age 10, she started taking dance, acting, and gymnastics lessons. In 2009, her passion for the arts grew more when she joined a cirque show called Drommnium. She performed as a Cyr wheel artist and acrobat. She is currently performing with the companies of KC Aerial Arts, Circus Scorpius, and Quixotic Entertainment.

  • 3. “Juno”

  • 5. “Galilean Moons”

  • 3. “Juno”
    14. “Venus”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

Juan Hernandez

JUAN HERNANDEZ

Choreographer, Aerialist

  • John Hernandez is an accomplished aerialist based out of the Pacific Northwest where he’s been working his craft for over a decade. He has trained, studied, taught, and performed along side former Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia’s Odysseo artists, graduates of Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Circomedia Centre for Contemporary Circus, New England Center for Circus Arts and National Circus School. His skills have been shown locally as well as in Seattle, Spokane, WA and Kansas City, MO. While performing has always been a great outlet, John has spent most of his time developing his skills and passion as an instructor working with local studios Night Flight Aerial and Echo Theater in Portland, OR.

  • 15. “Mercury”

  • 15. “Mercury”

  • Harlowe began her aerial journey at age 8, after several successful years in competitive gymnastics. The combination of physical skill and artistic expression required in aerial proved a perfect fit. Since making the transition, she has trained in contortion, silks, lyra, hammock, trapeze, straps, dance, and hand balancing. In 2019, Harlowe was invited to train and perform with the prestigious LA-based Le PeTiT CiRqUe, allowing her to learn from some of the top circus performers in the world.

    Locally, Harlowe trains and performs with Quixotic Fusion and Kansas City Aerial Arts, having been part of the cast for Terra Luna at the Overland Park Arboretum, Future Stages at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Holidays Come Alive at Union Station, and many more high-profile events.

  • 3. “Juno”

  • 3. “Juno”
    6. “The Cosmos”

SONJA ANNE SCHULZ

Acrobat, Aerialist, Dancer

MELISSA HOEFER

Aerialist

  • Melissa began her aerial career in 2014 in Columbia, Missouri when her gym started offering a beginner aerial silks class. With a background in gymnastics, cheer, and choreography, Melissa fell in love with the artform immediately. She started performing within the year and obtained her personal training certification to teach aerial silks shortly after. In 2015 Melissa helped to run CoMo Aerial Arts, a small, but growing circus organization, for the remainder of her time in Columbia before moving to Kansas City in 2017. Melissa trained with Cloud Nine Aerial Arts before auditioning for Kansas City Aerial Arts’ Training Company shortly after, where she met many of the people she feels lucky enough to train and perform alongside today.

    Melissa returned to Cloud Nine Aerial Arts in 2022 to train and teach Act Development after the pandemic. When Circus Scorpius formed early that year, Kelsey welcomed Melissa with open arms to be a part of their professional company to which both are forever grateful.

    In her eight years of practice, Melissa has performed aerial silks, sling, lyra, rope, spiral, Spanish web, contortion straps, and dance. She is excited to now add aerial harness and “das spliel” to that list with Jovia!

  • 6. “The Cosmos”
    8. “The Asteroid Belt”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

Carina Kivela

CARINA KIVELA

Acrobat, Aerialist

  • Carina is a graduate of the New England Center for Circus Arts, and is a circus artist with an extensive movement background. Having experience in dance, tumbling, martial arts, and rock climbing, their main circus discipline is currently mixed aerials (mainly straps and lyra), and partner acrobatics (adagio). They’re also an advanced musician that plays violin, cello, piano, and sings. They first combined their circus artistry and musical talent in a full straps/violin act with Cirque Us—a touring circus based out of New England. Aside from curating creative acts that strive to apply as many of their talents as possible, Carina also has a strong belief in the role of the arts to inspire valuable societal change and insight. They are currently working on a multidisciplinary project with their older sister that uses music, circus arts, and film to spread awareness about the impact of the drying up of the Great Salt Lake on Salt Lake City and the surrounding area. This, they hope, is the start of many meaningful projects to come. Carina loves the diverse artistic disciplines that circus combines to create a full bodied production and is stoked to work the stage with Circus Scorpius.

  • 1. “Jupiter”
    5. “Galilean Moons”

  • 8. “The Asteroid Belt”
    14. “Venus”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

Corey Leighton

COREY LEIGHTON

Choreographer, Acrobat

Christine Kraus

CHRISTINE KRAUS

Acrobat, Dancer

  • Christine Kraus began her dance training in Saint Louis, Missouri and earned her BFA in Dance from UMKC. She currently performs with Kansas City Contemporary Dance and enjoys participating in freelance projects around the city when opportunity arises.

  • 1. “Jupiter”

  • 8. “The Asteroid Belt”
    12. “Fire”

  • Corey’s circus and performing arts journey began naturally and innocently out of his desire to play. This desire to play led him to begin traveling the world while taking various movement classes from various teachers—yoga in India, acrobatics in France, dance classes in China, surfing in Sri Lanka—the list goes on!

    As Corey continued to travel and learn, he realized I wanted to make "play" a profession. This led him to start studies at "The Academy for Circus and Performing Arts" located in The Netherlands. After a short period in The Netherlands, he changed countries—a common theme in his life—and studied for two years at the "Instituto Nacional de Artes do Circo" in Portugal. Corey left Portugal with a Professional Circus Arts degree along with a solo called "Coffee Beats" where rap, handstands, and theater are all utilized to tell the story of a narcoleptic coffee addict.

    It has been five years since Corey left the U.S. on his adventure of serious "play." He is returning for the first time to share what he has been up to with a homecoming performance in Jovia. What a wild ride it's been! Corey is thrilled to be here and is excited to see where this serendipitous journey goes next. Enjoy the show!

  • 7. “The Void”

  • 7. “The Void”

Colin Neukirch

COLIN NEUKIRCH

Technical Director, Lighting Designer

Kirstie Moot

KIRSTIE MOOT

Choreographer

  • Kirstie Moot is a local Kansas City dancer and choreographer. Currently she is the Artistic Director of professional dance company Kansas City Dance Collective. In addition to performing and working with professionals, Kirstie is also a dance coach to student dancers. Her company, Kansas City Dance, allows her to work with students on a one-one basis to provide them with individualized training. Kirstie began her dance training as a child at Blue Springs Ballet. After graduating high school, she received both dance and academic scholarships to attend Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Major in Dance. During her time at Stephens, Kirstie studied both ballet and modern techniques under the direction of Elizabeth Hartwell, Jan Miller, and Deborah Carr. She grew her dance career in Kansas City having been a company member Störling Dance Theater, City in Motion Dance Theater, Gurukul Dance Troupe, and VidaDance, as well as several productions by independent choreographers. This is the second Circus Scorpius production Kirstie has had the pleasure to be a part of. She is grateful for the opportunity to choreograph for Circus Scorpius dancers!

  • 12. “Fire”

  • Colin was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, where he began his work in Theatre early, working on musicals at his high school. He went on to study theatrical design at the University of Kansas, where he found his love for lighting and producing dance-based theatre.

  • As a mixed media artist, Colin brings a vast blanket of skills and imagination to his lighting designs, creating imagery that not only leaves a stunning impression on the eye but enhances the emotional boundaries of every piece.

Nick Ng

NICK NG

Choreographer

  • Nick is an award-winning contemporary circus artist that prides himself on physically and emotionally powerful performances. He loves balancing dynamic sequences with still moments, combining awe-inspiring movement with physical storytelling that some would call "falling with style.” With degrees from UC Berkeley and Texas A&M, Nick left the world of clinical dietetics after traumatic life events to completely dive into circus in Austin, TX. Since then, he has spent years learning from world-renowned coaches and performers, developing his artistic style, and winning awards and hearts across the U.S. Nick learned at and now coaches at some of the U.S.'s top circus schools, Aloft and NECCA, and has performed with Dolly Parton, Acrobatic Conundrum, Blue Lapis Light, and Cirque du Soleil artists and choreographers. As a queer person of color, Nick creates acts to inspire others to think more critically of life around them and how they can change things for the better. Nick is following his dream. Let him bring you on an adventure.

  • 9. “Mars”

Gwen O'Brien

GWEN O’BRIEN

Choreographer

  • Gwen is a multidisciplinary circus artist, coach, and choreographer currently based out of Bend, Oregon. A creative at heart, Gwen loves opportunities to blend skills across disciplines, innovating pathways, and allowing the character to drive the act. She is delighted to present her choreographic work with the talented artists of Circus Scorpius in Jovia.

  • 6. “The Cosmos”

Jenae Sinsanity

JENAE SINSANITY

Acrobat

Harlowe Persaud

HARLOWE PERSAUD

Choreographer, Aerialist

  • Sonja Schulz is a professional dancer and aerialist in the Kansas City area. Originally from Elk Grove Village, IL, Sonja grew up with extensive training in gymnastics, dance, and acting through studios, intensives, and her high school's fine arts programs. She went on to study at the University of Iowa from 2015 to 2019 where she earned her BFA in Dance, BA in Economics, and 200-Hr Yoga Teaching Certification. Her aerial training began in 2015 as well while training and taking classes at Aerial Dance Chicago. Performing, teaching, and training in dance and aerial have become significant parts of Sonja's life and identity and she is so grateful to continue in these fields.

    After moving to Kansas City in 2019, Sonja began teaching at local studios and performing with KC Contemporary Dance, Quixotic, Westport Center for the Arts, and other artists in the area including Suzanne Ryan Strati and Katarina Fitzpatrick. So far, Sonja has additionally obtained her Barre Certification through American Barre Technique, NASM Personal Training Certification, and Aerial Physique Teaching Certification. Sonja has continued to work with people of all ages in dance, yoga, aerial, and fitness.

    Sonja joined the training company of Circus Scorpius in June of 2022 and transitioned into the professional company in October 2022. She is extremely grateful to be part of this company and be surrounded by so many amazing fellow aerialists. Alongside her training at Aerial Dance Chicago and attending the 2022 Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance Festival, Sonja has trained in static and duo trapeze with Kelsey Aicher, silks and sling with Samantha Jo Davis, flexibility and lyra with Elena Sherman, and with several other circus artists in the United States. While at ADF, Sonja had the privilege of training in dance trapeze with Megan Cattau, lyra with Gena Marie, silks with Shannon McKenna, and handstands with Cosmo Dudley. In August 2022, Sonja also had the opportunity to attend and train in wall dancing/vertical dance at the BANDALOOP Int./Adv. Summer Intensive. She has been fortunate enough to bring this back to Kansas City with the help of Kelsey Aicher and Elena Sherman creating a wall dancing space at Skyloft Center for Movement.

    Sonja really values creating and being part of performances that tell a story or touch on emotional or meaningful topics. She loves exploring with movement and different aerial apparatuses and continuing to learn and train. Outside of her dancing and aerial life, she also enjoys running, traveling, and being with her family and friends.

  • 1. “Jupiter”

  • 8. “The Asteroid Belt”
    10. “Earth”
    14. “Venus”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

  • 12. “Fire”

Kate Vilain

Kate Vilain

Aerialist

ELENA SHERMAN

Choreographer, Aerialist

  • Growing up, though she loved the idea of acting, Elena found herself gravitating behind the stage, especially in college where she worked on the technical stage crew at the Lied Center of Kansas learning everything it takes to put on full-scale Broadway productions to intimate lecture series. Working behind the stage allowed her to become more comfortable and confident emerging onto it later on.

    Elena’s passion for aerial & circus arts started soon after her undergrad and had begun working full-time as a fitness wearables User Experience Designer while researching fitness trends. She took a lyra class in 2011 and hasn’t gotten off the hoop since. Realizing aerial & circus arts are the perfect combination of all her interests (design, artistic & physical expression, stage production, fitness) she began apprenticing at the Quixotic School of Performing Arts in 2012 and later became a founding member of Kansas City Aerial Arts (formerly Lucia Aerial Performing Arts) where she coached aerial & fitness classes. In addition she has taken on several production & performance roles including prop, makeup, costume, and graphic design. She moved to Portland in 2015 for 18 months where she continued developing as a circus artist at Pendulum Aerial Arts, The Circus Project, and Night Flight Aerial as well as traveling around the west coast to find as much training as she could. She returned to her roots in Kansas City in 2017 and has been delighted to continue performing and coaching circus skills to all levels. Elena is looking forward to growing her performance voice through her involvement with Circus Scorpius.

    Elena is also one-half of Duo Kelaini with her performing partner Kelsey. The two first met in Portland in 2016 but did not start working together professionally until 2017 after Kelsey agreed to follow Elena back to KC to take a chance on a new partnership. The two have been completely inseparable since, blending their high technical acrobatic & aerial skill and goofy personalities to create meaningful art together.

    In addition to her circus training, Elena is taking on a newly rediscovered passion of creating art through papercraft. The intricate detail and technical problem solving required for each piece she assembles perfectly balances out the high-stakes danger of her circus lifestyle.

  • 2. “Sunrise on Jupiter”
    14. “Venus”

  • 2. “Sunrise on Jupiter”
    6. “The Cosmos”
    14. “Venus”
    17. “Return to Jupiter”

  • Jenae began studying movement arts through competitive dance at the age of 10. She studied and competed in multiple styles including lyrical, modern, jazz, ballet, tap, and hip hop. Her love for the circus arts began when she joined The Wenatchee Youth Circus where she toured Washington state performing swinging ladders and Spanish web. After moving to Portland for college, she joined the circus troupe Rose City Circus, and performed in shows around the West Coast for many types of events.

    Over the years as an independent artist, Jenae has trained and performed in multiple circus disciplines including aerial, partner acrobatics, contortion, hand balancing, and fire spinning. Performing circus arts has brought her to many exciting places; from bustling New York to secluded Alaska, and even to the filming set of “The Gong Show” in LA.

  • 7. “The Void” (Sat, Feb 25th)

Kristin Sumter

KRISTIN SUMTER

Acrobat, Dancer

  • Kristin began dancing at the age of 4 at Valley View Dance Studio in many different styles of dance. She started competing at the age of 8 and continued until she aged out at the age of 18. She started teaching dance at the age of 18 to both recreational students and competition students. Her passion is dance and special education. To further her interest, Kristin has volunteered with Gabby Lucas House of Dance in their special education dance program. Kristin is an apprentice with Kansas City Dance Collective working her way towards becoming a permanent member. Her dream is to start an inclusive dance class once she finishes her master’s degree in Special Education.

  • 1. “Jupiter”

  • 8. “The Asteroid Belt”
    12. “Fire”

  • Kate began her aerial training in San Francisco in 2003, focusing on static trapeze for a year under first Lorelei Ashe and then Elena Panova. After a 9-year hiatus following a move to Kansas City, she resumed training and took private lessons on static trapeze, corde lisse, and lyra until Fall of 2018, when she began to train at Kansas City Aerial Arts as a student, joining the Training Company in August 2019. In Spring 2021, she joined Circus Scorpius’s student company Circ.S where she has added handstanding, juggling, and straps to her training repertoire. Kate has performed stage shows and gigs—private and public—on rope, static trapeze, dance trapeze, duo trapeze, and duo lyra, with a few dance and acro bits thrown in. Her fondest aerial show experiences so far have been playing Patrick Mahomes (as “the Nutcracker”) in KCAA/VidaDance’s productions of Cracked! and playing the immature RuPunzel in Circus Scorpius’s The Glass Combat Boot.

  • 8. “Mars” (understudy)
    14. “Venus” (understudy)

Paco Vitug

PACO VITUG

Choregrapher, Dancer

  • Paco graduated from the Conservatory of Dance and Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, pursuing his degree in Dance Performance (Classical Ballet & Modern) and Choreography. He was honored to have performed The West Side Story for the Grand opening of the Kauffman Performing Arts Center. During the seven years he’s been in Kansas City he’s choreographed for many events including The Filipino Community, The Medical Ball, The September Affair. Paco has also been the choreographer for the Wyandotte and Johnson County Cotillion and various church productions. He’s been a featured dancer with the Allen Meyers Jazz Orchestra. He was coach and choreographer for the Bishop Miege High School Dance Team during 2009-2012. In June 2012 the team was invited to NDA Nationals in Orlando FL for the first time in the schools history!

    Paco’s dance and choreographic past work history has been in Branson MO, The Country Tonite Show, The Osmond’s Brothers Show and Anthony and Veronica Magic Show. In Las Vegas NV, he danced professionally at The Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino, The Aladdin Hotel & Casino, The MGM Theater, and at The Magic Castle in California. He was also represented in Jazz and Hip-Hop with the famous Bobby Ball Agency in Los Angeles CA, appearing in commercials for Miller Light, Gap, Dr. Pepper and he was featured in the Dance & Fitness Magazine of West Hollywood CA. He worked as a dancer on a Cruise ship for Norwegian Cruise Line the “Majesty”. He’s modeled for Talent Unlimited Agent and did commercial print work and television commercials like Applebee’s, AMC Theater and on YouTube “Karobics” fitness. Currently he’s performed with Storling Dance Company “Underground” at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center the past five years and “Child of Hope”. He’s currently training in competitive Ballroom under Rafael Labrado in “American Rhythm” and “International Latin.”

  • 4. “Dreaming”
    13. “Gifts from Terra”

  • 4. “Dreaming”
    13. “Gifts from Terra”