Circus Scorpius is proud to reprise its hilarious fairytale stage show in Kansas City!

Umbrella Enchanted follows the story of Mallory as she is transported into the magical world of Umbra, a land cursed with endless rain. With the aid of her fairy godmother, she travels the land in search of her missing umbrella. Along the way, she meets thieving pixies, troublemaking unicorns, and a charming prince. But will Mallory ever find her umbrella and return to her own world?

This enchanting circus show is full of excitement and wonder for everyone! It features a wide variety of disciplines including acrobatics, dance, juggling, and an abundance of aerial apparatuses. The narrative story combined with the impressive and artistic feats will keep audience members of all ages captivated throughout the entire show.

The cast of Umbrella Enchanted is composed of the Senior and Junior Company members of Circus Scorpius in addition to guest artist Elise Southwick. It is written and directed by award-winning Artistic Director Kelsey Aicher (The Greatest Show, The Greatest-er Show, Here Be Dragons!, pivot). Every artist in the company played a role in making this show truly unique and magical!

Tickets
PROGRAM
Venue

Show Dates:

  • Friday, February 14, 2025 @ 7:30pm

  • Saturday, February 15, 2025 @ 7:30pm

  • Sunday, February 16, 2025 @ 2:30pm

Meet the Cast

MALLORY GITTEMEIER

Mallory

  • 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, Material Girl and The Fame Monster, and is currently a dancer with Kansas City Dance Collective. 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.

  • Mallory’s favorite fairytale is Shrek because it reminds people to embrace who they are and that they don’t have to slay every dragon they meet.

  • Mallory is excited to be performing with the new cast members this time around for Umbrella Enchanted. She is especially looking forward to falling in love with Elise on stage each night!

  • Melissa began her aerial career in 2014 in Columbia, Missouri. 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 in order to teach aerial silks and aerial conditioning shortly after. Since then, she has performed with 4 different companies over the past 10 years and has met countless wonderful people and inspiring artists and friends along the way.

    After the pandemic and taking a small aerial training break, Kelsey invited Melissa to join the Circus Scorpius professional company when it formed in early 2022, to which both are forever grateful. She cannot thank her fellow performers enough for making every rehearsal, training, meeting and class an absolute blast and for being so kind, motivational and inspiring when she is extra hard on herself. It is very rare to find something you love so much with people you love and who love you.

    Melissa has performed on aerial silks, sling, lyra, rope, spiral, Spanish web, contortion straps, harness, frames, cube and dance as well as coaching aerial silks, act development, and conditioning.

  • Like Sonja, Melissa’s favorite fairytale is Tangled. She loves that Rapunzel is short, motivated, and hits scary men with a frying pan. What’s not to love? She is constantly underestimated, but always comes through on top using kindness, creativity, and her ability to read people to get through any situation. “Plus, I’d love to have long, healthy, magical hair,” Melissa adds.

  • Melissa is looking forward to having as much fun on stage as she did last year during Umbrella Enchanted. She is also excited to FINALLY be on stage performing with Kelsey for the first time in their seven-plus years of knowing each other.

ELISE SOUTHWICK

The Prince

MELISSA HOEFER

Fairy Godmother Miellyssa

  • Elise Southwick is an award-winning circus artist and champion aerialist at the Las Vegas International Variety Act Festival. She specializes in Aerial Silks, Strap Loops, and Hand Balancing. Her performances include Cirque Dreams Holidaze by Cirque du Soleil, the Broadway Play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, AIDA Cruise Lines, The Santa Fe Opera and The Ringling Museum. She received her training at The New England Center for Circus Arts in the Professional Track Program (class of 2015).

  • Elise’s favorite story is Skeleton Woman as told by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, which is a tale that explores the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

  • Elise is looking forward to reuniting with all of her Kansas City friends!

  • 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. Sonja currently performs with KC Dance Collective and Circus Scorpius. 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 to 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, straps, 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 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.

  • Sonja’s favorite fairy tale is “Rapunzel,” particularly Disney’s version Tangled because of how funny it is. She enjoys watching the two characters fall in love throughout the movie.

  • Sonja is looking forward to performing all the same roles as she did during the first iteration of Umbrella Enchanted with some fun upgrades to her solo. She’s also excited to be performing alongside her friends.

WYATT MERIWETHER

Cholesterol Spike the Unicorn

SONJA SCHULZ

Enchanted Portal, Solara the Gnome, Sprinkles the Unicorn

  • Wyatt is a strongman performer and an active competitor in both Strongman Corporation and US Strongman federations.  Wyatt is also a meet promoter within Strongman Corporation and as a competitor has qualified for USS Nationals in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Wyatt has always been captivated by virtuosic strength within the performing arts which inevitably led him from dance to focusing on Strongman as a performing discipline.  Before training and performing as a Strongman Wyatt trained in ballet, becoming proficient in a variety of technical methodologies (e.g. Cecchetti, Balanchine, Vaganova, etc.). Wyatt also has an extensive education and proficiency in modern and contemporary, received training in Flamenco, tap, jazz, hip hop, and Bharatanatyam dance, and holds a BA in Dance from the University of Kansas. His most notable roles include the Conquistador in the University Dance Company’s production of José Limón’s La Malinche, featuring choreographer Sarah Stackhouse; as a corps dancer in a collaborative dance project between 940 Dance Company and choreographer Joan Stone; and as a corps dancer in Tree of Life, a large-scale multimedia composition mixing theatre, dance, video, spoken word, a wind ensemble, and composed by the Turtle Island Quartet.   In his free time, he enjoys researching historical vaudevillian and circus strongmen and strongwomen of the 19th and 20th centuries.

  • Wyatt’s favorite fairytale story is Peter Pan and Wendy.  As a child, he was captivated by Neverland’s endless adventures. Now, as an adult, he has inevitably become enchanted by the concept of Neverland as a place where we never grow up.

  • Wyatt is especially looking forward to showcasing the combination of Strongman implements and acrobatics.  He believes this type of fusion between disciplines is what makes the circus arts stand out in creativity and originality.

KELSEY AICHER

Fairy Godmother Lowa, Willow Bane the Unicorn

  • 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.

  • Growing up, Kelsey’s favorite fairytale was Puss in Boots mostly because of her love of cats.

  • Kelsey is excited to be playing the role of Lowa this year because it means she FINALLY has a duet with her long-time friend Melissa.

Katherine Vilain

Dash the Unicorn

  • 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.

  • Kate thinks her favorite tale may be “Rumpelstiltskin” because, as she says, “There’s something about a woman forced into an impossible transaction outwitting a grotesque little man who then stomps himself into smithereens is very fascinating. It’s also fascinating that the most precious thing on Earth to him would be a human baby.”

  • Kate is excited for the “strongicorn” acrobatic trio (with Wyatt and Kelsey). Since there hasn’t been anything else like it before in a show, she thinks it’s awesome that she gets to be a part of it.

SCARLETT SPAULDING

Sakura the Wyvern

Madi Nispel

Elixa the Pixie

  • Madi Nispel is an author, performer, fitness instructor and aerial coach in the Kansas City area. She first began performing at the age of four where she found her love of dance as well as many other athletic activities. She continued her passion for performance art throughout her childhood by singing, dancing and acting in school productions and through local dance studios.

    Upon graduating highschool Madi found a new love for group fitness at the University of Missouri while she received her BA in International Studies and BS in Business Administration as well as her AFAA Group Fitness Certification. Her love for movement continued to flourish and shortly after graduation she left the corporate world to pursue fitness instruction full time and continues to teach with a NASM Personal Training Certificate, 500 HR Yoga Teacher Training Certification, 50 HR Child Yoga Certification and many other trainings in cardio kickboxing, dance and cycling.

    In 2020, Madi found aerial arts and began taking classes and found a new fondness for many of the apparatuses including lyra, trapeze, silks and sling. Madi joined Circus Scorpius's student training company in 2022 and shortly after found juggling. Juggling quickly became Madi's favorite thing and from there she had the opportunity to juggle in several of Circus Scorpius student shows, Enchant Christmas and various local gigs and was then invited to join the Circus Scorpius Junior Company in 2024.

    Madi currently teaches at Great Plains Circus Center and Dance Fit flow where she values creating spaces of exploration, creativity and empowerment for all individuals. She loves storytelling in all forms whether that be in her published novels or through movement art. Outside of the circus, Madi enjoys reading, video games and travel.

  • Lately, Madi has read quite a few really great “Beauty and the Beast” retellings. She has enjoyed seeing modern takes on the story because, as a kid, a lot of nuance flies over your head. Plus, she just loves reading new perspectives on old stories that challenge gener roles and societal norms.

  • Last year, Madi was the stage manager for Umbrella Enchanted as well as an understudy. She is excited to be on stage this time around. This will also be her fist time unicycling, juggling clubs, and juggling umbrellas on stage. Unicycling has been a labor of love for the past six months so she is pumped to show it off.

  • Scarlett started dancing and performing at the age of 2, and started training in the circus arts at 9. She is currently in the pre professional division at the Kansas City Ballet School, as well as her local competition team, and a member of Artists Revealed. She is so excited to be performing for the first time as a Junior Company member of Circus Scorpius.

  • Scarlett’s favorite fairytale is “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

  • Having been in many Circus Scorpius student productions in the past, Scarlett is really excited to be on stage for the first time performing in the professional company.