CAST

Directors, Producers, Choreographers & Performers

Jessica Johnson: artistic director | head choreographer | performer

Jessica Jay is a seasoned and award-winning aerial artist with a passion for creating and sharing her love for the aerial arts. Jessica has worked for a myriad of companies and events worldwide, having had the pleasure of working with visionary companies and artists such as Paper Doll Militia, P!nk, Snoop Dogg, Kentucky Conservatory Theater, and Circus Smirkus to name a few. Jessica is the owner of Sora Aerial Arts, artistic director of Sora’s professional performance company, Sora Contemporary Circus, and a lead aerial teacher trainer for world-renowned aerial theater company, Paper Doll Militia. Her knowledge and precision continue to grow with time and she is grateful to have the opportunity to share the gift of aerial with audiences and students across the world.

Brittany Peel front of house manager | hoop dance choreographer | performer

Brittany discovered hoop dance in 2013 and quickly fell in love with this joyful outlet of creative expression. She has been teaching hoop dance at Sora since 2015 and loves to share her knowledge with anyone who wants to learn. In addition to teaching, she also works full-time as Sora’s Front of House Manager.  She loves being able to devote her time to the studio and Sora’s wonderful clients!

Ellen Dapper rigging production manager | aerial choreographer | performer

Ellen Dapper is a central Kentucky performer, coach, and visual artist who began training circus arts in 2014. In 2016, Ellen opened Cirque Dakota, an aerial studio in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which they ran for 3 years before moving back to Kentucky and reconnecting with the Sora Circus community. Ellen is also a 2018 graduate of the Professional Training Program at Aloft Circus Arts in Chicago. Typically preferring to stay backstage as a rigger and choreographer, Ellen is excited to get back in the spotlight and debut acts on several new-to-them apparatuses, especially Spanish web!

Brittany Brizzee  emcee| dancer

Brittany has been a pole dancer with Sora for 3 years and is ready to light up the stage as your Emcee for ‘Vita Volare!’, where she promises laughter and excitement.  Brittany is a full time actress, dog mom and wife to a handsome biochemist and is over the moon with excitement to be a part of the show- get ready for a night of unforgettable aerial artistry!

Meredith “Merry” King dance choreographer | contortionist  | performer

Merry (@circusmerry) loves the stage and it loves her right back. She has performed with Sora Contemporary Circus since 2018, creating acts in aerial acrobatics, contortion, and dance. Merry’s passion for stories and entertainment has kept her coming back to performing, even after completing her PhD in Communication. She spent the summer at Steps on Broadway in NYC, in the theatre jazz track. Merry is “always in a show” and performs in a variety of theatre, contemporary circus, events, and tv/film, but notes her favorite role as Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” at Woodford Theatre, a role she says changed her life. Merry hopes to immerse you in the power of movement and music tonight and invites you to take the energy of disco and channel it into your own life.

JoJo Hopkins aerial choreographer | performer

JoJo started her aerial arts journey 8 years ago at Sora and quickly became a member of Sora’s Junior Company. Upon graduation she then became a principal member of Sora Contemporary Circus Company. JoJo is now an aerial instructor at Sora Aerial Arts and enjoys creating and performing aerial pieces on various apparatuses. She loves entertaining an audience with beautiful, challenging routines that are directed by the music she is performing to.

Zoë B Enright aerial choreographer | performer

Zoë B Enright has been creating her entire life, and discovered the medium of circus arts in 2015. She is a passionate, commanding, and detail-oriented coach and artist, taking each performance as an opportunity to revel in the decadent experience of exploring music and intention through movement.

Kye Miller dance & pole choreographer | performer

Kye began her movement career through the dance department at the University of Kentucky. She found Sora in 2018 and quickly fell in love with aerial arts. She maintains a focus on artistry and performance through all forms of movement. She now teaches at Sora and loves sharing her passion for dance and aerial arts with those around her.

Sebastian Rojas aerial choreographer | performer

Sebastian is one of the founders and co-owner of Celeste Aerial Arts. He started off as a martial artist in 2003 and began teaching after he obtained my black belt in 2008. Martial arts has given him an understanding of the body and awareness that easily translated to aerials. He found his passion for rope and straps and developed his own teaching style based on dynamic movement and technique. His goal has been to bring both of these apparatuses into the spotlight in the Detroit area.

Charity Coffey aerial choreographer | performer

Charity is a professional aerial artist and instructor specializing in lyra, aerial silks, and dance trapeze. Her journey into the aerial arts began in 2011 when she took her first pole class. Over the years she has received several aerial teacher training certifications and trained with many notable professionals to further her knowledge and skill set in the aerial arts. She strives to create acts that are both dynamic and graceful. She hopes that audiences will find joy and inspiration in her performances.

Jessica Kemmer aerial choreographer | performer

Jessica is a certified cord lisse, silks and sling instructor at Sora. With a background in gymnastics and rock climbing, Jessica was instantly drawn to aerial arts. She has been training for 8 years and has been a principal member of Sora Contemporary Circus since 2019.

Shayla Cordray  aerial choreographer | performer

Shayla has been involved with Sora for nine years. Since then she has fallen in love with performing, experimenting with different apparatuses and more recently teaching her passion of aerial to others. Shayla aspires to one day making the circus life her full time career. She is thrilled to be performing with Sora’s contemporary circus for the first time since graduating last year.

Kaitlin Knox dancer | aerial performer

Kaitlin started her Aerial Arts and Pole Dance journey in 2013.  She quickly fell in love with it and hasn’t looked back since.  She loves being able to tell stories and express emotions through movement.  Kaitlin is a passionate and lyrical performer who loves inspiring and uplifting those around her.

Lydia Fletcher  dancer | aerial performer

Lydia is excited to perform in her first show with Sora Contemporary Circus. She grew up as a dancer but nearly lost her dream of a career in performing arts when she had to endure several major hip surgeries. Her love and talent in dance and aerial arts made it impossible to stay away. Lydia now performs as free-lance artist and performs with Ambo Dance Theatre, Allegro Dance Project, The Collected Few, and Sora Contemporary Circus. She enjoys the connections she makes on the stage and the opportunity to immerse the audience in the magic of the stage.

Jeuarlet McClanahan  aerial performer

Jeuarlet has been an aerialist for 10 years.  She specializes in silks, rope and sling.  Recently  she has been introduced to   chandelyra, Spanish web and hand-loop- and looks forward to adding those to her resume.  She is an aerial instructor at Sora Aerial Arts.  When she’s not flying in the sky -she’s a wife to Rex and  mom to Jaylin and Keelan.

DeSean Elliott dancer

DeSean, former Mr. Dance of the Bluegrass, is an award winning professional dancer and choreographer, known for his jumps, turns, tricks, and partnering.  He regularly performs with Allegro Dance Project and the African American Ballet Troupe and has an extensive resume as a competition dance instructor.

Tink aerialist

Tink was a cheerleader 13 years before entering the wonderful world of circus arts. Mastering the art of dance pole and lyra hoop leading her to the mysterious art of hair hang she has been flying ever since!

Neko Dossett aerialist

Neko has been training aerial arts with Sora since 2015 when she first fell in love with finding ways to challenge herself in the air. She has also worked with Circus Smirkus, loving the chance to travel to gain circus experience wherever she goes. She will be heading to Case Western Reserve University in the fall to study biology and psychology while continuing her circus journey.

Stephen Griffie dancer  | aerial pole performer

Stephen is a pole instructor at Sora who is a pure technician at heart. Stephen’s primary goal in his classes is fostering a mind-muscle connection; to get his students out of their heads and into a safe, intuitive, and confident flow state on the apparatus. Stephen uses Dance Science and kinesiology to give students a mechanical understanding of the complex skills pole art demands of us. Stephen holds a BA in Dance from the University of Kentucky, 14 years of dance performance and competition experience, and 8 years of teaching experience - working with both youth and adults in dance and colorguard training.

Alexandra Choumitsky aerialist

Alexandra Choumitsky is an aerial artist and instructor at Sora Aerial Arts, specializing in lyra and flexibility training. She started pole dancing lessons in 2012 and never looked back. She's not sure if it was love or the blood rushing to her head that she felt in her first knee hang, but she's been literally head over heels for aerial arts ever since. Her main apparatuses are lyra and sling. Alexandra has completed instructor training through Spin City and Alexander Imán's Instructor Mentorship program. She is passionate about sharing her learnings so that everyone can learn that strong is bendy and aerial is for everyone!