Sonja Schulz

Sonja Schulz is a dancer and aerialist in the Kansas City area. Originally from Elk Grove Village, IL, Sonja grew up training in gymnastics and dance and went on to study Dance at the University of Iowa, graduating with her BFA and 200-Hr Hatha Yoga Teaching Certification. She also began training in aerial arts her senior year of high school and has continued in the dance and aerial fields since! Sonja has been living in Kansas City for 4 years now and has performance experience with Circus Scorpius, KC Contemporary Dance, Quixotic, Westport Center for the Arts: The Dancing Word, NACHMO, and in project-based works by Suzanne Ryan Strati and Katarina Fitzpatrick. She is so excited to be performing with Voler again in Fringe Festival and with Circus Scorpius! Sonja is currently a professional company member with Circus Scorpius and KC Contemporary Dance.

Malisa McEachen

Always on the lookout for new challenges, Malisa began taking aerial classes four years ago and instantly fell in love. The fusion of grace, strength, and mental challenge that aerial silks provides continues to captivate her. Malisa graduated from Pittsburg State with a BS in Biology and Saint Louis University with a BS in Nursing. She has been practicing as a pediatric nurse since 1997. When she is not working as a nurse or practicing at Voler: Thieves Of Flight, Malisa can be found active outside hiking, running, or mountain biking; watching her daughters in their many activities; or going to concerts with her husband. Malisa is excited for her second Fringe Fest appearance with Voler.

Stephanie Iszory

Therapist by day, aerialist by night, Stephanie started her aerial journey in 2015. Over the years, she performed in Lawrence Busker Fest, KC Fringe Fest, Captivity Arts, Secret Circus Dinner Show, and multiple Voler Showcases. This year, she produced her first Voler Student Showcase. Stephanie graduated from K-State with a B.S. in biology and went on to earn her Master's at Friends University in Marriage and Family Therapy. Stephanie runs her own private practice, Stay Golden Therapy. When not dancing in the air, wearing glitter and sparkles, or working as a therapist, Stephanie enjoys spending her free time with her partner and their pets.

Emily Garnett

Emily discovered a love for dance at the age of 5 and has carried that with her into her adult life, performing on stages in Taiwan and Kansas City. She discovered her desire for aerial long ago after seeing her first Cirque de Soleil performance, but it wasn't until 2021 that she began to pick it up herself. It quickly swept her off her feet, no pun intended! As a lover of the air element, there is nothing better to Emily than dancing in the air. Her 6-year-old daughter loves to join her! Emily is also a lover of nature and music, which includes a love for live music in the city when she gets a chance. You can find Emily teaching Pilates as her full-time gig, which she is grateful has given her the strength to always improve and grow in her aerial skills.

Lauren Schrader

Lauren began practicing aerial circus arts in 2019 after being encouraged to try a class by an aerialist she met while working on an indie short film set. She loves the aerial hoop and silks, and takes dance classes from time to time. Though having no prior training in performance based arts, Lauren has always been a restless spirit passionate about cultivating joy and healing through expressive movement.

Erin Kleffner

Despite this being her first appearance at Fringe, Erin has been practicing with Voler since 2018. Before moving to KC, Erin completed a BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Northwest Missouri State University. She later completed a PSM in Environmental Assessment at the University of Kansas before joining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In her spare time, Erin enjoys reading, baking, and hanging out with her husband, three cats, and two dogs. Not a sparkly person by nature, Erin is looking forward to introducing some glitz into her life!

Laura Lockton

Laura is a certified yoga & AIReal yoga teacher, experienced aerial-fire-dance performer & teacher, and conscious event producer. She has found that body movement and performing arts have profound benefits beyond physical health. It is this holistic healing which creates joy, confidence and balance that fuels her passion for flow arts and yoga. In 2017, Laura founded ReKinection, a performance troupe and conscious event production company that is a collaboration of guides, performers, musicians and artists conspiring to inspire. She produces conscious festivals & retreats and teaches body movement, performing arts and holistic health classes at events across the country. Laura has performed on stage with nationally renowned musicians such as Sphongle, CloZee, Nahko & Medicine for the People, Wookiefoot, Transcendence, Leftover Salmon, and Satsang. She has performed, taught, and produced stages at events such as Shangri-La, Dancefestopia, Darkening of the Sun, Astral Observatory, Cosmic Reunion, and Mulberry Mountain Harvest Fest.

Kelsey Coon

After a toe injury sustained during ballroom dancing, Kelsey wanted to find a way to keep moving that didn't involve putting weight on her toe - so she took to the air. She took her first trapeze and lyra classes at Voler in 2016, and even though she was bruised and sore afterward, she knew she had fallen head-over-heels in love. She enjoys bringing smiles and laughter to others through her performances. Kelsey earned both her Masters of Accounting and M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures from KU (where she learned ballroom dancing). She is a CPA and internal auditor at a bank by day, and in her free time she also likes to learn languages, go Latin dancing, write, go on walks, and most importantly, spend lots of time with her bird Pearl. She loves birds.

Crystal Swope

Crystal has had a fear of ledges for her entire life so decided to conquer that fear through Aerial. Starting aerial at the age of 42 she began with Silks, transitioning to Lyra and Corde lisse (aerial rope). Crystal graduated from Park University with her Masters of Social work. When she isn’t climbing like Spider-man she is doing her share to make the world a better place through Social Work.

Jade Ransom

Jade has 3 loves in life: Dancing, Aerial, & stand-up paddle boarding. A classically trained ballerina, Jade has been dancing for over 30 years, & spent 15 years teaching many forms of movement, including Ballet, Zumba, & Pilates. Her professional dance career took her across the USA, & she toured with Dramatic Truth Ballet Theatre in England & Hungary. Jade began her aerial journey with Voler in 2018, & now teaches the kids circus classes at Voler Aerial Academy. Jade’s favorite thing in life is to hang out with her family.

Lindsay Hays

Lindsay was born and raised in the Kansas City area. She graduated from Rockhurst University with a B.S. in Biology and Clinical Laboratory Science. She might even be the person reporting your lab results. She became interested in Acroyoga after she saw a couple practicing at a local park and has been practicing at Voler Thieves of Flight for the past 6 years. You can catch her and her partner performing as Acrodisiac around Kansas City. Past performances include: 2019 Fringe: Flights of Fairy Fancy, 2022 Fringe: Flights of Myth & Mayhem, Dr. Sketchys, Lawrence Buskerfest, Troostapalooza, Hannibal Steampunk Festival, Laboratorium of Curious Creations, and Smoky Hill River Festival.

Warren Hall

Warren was born in Houston, TX where he grew up until he attended college and graduated from Missouri S&T with a B.S. in Engineering Management. Right out of college he started his career working for General Motors in Kansas City. Living in a new city he was looking for something to do outside of work and to stay active. He took the advice of a friend that suggested trying out acroyoga. Through the power of social media he found an acroyoga and aerial arts group at Voler. He stumbled into one of their Saturday morning lessons in the summer of 2018 and has been practicing ever since. Through acroyoga he met his girlfriend and the two of them perform together as the duo, Acrodisiac.

Mary English

Mary began taking aerial silks classes at Voler eleven years ago. A Kansas City native who was raised by her parents to love the performing arts and music, she is sad that it took her this long to discover aerial. (Still recovering from a January surgery, she's having fun mixing it up this year.) Mary also has a day job in the energy efficient building and sustainable policy field. In her free time- when she is not getting used to practicing on Lyra - she also likes writing, reading, nature trails and Royals baseball.

Rachel McMeachin

In a life governed by laws and bound by gravity Rachel chooses to steal away a little piece of flight. Within the performance troupe Voler:Thieves of Flight, she has found a means to create a human performance celebrating strength, fragility and the splendor of playful expression. A simple swatch of silk hanging aloft becomes the perfect juxtaposition to express fluid transformation. Adding music, the clear melodies and distinctive rhythms accentuate each movement into a gesture like ripples on water. Like Peter Pan, “Play as you go!” is the mantra that motivates her, exploring aerial silks as both a practice and a meditation.

Dagney Velazquez

Dagney is excited to produce her fourth KC Fringe Fest. She stumbled into the circus world almost by accident in 2012, but discovered there a home away from home. She experiences profound joy flying through the air on aerial silks and lifting up others in daring acrobatics. Before joining the circus, Dagney studied chemical engineering at University of Tulsa, then went on to Emporia State University for her MS in mathematics. She combined her loves of circus and math in her Master’s Thesis: “Unraveling the Intrinsic Code of Aerial Silks.” You can see her perform daily as a math professor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Aliyah Velazquez Pullin (she/her)

Aliyah Velazquez Pullin is superbly excited to present “Disco Daisy” to you! Aliyah is a rising college junior, studying abroad at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, starting next semester. Aliyah most recently was seen on stage in The Tempest (Heart of America Shakespeare Festival), in Mauritius (directed by Cinnamon Schultz), directing Waiting For Godot (Kansas City Kansas Community College), and stage managing Voler's last KCFringe show, "Flights of Myth and Mayhem." She wants to thank her friends and family for surrounding her with love and positivity, and she hopes you enjoy the show! <3 insta: aliyah_bailando

Ruben Noguera

Art has always played an important role in Ruben's life, and when his wife joined the circus, he found one more way to support local art. Besides lending Voler his artistic talents and brute strength, he enjoys photography, cycling, running, and sipping local craft beers.