Jennifer Drabik Pierce is the Director and Founder of Orlando Aerial Arts and Suspended Artistry. Jennifer has created a school that develops aspiring performers while also making circus arts accessible to the everyday person. Her programs build strong bodies and are resilient challenging each student to grow at their own pace and develop the ability to create art of their own.

Jennifer specializes in high-level artistic coaching and act development; helping artists develop their individual voice as an artist and fill their professional and performance-based toolbox. She coaches artists to find their unique strengths and to be able to be adaptable and be great collaborators in the professional performance field.

Jennifer is classically trained in ballet, jazz, and modern dance and was introduced to circus arts while touring as a professional dancer. She fell in love with the art itself as well as her ability to take ownership of her career as an independent artist. Her formal circus arts instruction began with private coaching from Olympic gymnast, Lance Reginald, and the Toronto School of Circus Arts. Jennifer has toured the world as a dancer, featured aerialist, and a headlining aerial act on cruise ships. As an artist and coach, Jennifer blends her love of all forms of dance, theatrical flair, laser-focused technique, and emotive storytelling.

In addition to overseeing Orlando Aerial Arts, Jennifer is a keynote speaker and personal coach, helping others discover their individual gifts, make bold choices, and create a life they love to live, one step at a time.

Kelly began her aerial journey in 2013 (at the age of 33) while searching for ways to be active that were fun, effective, challenging, and didn’t feel like a chore. She stumbled upon Orlando Aerial Arts via some online investigation, took one class, and was immediately hooked. It was just the challenge she was looking for! She began her training on silks, quickly expanded into the world of hammock, and has more recently delved into the domain of the lyra. While she loves the unique challenges each apparatus brings to the mix, her heart lies with the hammock. Despite her deep and paralyzing fear of being the center of attention, more often than not you can find her performing in the studio’s bi-annual showcases. Why, you ask? Well, if you ask her she’ll tell you ‘I have no idea why I continue to subject myself to this torture but I guess it’s because I think that it’s important to push yourself outside of your comfort zone once in a while’. When not at the studio, you can find Kelly at her daytime job, which revolves around finance and accounting for a real estate investment company, or enjoying one of her numerous hobbies, which include baking, crafts, exploring nature, eating all the things, and playing video games. And she brings this combination of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity to her teaching style. Despite having always been an athletic and active person, Kelly could never do a pull-up before she found aerial and now she can consistently do at least 3 (sometimes more)…and you only need 1 to save yourself from a cliff!