CS COACHES & STAFF
Rick Andreoli
Aerial 101 & Trapeze Coach.
Community Director
I've been with Cirque School since its original opening in West Hollywood, and have been coaching under Aloysia Gavre's direction for more than ten years. I have a background in group fitness classes -- including aerial, partner balancing, body sculpting, and boxing -- as well as experience in writing and improv comedy. With a keen understanding of Cirque School's "Anybody with Any Body" philosophy, I make my classes accessible to everyone, entertaining as hell, and hard enough that you'll feel alive in both body and spirit.
Credits: Viva Fest, Guest Artist with Cirque Mechanics Cabaret, Performer at Scot Nery’s Boobie Trap Cabaret. Education: UCLA & The Groundlings Graduate.
Aza Sharavnyam
Flexibility & Handstand Coach
My circus training began at the Mongolian National Circus School when I was six years old, and I have been performing ever since. Acting has become my new passion which is how I landed in Los Angeles after many years of touring the globe. I enjoy sharing my hybrid of Mongolian and western teaching techniques with the students as Cirque School, I especially enjoy helping each individual reach new goals and applaud all their wins.
Credits: Tours with Mongolian National Circus, Ringling Brothers Circus, MSC Cruise and Aerosmith Live. Music videos with Jennifer Lopez and YG. Awards: Monte Carlo International Circus Festival- Gold Medal, Domont France International Circus Festival- Silver Medal & Wuhan Acrobatic Festival- Bronze Medal.
Bailey Scherer
Trapeze & Cirque Youth Coach
Growing up in the Los Angeles area, I’ve never been a stranger to performing arts. I grew up as a competitive baton twirler from the age of seven and began training in aerial arts when I was in high school. In May 2022 I graduated from the New England Center for Circus Arts’ 3 year ProTrack Program with a focus in dance trapeze and baton twirling. I love working with students of all levels and abilities, and I’m particularly passionate about helping students discover the natural pathways and movement patterns their bodies and hearts want to follow. Having both a strong technical foundation and a curious mind opens the door for endless opportunities, and I’m so happy to help students develop both skills here at Cirque School!
Marco Balestracci
Acro-Fit , Tricks & Handstand Coach
I’ve been coaching acrobatics and hand balancing at Cirque School since 2010. I enjoy teaching all levels from learning the basic fundamentals of controlling the body in motion up to the elite level. I thrive on breaking down skills so that anyone can enjoy being upside down. I know that circus training is a different journey for each level of my students and I always encourage our classes to cheer each other on for their individual success. I grew up in my mother’s dance studio studying ballet, which soon led to my infatuation with gymnastics. As a circus artist and coach, I enjoy merging the two skills together by fusing the lines of dance with the athleticism of acrobatics. Credits: Cirque Imagnique, American Youth Ballet, Eclipse Shadow-Dance & Troupe Vertigo. Awards: 1st place medals at local, regional and Virginia State gymnastic competitions.
Lindsey Covarrubias
Aerial Coach
I’ve been a coach with Cirque School since 2013 and enjoy sharing my passion for being upside down no matter the apparatus. While I mostly perform on the Aerial Rope I enjoy cross training in both Aerial Hoop and Straps giving my body various opportunities to find harmony with momentum and speed. Credits: Specialty aerialist with Cirque Mechanics & Troupe Vertigo.
Education: RYT 200 Yoga Certification, B.A. in Dance & Communications UCSD and CSLA TTP.
Alayna Pipkins
Cirque Youth & Acro Fit Coach
I grew up dancing and tumbling in my hometown of Rochester, NY where my passion for the Performing Arts began. My fun fact is that I have a Black Belt in Tae Kwon-Do!
I have an empathetic and enthusiastic approach to teaching by instilling a sense of accomplishment for all while increasing each student’s personal growth and confidence of their body in motion. My education has led the ability to rely on various skills learning methodologies to encourage and motivate the beginner to advanced level student. I am excited to share my commitment to bettering the growth and development of bodies, of all ages and backgrounds at Cirque School.
Stage Credits: Harlem Globetrotters Halftime, Disney, SXSW Festival, LA Black Pride, West Coast Dance Explosion & multiple music videos. Education: AMDA Los Angeles {BA- Dance}, Acting: Arber Mehmeti, Troy Metcalf, John Balma
James MacDonald
Aerial Fabric/Silks & Aerial 101 Coach
I began my circus adventure by walking through the red door at Cirque School more than 10 years ago; I was hooked after his first class. My primary aerial interests are Silks and Rope, but I continue to explore other apparatuses, loving the combination of strength and grace present in aerial work.
I am a nurse by trade and have always had an interest in the body and its fluidity. My dance hero, Bill T. Jones, once told me, “The body wants to move." This sentiment has lived in my heart as I began exploring many forms of movement. I’ve taught yoga for over 10 years in the Los Angeles area, frequently train with aerial dance company Bandaloop, and enjoy dance, cycling, spinning, and swimming – all of which inform my work in the Circus Arts. When teaching, I celebrate the exploration of the body’s intelligence by encouraging students to discover how their individual expression of movement is manifested in the air. I am grateful to coaches, mentors, and fellow students who have supported his journey.
Evan Bertisch
Aerial Guest Coach
I began my aerial training in 2013 on hoop, fabric, and static trapeze. My passion for circus arts stretches beyond training to performance, as I find circus to be an incomparable form of expression. I strive to emphasize the importance of having a strong foundation when it comes to aerial training, because with that comes meaning and purposeful work. As a coach, I want to encourage my students to get comfortable exploring while incorporating a piece of their own personality. Ultimately, I want to share my love for aerial arts and continue to help people grow on their own personal circus journeys.
Credits: Viva Fest & Troupe Vertigo Circus-Dance-Theater. Education: NYU
Tarah Hiemes
Front Desk
Tristan Cunningham
Cirque Kids & Youth Program Director
I’ve been a Cirque Kids coach at Cirque School for the last 4 years with a focus on juggling and clowning. I started my own performing career when I was only ten years old touring with Vermont’s own home- grown country circus, Circus Smirkus. After running away with the circus for eight summers, I decided to change my focus to acting and graduated from S.U.N.Y Purchase Theater Arts and Film conservatory with a B.F.A. I now work between the Bay Area and Los Angeles as an actor, teaching artist, and circus performer.
Credits: California Shakespeare Theater, Aurora Theater Company, African American Shakespeare Company, Shotgun Players, San Francisco Playhouse, Marin Shakespeare Company, Circus Bella, Medical Clown Project and many more. I feel incredibly blessed to do what I love and share it with the rest of the world.
Rachel Tatem
Aerial Straps & Aerial 101 Coach
I’ve have been a coach with Cirque School since 2014 and am a firm believer that physical fitness should not be a chore and I want your circus training to be as enjoyable as possible. Before becoming a circus coach and performer, I was a competitive gymnast and a mechanical engineer. I think my coaching style is representative of my background: I emphasize strength training to safely build up to special skills, and I love to problem solve and take small methodical steps to create great results.
Ed York
Aerial 101, Cirque Kids Coach & Front Desk
I approach teaching as a union of movement & mindfulness through a captivating, effective and fun approach to whole body wellness. By providing motivation and encouragement for all students I hope to spark change and development so that they become better versions of themselves. In addition to teaching various fitness classes I have enjoyed teaching specialty workshops including “Combat Yoga” for Veterans, Mitigating Performance Anxiety for students, Music Therapy for gang reduction & intervention, Music Therapy for seniors & Mindfulness through movement, music and meditation.
Education: International Sports Science Association {ISSA} with a focus on Exercise Therapy, Green Yoga India, Trains in Motion Anatomy, Row House University, Trigger Point Multi-Tool Mobility, Inbound School of Yoga -Thai Massage & B.A. in Music, CSU Northridge.
Kate Minwegen
Aerial, Flexibility & Cirque Youth Coach
I’ve been a professional circus performer for over 15 years and began performing in theater and dance as a child. Once I discovered the aerial arts after watching Cirque Du Soleil's Quidam I began my intensive training with Fred Deb at the 2011 Les Rencontres Internationales de Danse Aérienne. I competed in the 2015 US Aerial Championship in New York City, and participated in Viva Fest Las Vegas 2017. As a freelance performer, I have performed in resident shows in both China and the Bahamas. I was he lead aerial choreographer and performer for Pirates Dinner Adventure in Buena Park and now stage manage, choreograph, and perform in a cabaret-style dinner show in Hollywood. Additionally I am a stunt performer in Fantasmic at Disneyland, specializing in aerial hoop, silks, and straps. I found Cirque School ten years ago as a student in the professional hoop program and then transitioned to a coach where I am passionate about helping people achieve their aerial and acrobatic goals, believing hard work and consistency make all dreams achievable.
Aloysia Gavre
Aerial & Flexiblity Coach
As the Cirque School Director, I have found that teaching the circus arts has offered me balance and diversity throughout my career, offering new perspectives from being both a performer and business owner. I have always viewed teaching as a form of performance in the hopes of helping my students find their own unique way of expression. I thrive on witnessing my students’ progressions both in technical and performance skills.
Credits: Cirque du Soleil, Teatro Zinzanni, Pickle Family Circus and toured the globe with symphonies spanning a 25-year performance career. Awards: Monte Carlo International Circus Festival representing Cirque du Soleil. Education: San Francisco Circus Center, Ecole Nationale de Cirque, Pilates Certificates with Cirque du Soleil & Retro-Fit.
Justin Coates
Aerial Hoop Coach
My circus training began in 2014, when I walked into Cirque School with a vague notion that this might be useful cross-training for my dance career. Very quickly, that vague notion transformed into a serious hobby, a meaningful source of community, and now an opportunity to share my knowledge and passion through coaching. In my teaching, I look to emphasize safety and technique as a conduit for artistry and expression. Credits: Pennington Dance Group, the New York Baroque Dance Company, ArtistsPlus, & Anabella Lenzu DanceDrama. Education: Sarah Lawrence College.
Justin Anderson
Acro Fit & Handstand Coach
Dallys Newton
Cirque Kids & Youth Guest Coach
I have been a professional circus entertainer for over 14 years. I am known for a wide range of skills, captivating stage presence, and professionalism. I excel as a hula hooper, fire performer, stilt-walker, juggler, acrobat, aerialist, clown, and ringleader — a real one-woman circus. I like to approach coaching with enthusiasm and encouragement and aim to inspire my students.
Kat Purgal
Administrator
I began my aerial training at Cirque School at the end of 2009, when my patience for a traditional gym workout waned. For me, Cirque School has been a source of wellness both physically and mentally. As an actor and writer, it has been an important escape for me, allowing me to stretch my artistic expression in different ways. I've been working administratively with Cirque School since 2016, dedicated to making the experience here welcoming and inclusive. I strive to connect folks in a timely manner and am more than happy to share my love for aerial arts while cheering on others who are doing the same.