Our Instructors
Alaina Williams
Owner
Instructs Trapeze, Lyra, Silks, Chains, Spanish Web, & Odd Apparatuses
Book a Private Lesson with Alaina
Alaina is the owner at Refuge Aerial who primarily teaches trapeze, lyra, and silks. With a background in dance and fitness, her love for aerial began in 2017 and grew into what she and her co-founder built at Refuge Aerial. Alaina loves sharing with in her students’ goals, finding the best and most fun ways to get moving, make progress, and achieve awesome things.
Follow her on Instagram: @aerialapothecary
Kersten Anderson
Instructs Aerial Sling, Silks
Kersten is the sling queen at Refuge. She has been doing aerial since 2014 and has performed around Baton Rouge for many of them. Kersten co-teaches our Beginner 2+ Silks and Sling class on Saturdays and loves getting into silks theory. So if you want a mind game AND a work out, get into her class! Kersten is also known to host mermaid parties and almost always wears stripes. Sometimes multiple kinds of stripes in one outfit - it’s amazing.
Follow her on Instagram: @kerstenanderson
Jenn Brown
Instructs Aerial Silks, Sling
Jenn started her aerial journey in 2014 and still feels like she’s barely scratched the surface of all there is to know! She co-teaches our Beginner 2+ Silks and Sling class on Saturdays and enjoys the chance to teach beginner silks a couple times a month. When she isn’t flying through the air or pulling a crazy strength trick, she makes monsters for a living. So you can imagine, Halloween is her absolute favorite. Aerial and Halloween puts her in heaven.
Follow her on Instagram: @jennesthesia
Heather Bentley
Instructs Aerial Silks, Sling
Heather has been in aerial arts since 2016. If you know anything about Heather, she is oh-so-creative! The world stops when she is on the fabric, which is why she loves teaching others so much! Watching students progress toward their goals in their own aerial journeys is her favorite part of being an instructor. At home, she happens to have children, dogs, a turtle, duck, fish, and hermit crab. She’s also a professional musician and birth doula!
Heather teaches at Refuge Aerial once a week but also happens to have her own studio space open for lessons in Lafayette, LA! Check out more about Heather on her website heatherbentleyaerial.com.
Follow her on Instagram: @itsabigworldbaby
Stephanie Yowell Lee
Instructs Aerial Silks, Sling
Stephanie is an Environmental Scientist by day and an aerialist by night! She began aerial arts in 2019 and was instantly in love! She specializes in aerial sling but enjoys silks, lyra, cube, prism….if it’s in the air, she’s there! She is currently teaching Beginner Sling on Thursdays, Beginner Silks/Sling on Fridays, and a Kid’s Circus Class on Sundays. Her greatest love is sharing the joy of aerials, seeing her students succeed, and performing!
Follow her on Instagram: @stephanie_slings
Rebecca Taylor
Instructs Kids Classes, Trapeze, Sling and Flexibility
Rebecca "Spitfire" Taylor recently moved to Baton Rouge after spending 12 years in Chicago. Holding a Master's degree in Theatre Performance from Louisiana Tech University, they found aerial at renowned Chicago circus school- Aloft Circus Arts in 2015. They quickly fell in love with trapeze and the rest is history. Rebecca specializes in dynamic static trapeze, dance trapeze, sling, tumbling/acrodance, and stretching/active flexibility. While in Chicago, they taught at Aloft Circus Arts and MSA Circus Arts; as well as being a resident aerialist at Untitled Supper Club, and full-time performer. Rebecca is super excited to see what adventures await in Baton Rouge and at Refuge Aerial!
Follow her on Instagram: @spitfire.acroartist
Liza Rose
Instructs Aerial Silks, Partner Trapeze, and Private Lessons of all kinds
Liza is an aerialist and circus educator based in New Orleans. Her career has spanned two decades and has taken her around the world. She is a generalist with a knack for translating aerial vocabulary, technique, and theory across different apparatus. She works on static trapeze, hammock, rope, lyra, and silks, and loves an invented apparatus. She has a dance and gymnastics background and dabble in floor acrobatics, hand balancing, chair stacking, and object manipulation. Her goal as a coach and mentor is to teach circus artists how to fuse acrobatic movement technique and creative praxis so that they are empowered to achieve new levels of creativity and sustainability in their work. She emphasizes theory over skills and creativity over replication.
Follow her on Instagram: @thereallizarose
Check out her website: New Orleans -Liza Rose (lizaroseaerial.com)
