A former professional dancer and aerialist, Sarah teaches aerial disciplines at École nationale de cirque in Montreal. She has also worked with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize, 7 Fingers, Anandam Dance Theatre, Fidget Feet, Cie Drapés Aériens and Gravity & Levity, and both performed and taught at aerial dance and circus arts festivals in North America and Europe.
Sarah is an acclaimed teacher in aerial technique, aerial choreography and creative process. She has served as coach, choreographic mentor and outside eye for many aerial performer-creators in their process of developing work (acts or longer works) which have gained international recognition in circus festivals (Cirque de Demain, Newcomers Festival, Sol y Circo) and in performance reviews (2019 Izzie Awards, San Francisco).
Trained initially in classical ballet, Sarah performed as a contemporary dancer with various small companies in New York City. She began her aerial training and performance work after moving to Montreal in 2003.
Sarah consulted, cast and choreographed for the Québec television series Plan B, season 2, as well as for the film L’Acrobat by Québec director Rodrigue Jean. She regularly serves as a member of discussion panels in French and English organized by the Montréal Working Group on Circus Research on subjects of risk and performance, and circus pedagogy. In January 2020, she presented workshops on “Teaching Beyond your Physical Experience,” at Gravity & Levity’s UK symposium, Behind Closed Doors.
In 2008, Sarah earned an intensive year-long advanced coaching certification, an AEC, specializing in aerial coaching from the École nationale de cirque. She is currently working towards an Independent MA from Concordia University, while continuing to teach and choreograph in Montreal.
“I nurture a creative environment in which students are guided to discover innovative, personal solutions to technical and compositional problems. I strive to unleash individual creativity and to foster the body’s capacity to communicate our shared humanity in the air and on the ground.”