Our Team
At our core, we believe in delivering unparalleled instruction that embodies the heart and soul of the aerial arts. We are privileged to have passionate and experience artists who truly care about your growth and success. Our commitment to excellence means you’re not just learning from the best, but also being nurtured by some of the most talented and empathetic teachers out there.
Dara
Founder / Co-owner
Dara Minkin is an aerial acrobat specializing in aerial silks. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Contemporary Dance from the University of New Mexico, she has extensive training in many dance disciplines, including Stott Method Pilates, Martha Graham Technique, Gaga Technique, Ballet, and many others. She is known all-over-the-world through Instagram as @aerial.design. Instagram launched her publishing company and performer name Aerial Design in 2014. She founded her school The Aerium in 2020. Having performed for nineteen years and taught for fourteen, Dara has designed a teaching method for vertical aerial arts published in book form as Proximal: An Introduction to Aerial Theory. She has taught for Aerial Horizon, Womack and Bowman, Vertical Fix, Radical Movement Factory, Project in Motion, Agora Arts, Frequent Flyers and more. Dara resides in San Antonio, TX where she spends lots of time being creative and looking for the next adventure.
Claudia
Co-owner
She is a multi-disciplinary aerialist including dance pole, lyra, fabric, rope, straps, and lollipop lyra. She is bringing her 20 years of Pilates experience to the new school complete with reformers, a cadillac, chairs, and more!
Claudia has been in the fitness industry for 20 years. She first found her passion teaching yoga and has a 500 E-RYT. Her desire to help others through movement led her to Pilates and later personal training.
Claudia is classically trained through Peak Pilates on mat, reformer, Cadillac and other apparatuses. Because of her diverse background, she describes her teaching as having a more modern approach. She is a NASM certified PT. She has taught throughout San Antonio in studios, gyms, corporations, and later opened her own Pilates studio. Claudia holds state and national records for powerlifting through USPA. She is also a certified powerlifting coach.
Her love of fitness and nutrition led her to obtain a coaching certification through Precision Nutrition.
Claudia is a mother of four. Her husband is also an accomplished athlete and they have built their family around a fit and healthy lifestyle. She enjoys helping others gain strength and confidence while reaching their fitness goals.
Kim
Coach
Growing up, Kim was a gymnast and cheerleader, followed as a collegiate diver for the University of Missouri. Her passion has always been flipping and twisting, testing her limits to try new things. In 2013, Kim became certified as a 200-hour registered yoga teacher and has been teaching yoga classes ever since at Lifetime Fitness. In 2015, a friend introduced her to aerial silks and she fell in love with the aerial arts. She became a Level 1 certified aerial fabric instructor in 2018. While her passion and interest is in the aerial arts, Kim has also been a Statistics lecturer at UTSA since receiving her Masters degree in 2009. In her free time, you can find Kim at the gym, traveling, enjoying outdoor activities with friends and spending time with her dogs.
Jamiza
Coach
From a young age, Jamiza learned that they never wanted to miss out on thrill and excitement. With the pain of their FOMO festering deep within their psyche, they spent most of their youth training gymnastics, doing parkour, playing video games and singing Dashboard Confessional songs really, really loudly. Eventually they found the circus, and their acrobat’s life-course was corrected.
Jamiza graduated with a Degree in Marketing from Texas State University. Their artistic career began in full motion with Julia Langenberg at Aerial Horizon in 2013 - learning rope, trapeze, lyra, fabric, doubles trapeze, sling; and became a company member and studio director in 2015 until its closure in 2020. They learned cyr wheel from Sam Tribble and Shayna Swanson, and now teaches and performs on it. Jamiza is truly a jack of all circus trades including stilting, rope dart, duo trapeze with Dara Minkin, partner acrobatics with Arthur Valverde and juggling. They performed for Cirque Entertainment, Aqua Acro, Latremore Productions, Circus of Hope, and Stars & Garters Burlesque. Jamiza is a core part of the San Antonio arts community and you can find them tearing up floors with their cyr wheel, performing, and teaching their love of the circus arts.
Libby
Coach
Libby started in the aerial arts in 2013 under renowned aerial artist Julia Langenberg at Aerial Horizon. She has trained silks, trapeze, lyra, double acrobatics, and harness. Libby teaches silks and lyra for The Aerium.
Christopher
Coach
Christopher Keelin has always played a part in the fitness and dance industry. He's performed for various burlesque troupes across Texas and was runner up for 2014 San Antonio's King of Burlesque. In 2016, he established a charitable circus troupe Suspend Your Belief and has continued to support local fundraisers with the company.
His versatility in aerial apparatuses has allowed him to recruit local artists and mentor them in the trade. In 2017, he produced and scripted his very first aerial production, where he debuted a duo trapeze performance with his current trapeze partner, Priscilla Mesley. They continue to showcase their duo acts at their Brick Blue Star residency in downtown San Antonio.
Keelin has traveled to train and perfect his craft with David Issac Gray from "O" Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas, Rachel Tatum from Cirque School in Los Angeles, and Devon Holt, a Cirque Du Soleil artist in San Diego.
Keelin is currently a personal trainer and nutritionist at Gold's Gym where he dedicates his skills to influence others, while introducing new and innovative acrobatic workouts for his clients. He has a bachelors degree in political science and works at a defense law firm part time when he isn't coaching.
Priscilla
Coach
Priscilla is an aerial performer and instructor, practicing for six years, teaching for five, and performing for four. She's a Principle in the aerial troupe, Suspend Your Belief, performing on the aerial silks, hammock, and duo trapeze (flyer). She has spent several years teaching classes in a local gyms, as well as sponsoring and supporting local charity and business through the use of her skills at fundraising and private events. She is thrilled to be part of an amazing team of very impressive creatives, as well as proud to introduce new-comers to her passion for circus arts.
Cory
Coach
Cory has a rich background in movement & sports and a passion for teaching. He began his athletic journey at 4 years old at his family owned gymnastics center.
He would later earn his degree in Kinesiology at Central College in Pella, Iowa where he would letter four years in Track & Field as a top varsity pole vaulter. When he is not working with private training clients he might be running a hundred mile trail marathon, performing at circus events around Texas, or competing on American Ninja Warrior.
Cory will continue to train select private clients and will be offering a semi private training option for young athletes after school. He will also use his experience working for the Baptist Health System as a post rehabilitation specialist to lead our adult and senior fitness classes.
