Featured Masterclass Student: Cayley H.

March 2020 featured Masterclass student is Cayley Hamilton (@bell.sprout on Instagram)! I first began working with Cayley in May 2019 and since then I have seen her physical strength and her confidence grow as an aerialist and mover! This lady and I have a lot in common. I was also a military brat and can completely empathize with her transplant lifestyle—always moving from one place to the next. I think kids who grew up in military families build a special kind of resilience. You have to learn to rely on your family unit and also on yourself, to get you through hard moves, to get you through constant goodbyes to people you love and care about. Cayley is no different, and while I don’t know her exact experiences growing up, I can tell you that I see the resilience in her aerial training. She pushes through. We have had lessons where I knew she wasn’t feeling up to moving, but by the end of class she had a little smile on her face and confidence in what she had accomplished that day. She’s become stronger and a more graceful dancer. I’m so proud of her and I really want her to know that. Thank you for being part of this community Cayley! You are sure loved and Airotique is lucky to have you!

Here’s a bit more about miss Cayley!

“When people ask me where I’m from it’s always a loaded question. As any of my fellow “navy brats” would understand, the conversation becomes a confusing breakdown of where I was born vs where I lived the longest vs where I graduated high school vs where my extended family lives, etc. you get the point. Before I graduated college I had lived in California, Japan and Maryland. After graduating I moved to Virginia Beach with my future husband who (purely by coincidence!) was now in Navy as well. I never considered myself an athletic person, I could generally be found on the couch playing video games or binging shows more often than in the gym. That was until I found out my husband was leaving for another deployment not long after moving to the area. I didn’t know many people in Virginia Beach yet and decided to find something new to do with the possibility of meeting new people. I had seen aerial silks in shows before but never considered it something I would ever be able to do, until I found out about a studio in the area that taught it. After my first class at Airotique I was hooked and found myself there most days of the week. I started with silks but sling quickly became my favorite. I loved the community that circus offered and quickly made close friends with other students and instructors. I’ve been in the air for 3 years now and I’m now a sling instructor at Airotique movement in Virginia Beach. Aside from aerial and working my full time job as a medical lab supervisor, I spend the majority of my time with husband and two dogs ( a sharpie and English bulldog who are perfect in every way) .

I have always admired holly online, (as we all do haha) I love how smoothly she weaves through the fabric, but when I would look at my own work it always felt clunky and awkward. As a part of her masterclass, Holly’s coaching has helped me sharpen my technique as well as open my mind to think more creatively about how I move within the fabric.I no longer feel as though I fight against my apparatus (on MOST days haha). Holly has the ability to make you feel like it’s your first day in a hammock again, no matter how much experience you have. And that’s exactly why I love it. I’m excited to see where this takes me and to continue learning.“