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Four years after opening in the Warehouse Block location formerly known as Bella Forza, Lexington’s only aerial arts studio is prepping for a big move. Photos by Estill Robinson
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Four years after opening in the Warehouse Block location formerly known as Bella Forza, Lexington’s only aerial arts studio is prepping for a big move. Photos by Estill Robinson
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Four years after opening in the Warehouse Block location formerly known as Bella Forza, Lexington’s only aerial arts studio is prepping for a big move. Photos by Estill Robinson
Within the past decade or so, aerial fitness has become a fast-growing trend. Thrill seekers and fitness fans alike are slipping into silk slings and hoops and creating beautiful, strength-building compositions with their bodies while suspended in mid-air.
Lexington’s Jessica Johnson (who goes by the stage name Jessica Jay) took her first aerial class shortly after graduating from college and says she was “immediately hooked.” She now owns Sora Aerial Arts, Lexington’s only aerial arts studio, and its sister company, Sora Contemporary Circus, which focuses on aerial theater production. Johnson spends her days teaching classes at Sora, running her studio and performing and choreographing aerial pieces for a wide variety of events and theatrical productions.
Currently located in a warehouse on National Avenue with plans to relocated to a larger space this summer, Sora Aerial Arts is both a fitness facility and a training studio for youth and adult students interested in learning aerial arts – or for those just looking for a fun fitness alternative. The studio offers a wide variety of fitness classes, such as yoga and Pilates, and also offers numerous performance-based classes, from ballet to contortion, pole dancing to hand balancing, partner acrobatics, juggling and, of course, its flagship aerial arts: an acrobatics fitness and art form where participants are suspended in the air using aerial silks that hang from the ceiling.
While some of these classes might sound intimidating at first, Johnson encourages interested parties to give it a shot, even if they’ve never tried anything like it.
“Everyone who walks through these doors is a beginner, she explained, “because until we opened, this type of art form didn’t exist in Lexington.” She added that many people got their first exposure to aerial arts through Cirque du Soliel in the ’90s, and studios have been popping up ever since.
Jessica Johnson (who also uses the stage name Jessica Jay) has quickly grown her business, Sora Aerial Arts. Prepping for expansion, the company recently launched an campaign called Curcus Takes Lex. Photo by Estill Robinson
A native of Illinois, Johnson has studied aerial movement all over the country, including several years in Cincinnati, where she took classes at aerial classes at a fitness facility called Bella Forza in the evenings while working as a special education teacher. When she moved to Lexington in 2013, she hung a few silks at a local gymnastics facility and began working there as the sole aerial arts instructor, and when Bella Forza’s Lexington location, on National Avenue, was closing, the owner, with whom Johnson had become close, allowed her to retain the name when Johnson opened her own studio in its former location in 2014. Eventually, Johnson explained, her own studio became more centered on the performing arts aspect, whereas Bella Forza was more fitness-oriented. That’s when she decided to change the name to Sora, which according to the website, indicates “the space or void within one’s spirit, thought and creative energy; one’s potential power, spontaneity and creativity.” Today, the studio features 30 instructors and dozens of classes each week, geared toward all ages and skill levels.
Johnson founded the Sora Contemporary Circus with the goal of providing cirque-style entertainment and aerial theatre productions. The troupe’s first original show, “Utopia,” debuted in June 2017 to a sold-out audience at the Black Box Theater in the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, validating that there was, indeed, a strong local audience for this unique performance form.
“When you think of traditional circus, there’s the ring and ringmaster and tricks and ‘ta-da!’” Johnson said. “With contemporary circus, there is more of a theme and a plot.” A major theme in “Utopia” dealt with balancing two opposing forces to find balance in the human psyche.
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Aerial arts are increasingly popular among young students in Lexington. Photo by Estill Robinson
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Aerial arts are increasingly popular among young students in Lexington. Photo by Estill Robinson
In addition to presenting shows that feature professional dancers, acrobats and other more experienced performers, Sora also produces yearly student shows to showcase the work of newer students. Both productions are held at the Black Box Theater and both showcase the skills the students have learned in their classes, with past shows having included “Matilda,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
After several years of steady growth, Sora is currently gearing up for another big expansion. This summer, the facility will relocate to a larger, more inclusive space that will hold classes and possibly even live performances. To help fund the expansion, Johnson has launched a multi-faceted fundraising campaign, titled “Circus Takes Lexington.” One of her biggest challenges, she said, has been finding the ideal building to support the aerial arts and the studio’s growth. She has enlisted the help of local real estate agents, structural engineers, steel erectors and rigging designers to ensure that the overhead anchoring structure exceeds industry standards for acrobatic performance and training. The campaign will also help fund the company’s community outreach program, which provides resources for community members who may not have access to transportation or the budget to learn or watch the art of circus.
The campaign includes an online crowdfunded campaign on Kickstarter, which is live through June 16 with a goal of raising $10,000, and on June 16 Sora will host “Circus Takes Lexington,” a family-friendly carnival and fundraiser in Castlewood Park. Live circus performances will take place both inside the Loudoun House and on the lawn, and a number of fun, interactive activities, including dance workshops, a scavenger hunt, a fortune teller and live music, are planned.
One of Johnson’s favorite aspects of the circus community is the inclusivity.
“[Aerial arts] are about what your body is capable of and not what your body should look like,” she said. “It helps you accept yourself because you’re focused on these amazing feats of strength, flexibility and expression that you’re performing.”
She is also grateful for the immense support shown to her performance company and studio over the years and looks forward to bringing the art of circus to more people than ever.
“We would love nothing more than to give back to this community, which continues to support this unique and awe-inspiring art form,” she said.
For more information on Sora Aerial Arts or to sign up for a class, visit www.soraaerialarts.com. More information on the “Circus Takes Lexington” campaign can be found at www.circustakeslex.com.
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Student Cassidy Benavides practices aerial silks during one of Sora’s recent Youth Recreational Aerial classes. Photo by Estill Robinson
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Student Cassidy Benavides practices aerial silks during one of Sora’s recent Youth Recreational Aerial classes. Photo by Estill Robinson
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Student Cassidy Benavides practices aerial silks during one of Sora’s recent Youth Recreational Aerial classes. Photo by Estill Robinson
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Student Cassidy Benavides practices aerial silks during one of Sora’s recent Youth Recreational Aerial classes. Photo by Estill Robinson