Meet our team!
INSTRUCTORS
With a passion for training, teaching, and performing, Lisanna shares her enthusiasm with each and every student, inspiring them to put their heart and hard work into every movement. Her 20-year artistic gymnastics career granted her a full-ride athletic scholarship to Northern Illinois University where she competed and graduated with a Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design.
Taking her strength, technique, and artistry to the stage, Lisanna has had the privilege of performing around the world in shows with famed singer MeatLoaf, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Germany's Flic Flac Festival, Cirque du Soleil's KÁ in Las Vegas and Cirque du Soleil's world-wide arena touring production TORUK—inspired by Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron's AVATAR.
While painting her face blue in over 100 cities around the world, Lisanna earned her Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and now continues to bring her passion and power to training, teaching, and performing, devoting herself to the love of her craft and the pursuit of being an artist.
Lisanna Paloma Vazquez
Director | Aerial & Acrobatic Instructor
Adam Vazquez
Director | Acrobatic & Hand Balancing Instructor
Adam Vazquez, a 4th generation circus artist carrying on the Vazquez tradition of artistic integrity, has over twenty years of personal performance experience. With his intense training in international competitive gymnastics, trapeze, Chinese poles, acrobatics, and hand balancing, his discipline and passion for his craft, along with guidance from the rich historical tradition of his family, has led him to success and, most importantly, the privilege of calling himself an artist.
Having captured the quality and poise of hand-to-hand artistry with his international award-winning duo act, Adam has graced the stages of the world’s most renowned venues. The prestige of stepping on stage and the honor to feel the distinct connection with audience members standing in awe of his performance have justified every sacrifice made for his art. Now, with over two decades of experience, Adam takes pride in recognizing the responsibility of an artist to cultivate the arts for generations to come.
Mai Yamamoto
Advanced Aerial & Adult Fitness Instructor
Aerial Artist
Mai Yamamoto is a Japanese world-renowned aerial silk performer and world champion synchronized swimmer. Having performed with Cirque du Soleil’s "O" as a synchronized swimmer and Mystere as Aerial Silks soloist and Bungee performer, Mai’s love for the stage is unmistakable as she flys high above the audience with an adoring smile beaming from her face.
As an aerial fitness instructor, Mai is adept at teaching the technical and artistic side of aerial artistry in a variety of apparatuses. She enjoys sharing her passion of being in the air, and guides her students to reach their goals at every level.
Erin Erxleben
Dance & Musical Theater Instructor
Professional Dancer/Singer/Actress
A Texas girl at heart, growing up with strict formal dance training, Erin continued her studies to receive a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Texas State University. With formal training in voice and TV/film acting, she followed her dreams to New York City, and went on to perform with several cruise ship productions as a dancer and showgirl.
Acting in numerous theatre productions along the way, Erin is now taking her hard work and passion to the stages of Las Vegas, where she performs in the WOW show at The Rio Hotel and Casino.
During her 22 years of performing on stage as a dancer/singer/actress, Erin has also given her heart to teaching, directing and choreographing children's productions, challenging and encouraging her students to explore their creativity and grow in the field of performing arts. While enjoying her time on stage, she fulfills her passion for the arts through sharing her extensive knowledge and experience with her students.
Nara Beatty
Contortion & Flexibility Instructor
Contortion Artist
Native of Mongolia, Nara has trained extensively in contortion since a very young age. After performing with the Mongolian State Circus for 5 years, she has taken her extreme talents to the glittering lights of Las Vegas, stunning audiences nightly with Cirque du Soleil's world-renowned show "O" at the Bellagio.
Along with her brilliant work on stage, she is also Team Captain and Artist Coach, assuming a great amount of responsibility with maintaining the act at its prominent level night after night, and providing the ultimate coaching support for her team of Artists.
Nara is finely in tune with the human body's capabilities, and how to challenge her students' flexibility while teaching them correct posture and stretching technique to maintain a healthy body and career for years to come.
Dr. Alex Clements
Piano Instructor | Doctor of Musical Arts | Jazz Pianist
Although not one to toot his own horn with the title of Doctor, Alex Clements deserves every pedestal this esteemed degree puts him on. A musical genius and passionate instructor, Alex lives his life for his craft, and generously shares his immense wealth of knowledge. His talent is immeasurable, and his classes are filled with students learning in the most creative, fun, and inspiring ways.
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Alex's active performance career has this "lounge lizard" winning awards, performing at prestigious venues, and holding his long-time tenure with Cirque du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio, where he performs nightly. Continuing to progress his pedagogical approach—although already having won awards in this category—Alex's passion for growth and love for music shines through his artistry, teaching, and ever-present smile.
Bruno Dumont
Music Appreciation Instructor | Saxophonist
After graduating with honors from the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Arts of Quebec, Bruno’s wonderful adventure as a Master Saxophonist took off. While playing professionally in jazz clubs with well established musicians, Bruno was invited to perform at the Montreal Jazz Festival, leading him to an annual invitation to share the stage with the greats of the Blues and Jazz scene including Carl Tremblay, Bob Harrison, Little Jo and the Hurricane, The Repertory Jazz Orchestra, and Lulu Hughes to name a few.
In 2001, Bruno was offered a position as Saxophone and Keyboard Musician with Cirque du Soleil, where he delighted audiences around the world playing in 8 different Cirque du Soleil productions over the next 19 years, (Alegria, Viva Elvis, Quidam, Toruk, Sand, Bazar, Axel, Alegria revisited). Bruno is now at his 9th show with the company, contributing his vast experience, talent, and passion as the Musical Director of Cirque du Soleil's production “O” at the Bellagio.
Bruno’s devotion to music, and joy of playing shines through in his teaching, as he takes pride and a responsibility in sharing his love for music with his students, always with a belly laugh and a "life is beautiful" frame of mind.
Victoria Vazquez
Aerial & Adult Fitness Instructor | Circus Artist
From multiple generations of circus artists, Victoria has established her mark on her family's tradition of excellence in flying trapeze. Performing since the age of 10, this airborne beauty has toured the world and graced the stages of countless circus productions and theatre venues.
After an extensive artistic career as a trapeze artist with Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba, Zaia, and ZED, she took on one of the most challenging roles in entertainment—stage management. Once again proving her talents, Victoria contributed her lifelong experience and sharp mind to the role of stage manager in Bette Midler's Showgirl Must Go On, Cirque du Soleil's OVO, KÁ, and Criss Angel's Believe and Mindfreak Live, both by Cirque du Soleil.
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Victoria brings a vast and comprehensive career to her teaching—topped off with a Certified Personal Trainer degree from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. While taking pride in sharing her passion for performing and circus arts, Victoria exemplifies the virtue and integrity of an artist.
Margarita "Margo" Koroleva
Dance, Aerial, & Acrobatic Instructor | Ballerina & Circus Artist
Margo is a second generation circus artist, performing since the age of 7. She has traveled the world with her talents—Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Japan, and throughout the U.S.—and has had the pleasure to perform with Cirque du Soleil for over 10 years, highlighting her career with Cirque's productions Zed, Viva Elvis, and Zarkana.
Margo's creativity and technique blends together to create beauty onstage, inspiring her students to join in her enthusiasm and dedication to her craft, enjoying the journey and artistic exploration along the way.
Ciya Clyde
Violin and Piano Instructor | Professional Violinist
Graduate of Grammy-award-winning high school, Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, with her major in orchestra, Ciya Clyde has continued her music studies as a full-ride student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She currently studies music with an emphasis on violin performance along with pursuing another major in kinesiology.
Ciya first began playing the violin at the age of four, and ever since, has participated in various musical works from performing in notable halls such as Carnegie Hall, New York, and Musikverein, Austria to doing local company shows such as with Opera Las Vegas. Ciya is a passionate individual of the arts and has experience in teaching beginner to intermediate violin studies. She emphasizes not only the importance of learning the proper technique through classical training but to also familiarize young musicians with different genres to help widen the individual’s vocabulary in what is available in the music industry.
Through her teachings, Ciya also prioritizes health in the performer’s body, involving
proper warm-up techniques in the prevention of injuries to teaching conscientious, deliberate practicing. Her life-long career is to decrease the number of musicians in pain by furthering her studies in physical therapy, massage therapy, and osteopathy so people can rest assured that her students are in good hands, both musically and physically.
