Growing Roots in the Sky

As I walk through the doorway, two 25-foot silks hang side by side. The athletes in the air gracefully wrap themselves in complex sequences and then dive or drop into beautifully caught poses still high above the ground. This is Elevated Dreams, a local aerial and flow arts studio founded by Autumn Lotus in 2008.

Lotus — a former Cirque du Soleil artist — started Elevated Dreams with a goal of providing a safe space for students to express themselves through creative movement. “We focus on the quality of the art of storytelling through movement as a flow or dance,” she shares. “This is where you come to not only build strength and confidence but to heal.”

Nearly every student who trains with Elevated Dreams has a story to tell about its ability to provide a sense of peace and purpose in their lives. “Before I found aerial, I often felt rootless,” said Marta Faust, a student and teacher at the studio. “It was incredible to discover this thing that takes you up into the air actually grounds you more.”