Moving through space, right here at home: Aerial illusion show celebrates 10 years of Sopris Soarers

Courtesy/ Stacy Everson
Stacy Everson, founder of Sopris Soarers Aerial Academy and MT Cirque Entertainment Productions, fell in love with aerial movement during a Cirque du Soleil performance in Honolulu, Hawaii, around 20 years ago.
“I saw what the body was capable of doing in a completely different way than dance,” Everson said. “I was very intrigued. I started my own instruction, as far as seeking out some of the beginners in it. I came to the states because I wanted to learn at Aerial Arts NYC and I wanted to train with some of the best. Before I knew it, performance opportunities started opening up, and I found myself in Colorado.”
Everson moved to Carbondale in 2014 and opened the Sopris Soarers Aerial Academy at Carbondale’s Launchpad later that year. The group performs at public events, including Mountain Fair and select First Fridays, throughout the year.
From 6:30-8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Everson’s adult-aged students, part of MT Cirque Entertainment, will take to the skies at Thunder River Theatre Company, 67 Promenade, Carbondale, for an Illusions Aerial Gala to celebrate 10 years of creativity and community. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for children 12 and younger, and can be purchased at soprissoarers.com.
“It is illusionary, very unique. It’s not your typical aerial,” Everson said. “It’s kind of like a local Cirque du Soleil, and that’s what we’ve really prided ourselves on the last five years, is moving into aerial theatrics and really bringing people different creative apparatus so they can walk away and be like, ‘Wow, I never saw that before,’ or ‘what did I just see?'”
Everson estimates that over the past decade, around 800 people in the valley have tried aerial movement at her academy.
“I absolutely love showing people their body awareness in spatial ways,” Everson said. “…It’s a fabric theory, concept of how one’s body moves in space, and how to properly lock one’s body, how to hold one’s weight, how to feel strong and empowered, because you’re moving in a low impact way, which is the flow and the openness that people are drawn to.
“Colorado has so many grounding activities and there’s so much strength here in people,” she added. “I think that when they can find something that’s very freeing and low impact, it really draws them to that kind of sport.”
Several of Everson’s students have been with her for years, growing into skilled performers, and sometimes, instructors. Instructor and artistic director Carrie Vickers began her aerial journey as Everson’s student 10 years ago.
Performers in this weekend’s gala also include long-time students Annabelle Stableford and Roaring Fork High School student Brynlee Graves.
“Through the last 10 years, we’ve been watching (Stableford and Graves) gain their confidence, gain their understanding of the art and be able to share it with their peers,” Everson said. “We’ve been able to give them opportunities to then move from being students to being instructors.”
Guest bubbleologist Jeff Paley will also be performing at the gala.
“One of my favorite childlike wonders is a bubble. No matter how old you are, a bubble always intrigues you,” Everson said. “Bubble magicians manipulate by forming geometric patterns. They get more creative with the science of bubbles…it’s just our little surprise for people, because we feel that a lot of people think MT Cirque is just aerial, but we want to bring out the childlike wonder of giving them something else to experience.”

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