Aerial Skills & Performance Intensive
at Casa Chango Mexico
Skills, Act Creation, Performance
This program is now full.
Session 1: Oct 27-Nov 24
Aerial & Ground Skills, Act Development (group & solos), & Performance
Nov 24-Dec 6
10 Day Break to Explore Oaxaca City & the Oaxaca Coast
Session 2: Dec 6-Jan 3
Skills, Sequences, Choreography, Show Creation, & Performance
ALL LEVELS WELCOME
All students who are excited to learn, create material, and perform are welcome to join this program.
Students will be divided into classes according to their skill levels. Beginner through high intermediate students are welcome.
SKILLS & PERFORMANCE INTENSIVE OVERVIEW
Immerse yourself in training aerial skills, flexibility, dance, act creation, floor work, acrobatics, handstands & performance skills.
Live in a creative, supportive, inclusive community where you can truly be yourself.
Swim in the pool & the sea. Soak in the jacuzzi. Ice baths anyone?
Eat delicious, fresh meals served daily.
Practice speaking Spanish.
Work/study remotely.
circus residency Mexico Summer 2023 circus residency Mexico Summer 2023 circus residency Mexico Summer 2023 circus residency Mexico Summer 2023
About this Program
This aerial arts intensive residency is all about learning, creating, and performing! In addition to aerial skills classes, students will be immersed in a comprehensive program for creativity and personal/artistic development. Technical classes will include aerial skills, flexibility, dance/floor work, handstands, and injury prevention. Creative classes will include sequencing, choreography, musicality, creative research, and act creation. Apparatuses will include aerial silks, lyra, and dance trapeze.
Session 1 – Oct 27-Nov 24
During session 1, the focus is on aerial skills and act development. Skills classes will focus on understanding aerial technique more deeply in the body, learning new skills, and developing sequences. Apparatuses for skills classes will include aerial silks, lyra, and either dance trapeze or sling. Creative Development class will focus on building an aerial act.
Some students may create a solo aerial act while others may prefer to work on a group act. It is up to each student, and teachers will support and guide. We create a supportive environment for you to be yourself and explore creativity.
Supplemental classes include dance, acrobatics/acro-dance, flexibility, handstands/forearm stands, and learning choreography.
During the last week of session one, we will travel to Oaxaca City, Mexico’s cultural capital, where students will have an opportunity to perform their acts at Circulo Circus Performance Space near the historic city center.
Session Break – Nov 24-Dec 6
After session 1 there will be a 10 day break to explore Oaxaca City and the coast. Students can stay in Oaxaca City, explore and enjoy the local culture, rest, and train at Circulo circus space. Students can then return to the Puerto Escondido coast to enjoy a few more days at the beaches to relax, swim, surf and enjoy a bit of down time before the second session. We will give suggestions to guide people to the perfect experience.
Session 2 – Dec 6-Jan 3
After the break and cultural tour, students will return to participate in creating a full featured group show guided by our coaches/ directors. Classes during session 2 will be focused on learning sequences and creating thematic group acts for the show. Supplemental classes include dance, acrobatics/acro-dance, flexibility, handstands/forearm stands, and learning choreography. At the end of the session, we will perform the show live on a mini tour to Zipolite, a town 1 hour south of Puerto Escondido. The residency will end with a final show back at Casa Chango.
Open Training & Down Time
Open training is available whenever there are no other classes in session. The course program has 2 days off per week (Mondays and Tuesdays) for resting, open training and exploring! Excursions include local beaches, nature adventures, hot springs, bioluminescence lagoon, shopping and exploring local markets, and release baby turtles into the sea!
If you are a professional artist wishing to use the space for your own creative projects, click here.
I cannot say enough how incredible my time at Sweet Retreats was! The training was exceptional, the community inclusive and supportive, the food delicious, and of course the settings were beautiful. The residency program changed my life and I am forever grateful.
Lily Rubin-Miller 2022
Aerial Skills & Sequences
The aerial skills program is a goal focused, circus school style training program for recreational and professional track aerial students. We create a welcoming environment for people who want to dive into aerial training and make progress toward their goals. Students will learn and understand technique, build and link skills to make creative sequences, work toward physical goals, and take their training to the next level.
This program supports building strength and flexibility to execute tricks with excellent technique for safe and effective training for all types of bodies. We encourage students to move at their own pace and listen to their bodies.
Students must choose a focus of silks or lyra during session 1. Session 2 will also include dance trapeze.
Open gym training is available daily.
Students with specific and/or professional goals can book private lessons with instructors.
Floor work, Dance, Handstands, Acrobatics, Flexibility
Ground classes include dance, floor work, flexibility, handstands, Pilates and acrobatics which provide a foundation for aerial work as well as cross training for injury prevention.
Students will learn dance and floor work technique & sequences that will be made into group performance pieces.
Focus will be on freedom of expression, play, exploring and developing new movement pathways and supporting each student to fully understand and connect with their bodies.
Flexibility classes are focused on active flexibility that will support their aerial and floor work training.
Floor work, acrobatics & handstands classes focus on useful skills for everyone as well as providing support for each student’s specific goals.
Act Creation
The creative development program is designed for people who want to experience the creative process, develop their personal style, create an act, and be challenged outside of the typical class structure.
Focus will be on choreography, transitions, musicality, character, emotion, dynamics, personal style, and refinement.
Students can share their work to receive support and feedback from the group. We create a culture of inclusion and curiosity and encourage students to explore and lean into their creative ideas and develop their personal movement style. Judgement and shaming are never tolerated.
In addition to classes students will be encouraged to do their own creative research.
Students will be invited to perform in our public shows & video opportunities. The residency ends with a mini performance tour.
Inclusive Culture
It is our priority to create a welcoming, inclusive environment for all aerial students. Since all residents will be living in community during this program, it is important that each participant has a willingness and desire to grow as a human. We encourage self-reflection, kindness, & clear communication skills.
Each resident is required to do 1-2 hours of community service per week including keeping the living, eating, and training areas clean, helping with the local kids program, and/or working in the garden.
We support each student to experience a deeper connection with and understanding of their body, and create a safe space for personal expression. Students are encouraged to listen to their bodies, ask questions, and enjoy the process.
Suggested Reading:
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
Listen to podcast about Mastery vs. Success: a conversation between Brené Brown and Dr. Sarah Lewis
Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts by Emily Scherb
Taking Route to Fly by Irene Dowd
See what people are saying about Residency
Prerequisites
This course program is available for aerial students from beginner through high intermediate levels.
Beginner aerial students will have a taster course in various apparatuses or can choose a primary apparatus. Beginners should arrive with some experience in dance, yoga, or other form of technical movement, but are not required to have experience with aerial arts.
Intermediate students will choose lyra or silks for a primary focus and should be able to do the following skills on their chosen apparatus:
Silks
- Climbs – Russian and French
- Bent arm hold (upper pull up hold) 10 seconds
- Straddle invert
- Inverted pencil hold
- Catchers lock
- Aerial dance wrap
- Hip key
Lyra
- Bent arm hold (upper pull up hold) 10 seconds
- Straddle invert
- Knee hang
- Front Balance
- Back Balance
- Sitting to Hip Hang
(If you are a beginner, please contact us for options.)
Circus Residency Mexico 2023 Circus Residency Mexico 2023 Circus Residency Mexico 2023 Circus Residency Mexico 2023
About Your Teachers:
Kerri Kresinski -Silks, Floor Work, Flexibility, Handstands, Act Creation
Kerri has been performing and teaching acrobatics, dance, and aerial arts for over 20 years. Her life’s work, as an artist and teacher, has been to develop and deepen her study of the body. She has learned that anything is possible with patience, discipline and a positive attitude.
Kerri teaches her students how to own their practice. Focusing on fundamental elements of technique, anatomy, and the physics of movement, her students learn how to train. Kerri goes beyond teaching skills and sequences. She teaches how to identify, alter, and create your own skills and sequences, and best of all how to fully embody the movement of each skill in the most satisfying way for the doer and the viewer. Technique, balance, stability, mobility, movement pathways, creativity, 360 degree movement, musicality, originality, intentional movement, elements of surprise and awe, and a deep connection to humanity is what you will get if you work with Kerri.
Kerri’s technical expertise comes from working with students of all ages, shapes, sizes, and challenges.
You can find Kerri’s performance videos here and Circus Fit free online tutorial videos here. Find Kerri on Instagram @SweetCircusKerri.
Kari Jay Hunter- Sling, Dance Trapeze, Lyra, Dance, Act Creation
Aerial and circus artist, dancer, physical performer, coach
Drawing from a background in dance, gymnastics, theater, and music, Kari has been training, performing and coaching circus arts since 2001. Her coaching credits include the Circus Guild, Versatile Arts, Emerald City Trapeze, Le Cirque Centre, the Circus Center (San Francisco), New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA), the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA) where she served as lead aerial coach for the Professional Preparatory Program, and most recently, The Circus Project, where she served as Education Manager, youth training company manager,and rigging coordinator in addition to coaching. Deemed an “aerialist par excellence” by the Seattle Times, Kari has graced the stage in over 30 major U.S. cities and internationally with the Seattle Opera, Pallazo Variete, Freidrichsbau Variete (Germany), Festival Burlesco (Portugal), and Teatro Zinzanni (Seattle and San Francisco), among many others regionally. Kari is delighted to share her knowledge and joy with new circus communities and audiences!
Rachel Belling – Lyra, Act Creation, Flexibility
Rachel Belling is a dynamic movement artist that loves intertwining different disciples together to tell a story and connect with her audience. Her training is a mix of aerial arts, technical and street dance styles, contortion, and partner work with a specialty in weaving around the aerial hoop. Which really translates to: she loves rolling on the floor and being weird in the air. Rachel has a knack for flirting with duo trapeze and acro, creating on invented apparatus, and spinning on everything.
A lifetime learner, Rachel has an insatiable desire to expand her artistry and investigate movement. She is a process based artist that loves collaboration and the sense of community that comes from creating with others. As a coach Rachel is passionate about helping students build confidence and joy through movement regardless of their experience. Her classes incorporate a fusion of energized
play, mobility, Pilates, mindfulness, expression and connection.
Rachel fell in love with the Pacific Northwest over a decade ago. She lives in Portland, OR
adventuring with her wife and pup Kiwi and baking treats for anyone that will eat them.
Lily Rubin-Miller – Dance, Aerial Silks, Rope
Lily was born and raised in New York City, and has always had a deep love for all forms of movement. She grew up dancing, training in modern, jazz, contemporary and creative movement. She discovered aerial in 2019 and quickly became obsessed. Lily participated in the aerial silks residency program in winter 2022, and began teaching the Casa Chango children’s program alongside Kerri Kresinski. Under Kerri’s mentorship Lily became an assistant aerial instructor in 2023 and has developed a dance curriculum to supplement the aerial residency courses. She teaches an open level aerial class for the community of Puerto Escondido, and continues to teach in the children’s program. She has a passion for empowering students to explore their bodies and movement and unlock their creativity.
Kerri is hands-down the best aerials instructor I’ve ever had. In our retreat, we had some students with 3 months of experience and some 7 years, and somehow she gave us all personalized attention and narrowed in immediately in each of our needs. She has an unparalleled knowledge of the human body and how to create a safe, sustainable aerials practice. Whether you are just getting started, or having been practicing for years, Kerri helps take your practice to the next level and teaches wrap theory in a way that makes learning new moves at any studio more feasible. All her classes are energetic and fun, often featuring easy cardio dance routines that double as specific muscle warmups. After working with Kerri in one residency, I was so hooked I came back for a second. She is a one-in-a-million teacher, who really lives eats and breathes her craft, and it shows!
Sophie Sandweiss, 2022
What’s Included:
- Ground transportation from the Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM) to our accommodations if participants arrive to PXM on Oct 27 and depart from PXM on Jan 3.*
- Private or shared accommodations at our new eco-friendly resort. Click here to take a look at your options.
- Daily cleaning service.
- 3 nourishing meals a day, 6 days a week in our beautiful open-air kitchen. Click here to learn more about meals.
- Breakfast: 7:30-9:30am
- Lunch: 1-1:45pm
- Dinner: 7-7:45pm
- Communal space for personal food storage in our kitchen.
- Why only 6 days? Puerto Escondido is known for amazing food, so on Tuesdays we go to town to enjoy it!
- Use of all community areas:
- Swimming pool & hot tub
- Kitchen and dining area
- Open Gym (when classes are not in session) in our huge, amazing open-air gym
- Lots of hammocks for lounging
- Our private hiking trail down to the Colotepec River
- Up to 15 Weekly Classes:
- Aerial skills
- Act creation
- Flexibility
- Dance & floor work
- Acrobatics & handstands
- Performance skills
- Anatomy and injury prevention workshops
- Opportunity to create, perform, & tour our show
- Show Tour
- Session 1 includes shuttle and 2 nights accommodations in Oaxaca City.
- Session 2 includes shuttle to Zipolite for mini show tour.
- Show Tour
- Aerial photo shoot (w access to up to 15 photos)
- Video shoot
- High Speed Starlink Internet
- Access to our network of Spanish teachers who provide private or group classes on-site.
- Access to our on-site massage space and network of body-work practitioners for hire who come on-site.
- Recommendations and guidance to enjoy all that Puerto Escondido has to offer. Beaches, nature excursions, tours, surf lessons, networking events, dance classes, and so much more. Click here for an idea of what you have to look forward to.
- On-site events: Expect dance parties, pool parties, and fun hangouts with new friends. It’s never a dull moment at Casa Chango!
Not Included:
- Transportation
- Click here for travel tips and recommendations on booking flights.
- Taxis, ‘colectivo’ shuttles, and motorbike/car rentals make it easy to explore are all available locally.
- Massages, Spanish lessons and other excursions are booked separately and directly with the providers as needed.
Sample Schedule
Session 1 – Oct 27-Nov 24, 2023
Skills & Act Creation
Session 2 – Dec 6, 2023-Jan 3, 2024
Make & Perform a Group Circus Show
Tuition:
| Accommodation | 8 weeks Oct 27-Jan 3 | 4 weeks Oct 27-Nov 24 | 4 weeks Dec 6-Jan 3 |
| Shared Dorm (gender mixed) | $6300 | $4000 | $4000 |
| Private Room w shared bathroom | $7300 | $4800 | $4800 |
| Private room w private bathroom | $7800 | $5200 | $5200 |
| Private room w private bathroom & air conditioning | $8300 | n/a | n/a |
Prices listed are Early Bird Prices.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition. Listed in USD.
To get the early bird price, you must pay in full by July 15, 2023.
After July 1, the price increases by $300. Full tuition is due by Sept 15, 2023.
$1000 deposit is required to secure your spot.
All shared rooms and bathrooms are gender mixed.
Price includes travel to Oaxaca City and basic shared accommodation costs for 2 nights in Oaxaca City Nov 22 & 23. Price does not include food costs for the mini tour to Oaxaca City or return trip to the coast.
Price does not include meals, accommodations during the 11 days between sessions (Nov 24-Dec 6) or travel from Oaxaca City back to Puerto Escondido. There are many affordable options in and around the area. We will give support and guidance to help you find the perfect experience.
Price does not include taxi to the airport in Oaxaca City after the first session.
*Airport shuttle transportation is available if you arrive/depart to Puerto Escondido (PXM) on designated days. Arrive on Oct 27, 2023. Depart on Jan 3, 2024.
Ask us about our significant other prices.
Work-Trade / Partial Scholarships
We have one work-trade partial scholarship available for the 8 week residency. Applications are due by June 15.
If you are a professional artist wishing to use the space for your own creative projects, click here.
Links for more information
- Accommodations
- Meals and Food
- Travel info – our advice on booking your travel
- Registration FAQ’s
- Testimonials
- Weather in Puerto Escondido
- Excursions
Student Testimonials
“Kerri imbues her classes with a really sweet combination of focused work, zany playfulness, and an earthy and body-positive sensuality. I walked away from my time as Kerri’s student more capable, skilled, and excited not just about aerial, but about the journey to reaching my goals. I typically have given myself a hard time about a number of things in life. Kerri is skilled and optimistic, is genuinely there for you, and 100% rooting for you. She knows the value of the hard or ugly work, but she knows how to do it in a way that is fun and full of compassion for yourself and your journey. I truly appreciate this woman and friend, and I now know that my time was a workshop on many levels.”
Elizabeth Ferretti – 2019
Going on an aerial residency at Sweet Retreats is one of best decisions I’ve ever made. The weather is perfect, the location beautiful and the training is absolutely top notch. But it’s the atmosphere, friendships, jokes and community that essentially make Sweet Retreats a summer camp for adults. Apart from that, it should be mentioned that Kerri, Stu and Erin create the sort of experience you get in a 5 star resort. It’s incredibly organized and well managed. Everything is taken care of, and I cannot remember the last time life was so stress-free.
Nora McFarland, 2021
The gym and conditioning palapa are beautiful, a really special place to train.
Sweet Retreats has encouraged me to be a better version of myself both physically in the circus arts and also personally in my interactions with friends and the community. The instructors at Sweet Retreats are not only world class teachers, they are also some of the most caring, beautiful, and authentic individuals. I’m so fortunate to have discovered this paradise of athletic endeavors, delicious food, unending laughter, and all within the gorgeous surrounding.
Liz Marotte, Oakland, CA
Doing an aerial residency with Kerri was LIFE CHANGING. She is an amazing teacher, friend, mentor, aerialist. The people I met during the retreat are now lifelong relationships and I feel so grateful for the amount of healing, growth, and change I experienced. It reminded me how delicious and nourishing fresh food can be. I also appreciated the many protein options alternatives available that allowed me to experience a more plant based diet. I really miss eating and living together with our group! :’) I learned an incredible amount about the fundamentals of aerial, developing a daily practice, creativity, anatomy, and taking care of myself during a rigorious training. Training with Kerri has changed my aerial understanding, experience, and life in a way that is indescribable. Can’t wait to return for another residency in the future!
Catherine Wong – 2022
This place is Aerial Heaven on Earth. A warm tropical breeze bringing the crash of ocean waves up to your own open air training paradise, overlooking the river canyon, blessed with fruit trees and kind hearts. This place is strength, sweetness and play. A plethora of options to move, create and grow, balanced with a serene and quiet hammock to rest, a pool for delightful refreshment, nourishment from delectable local natural foods. This place is circus magic, freedom and love. Love for nature, love for movement, love for one another. Freedom to move. Freedom to be you. Freedom to explore the apparatus, the mind, the air. Ask anyone who has been and I trust they will confirm, this place is Aerial Heaven on Earth.
Julie Patrick – 2023
Kerri is hands-down the best aerials instructor I’ve ever had. In our retreat, we had some students with 3 months of experience and some 7 years, and somehow she gave us all personalized attention and narrowed in immediately in each of our needs. She has an unparalleled knowledge of the human body and how to create a safe, sustainable aerials practice. Whether you are just getting started, or having been practicing for years, Kerri helps take your practice to the next level and teaches wrap theory in a way that makes learning new moves at any studio more feasible. All her classes are energetic and fun, often featuring easy cardio dance routines that double as specific muscle warmups. After working with Kerri in one residency, I was so hooked I came back for a second. She is a one-in-a-million teacher, who really lives eats and breathes her craft, and it shows!
Sophie Sandweiss, 2022
Kerri is the most amazing coach. She encourages everyone to live in their own body, and recognises the strengths and limitations of each person, with no judgement, and a clear focus of how to help you meet your goals. Teaching here is not one-size-fits-all: Kerri tailors training to the individual.
Sallie Chedburn – June 2020
I have already made so much progress in my aerial practice.
I feel confident in exploring new pathways and movements with my body.
I am developing a sense of musicality and performance.
I am starting to break bad habits.
I feel as though I am on the pathway to becoming an artist .
Ughhhh this placeeee… is pure magic. Kerri’s teaching is accessible, creative, and empowering. This retreat was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life. I can’t wait to go back. Taking what I’ve learned here and applying it in my home studio has inspired me to level up my aerial game; advancing my technique, my understanding of theory, and my creativity and intentionality. I cannot say enough good things about how enriching and powerful this experience in Mexico is, including the people I met along the way. The food is delicious, the staff is incredible, the schedule is a perfect balance of work and relaxation. It’s hot and there are bugs, but I wouldn’t change anything. The new retreat space they’re creating is going to be beyond anything I’ve ever imagined, and I can’t wait to return and learn more from Kerri and recharge in the new space they’re creating.
Kieran Stilson – 2023
The residency program at Sweet Retreats has given me dear new friends and many fond memories. I have learned so much from the coaches and felt supported and seen. Sweet Retreats offers more than just a training opportunity, it is a community and a family. I couldn’t recommend it more.
Erin Bratkovich – 2
Kerri’s aerial artistry was soooooo rewarding! Kerri creates a welcoming, encouraging environment just by being herself, and in turn I was able to let myself be more free, more silly, more open, more EVERYTHING. Just MORE.
Angela Jackson – Halifax, NS. 2017
Read our complete COVID Policy here.
Cancellation Policy: No Refunds. No exceptions.
Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
Cancel more than 60 days before 1st day of program: 60% of your tuition paid (not including deposit) can transfer toward a future program within 18 months of cancellation.
Cancel 30-60 days before the 1st day of program: 40% of your tuition paid (not including deposit) can transfer toward a future program within 18 months of cancellation.
Cancel up to 30 days before the 1st day of the program: 20% of your tuition paid (not including deposit) can transfer toward a future program with 18 months of cancellation.
Sweet Retreats will not cancel this program unless the Mexican border closes, ALL flights are cancelled, and all airports close..
See complete list of terms and conditions here.
See COVID Policy here.