Kendall Knowles
LEAD INSTRUCTOR, PERFORMER COAA OWNER
Kendall Knowles has been performing aerial arts for the past 19 years and has a passion for teaching students of all ages and abilities. Owner and lead instructor for Central Oregon Aerial Arts, she is also an experienced rock climber and outdoor enthusiast. Kendall teaches all levels of aerial silks from beginning to advanced, and can help you gain strength, confidence, and ensure you learn in a fun and safe environment! Kendall is also a member of COAA's professional performance troupe.
Kendall Knowles has been performing aerial arts for the past 19 years and has a passion for teaching students of all ages and abilities. Owner and lead instructor for Central Oregon Aerial Arts, she is also an experienced rock climber and outdoor enthusiast. Kendall teaches all levels of aerial silks from beginning to advanced, and can help you gain strength, confidence, and ensure you learn in a fun and safe environment! Kendall is also a member of COAA's professional performance troupe.
Lauren Fletcher
INTRO/BEGINNING SILKS LEAD INSTRUCTOR
COAA MANAGER
TROUPE PERFORMER
Instagram: PixeeinFlight
Lauren has been climbing, spinning, and flying on aerial silks since 2013 and began sharing her love of the art form as an instructor in 2015. As the studio manager and a beginning silks instructor at COAA, she’s all about making aerial accessible, empowering, and safe for every new student who walks through the door.
Lauren has trained across the country — Indiana, California, Montana, and Oregon — gathering creative techniques, teaching strategies, and colorful inspiration from every stop. Whether it’s your first climb or your first drop, she brings an encouraging, step-by-step style that balances strength-building with artistry (and yes, she’s got a soft spot for sparkly costumes and dramatic music).
When she’s not upside-down in the studio, Lauren is the Vice President of Content of several national magazines and the proud mom of a high-energy daughter. She’s also a member of COAA’s professional performance troupe and believes that everyone has the ability to find their own kind of magic in the air
COAA MANAGER
TROUPE PERFORMER
Instagram: PixeeinFlight
Lauren has been climbing, spinning, and flying on aerial silks since 2013 and began sharing her love of the art form as an instructor in 2015. As the studio manager and a beginning silks instructor at COAA, she’s all about making aerial accessible, empowering, and safe for every new student who walks through the door.
Lauren has trained across the country — Indiana, California, Montana, and Oregon — gathering creative techniques, teaching strategies, and colorful inspiration from every stop. Whether it’s your first climb or your first drop, she brings an encouraging, step-by-step style that balances strength-building with artistry (and yes, she’s got a soft spot for sparkly costumes and dramatic music).
When she’s not upside-down in the studio, Lauren is the Vice President of Content of several national magazines and the proud mom of a high-energy daughter. She’s also a member of COAA’s professional performance troupe and believes that everyone has the ability to find their own kind of magic in the air
Satarra Smith
INTRO TO SILKS INSTRUCTOR
TROUPE PERFORMER
Satarra’s lifelong love for movement has led her to embrace various forms of fitness, including Aerial Silks, Yoga, Acroyoga, and multiple genres of dance. Her love for dance and fitness eventually led her to becoming a certified dance fitness instructor for many years. The journey in aerial arts began for Satarra in 2016 at Aerial Fit in Charleston, S.C., where she learned a wide range of fundamentals. After relocating to Bend in 2021 and discovering Central Oregon Aerial Arts, her focus in Aerial Silks amplified. This inspired her to become an aerial instructor at COAA in 2022. As a Level 5 aerial student and intro instructor at COAA, Satarra continually cultivates her skills and passion. Aerial arts have become a source of strength, perseverance, and inspiration for her, and she is dedicated to sharing these qualities with every one of her students
TROUPE PERFORMER
Satarra’s lifelong love for movement has led her to embrace various forms of fitness, including Aerial Silks, Yoga, Acroyoga, and multiple genres of dance. Her love for dance and fitness eventually led her to becoming a certified dance fitness instructor for many years. The journey in aerial arts began for Satarra in 2016 at Aerial Fit in Charleston, S.C., where she learned a wide range of fundamentals. After relocating to Bend in 2021 and discovering Central Oregon Aerial Arts, her focus in Aerial Silks amplified. This inspired her to become an aerial instructor at COAA in 2022. As a Level 5 aerial student and intro instructor at COAA, Satarra continually cultivates her skills and passion. Aerial arts have become a source of strength, perseverance, and inspiration for her, and she is dedicated to sharing these qualities with every one of her students
Chelsea Ernst
INTRO TO SILKS INSTRUCTOR
AERIAL FIT INSTRUCTOR
TROUPE PERFORMER
Chelsea started her aerial silks journey as a way to stay active during grad school in 2015 and has loved it ever since! As a member of our Level 5 class, she does her best to help her silks students to feel comfortable and confident in the air, while encouraging them to practice good habits and form on the silks. When she isn’t at COAA, she teaches wildcrafting, traditional nature skills, and wilderness survival to students of all ages at Nighthawk Naturalist School.
AERIAL FIT INSTRUCTOR
TROUPE PERFORMER
Chelsea started her aerial silks journey as a way to stay active during grad school in 2015 and has loved it ever since! As a member of our Level 5 class, she does her best to help her silks students to feel comfortable and confident in the air, while encouraging them to practice good habits and form on the silks. When she isn’t at COAA, she teaches wildcrafting, traditional nature skills, and wilderness survival to students of all ages at Nighthawk Naturalist School.
Nikolai Tree
INTRO/INTERMEDIATE LYRA INSTRUCTOR
TRAPEZE INSTRUCTOR
Follow on Instagram
Nicky is a second-generation aerialist who found his start under the big top—literally. From ages 12 to 17, he performed with a small family troupe of traveling circus artists, gaining hands-on experience in the world of performance from a young age.
Since then, Nicky has shared his passion by coaching aspiring circus artists at studios around the world, including the world’s largest social circus in South Africa. His teaching style is grounded in encouragement, technique, and a genuine love for the art form.
His professional background spans contortion, partner acrobatics, lyra, and trapeze, making him a versatile and dynamic coach. Nicky is also affiliated with Soma Tree Cirque, an aerial arts collective based in North Carolina, where he continues to create, inspire, and perform.
TRAPEZE INSTRUCTOR
Follow on Instagram
Nicky is a second-generation aerialist who found his start under the big top—literally. From ages 12 to 17, he performed with a small family troupe of traveling circus artists, gaining hands-on experience in the world of performance from a young age.
Since then, Nicky has shared his passion by coaching aspiring circus artists at studios around the world, including the world’s largest social circus in South Africa. His teaching style is grounded in encouragement, technique, and a genuine love for the art form.
His professional background spans contortion, partner acrobatics, lyra, and trapeze, making him a versatile and dynamic coach. Nicky is also affiliated with Soma Tree Cirque, an aerial arts collective based in North Carolina, where he continues to create, inspire, and perform.
Paige Studlack
STRENGTH & FLEXIBILITY
TROUPE PERFORMER
TROUPE PERFORMER