Photo by James Ismert: (left to right) Emerald Forest, Lilith Velarides, Taylor Marie, Logan Turner, Stephan Barber
Taylor Marie, Logan Turner, Colleen Walls, MacKenzie Chase, Emerald Forest, Jes Palmer, William Eaton, Christine Eaton, Armando Kiyama, Stephan Barber, James Ball, Walker Eaton, James Ismert
Taylor Marie (Director), Logan Turner (Musical Director), and William Eaton (Producer) - photo by Armando Kiyama
Taylor Marie
Founder, Director, Company Artist, Musician, Costume & Prop Designer
CIRQUE, photo by Armando Kiyama
Taylor Marie is an aerialist, singer-songwriter / musician, and visual artist. Taylor has a background in modern dance and currently performs on aerial silks, lyra (aerial hoop), corde lisse (rope), trapeze, and invented apparatus. Taylor founded Hydrangea Sky in 2022 after conceptualizing the dance company in 2021; HSMA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based out of the Verde Valley area in Arizona focused on bringing performing arts and arts education to the local community. Taylor is currently the Director of Hydrangea Sky Movement Arts. Taylor is also a costume and prop designer, alongside mother Christine Eaton, and performs live music during Hydrangea Sky's all-original productions.
Logan Turner
Musical Director, Musician, Safety Coordinator, Social Media Manager
Logan graduated from OCC with an Associates in Music in 2012 and then the Crane School of Music in 2016 with a BA in Music Business. During his time between The Crane School of Music and OCC, Logan studied with many accomplished percussionists in a vast number of different styles and instrumentation. Logan is a classically trained percussionist with a specialty in world percussion. Logan currently dedicates his time outside of his day job to study percussion at a high level and performing with various group in Arizona.
Colleen Walls
Secretary and Organization Specialist, Company Artist
Photo by Armando Kiyama
Colleen Walls is a second-degree black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu and a certified instructor at Sacred Mountain of Fighting and Healing Arts. She specializes in the tiger crane 108 system, northern long fist, wudang-yang style tai chi, and bagua. Colleen is a former member of Sacred Mountain's lion dance team and has experience performing the head and the tail parts of the Chinese lion. Her passion is giving martial arts demonstrations in front of a live audience, and she has competed and placed at several state, national, and international championships. She has won multiple grand champion titles, including the ICMAC Women's Tai Chi Grand Champion 2021 award, Phoenix Wushu Nationals Adult Women's Traditional Kung Fu Grand Champion 2024 award, and the USA Shaolin Open Traditional Kung Fu and Team Trials Adult Women's Traditional Kung Fu Grand Champion 2024 award. Colleen enjoys sharing her passion for Chinese martial arts with her community and with her Tiger Cubs and Little Dragons youth students.
Hydrangea Sky Shows: Ephemera, Unfurl, CIRQUE, Anthology
Hydrangea Sky Shows: Ephemera, Unfurl, CIRQUE, Anthology
MacKenzie Chase
Lead Graphic Designer, Photographer, Journalist, Editor, Company Artist
CIRQUE photo by Armando Kiyama
MacKenzie began her aerial journey in 2018 after being inspired by performances from Circus Bacchus and Dark Sky Aerial. She began training on silks at Momentum Aerial before taking a break from that apparatus to build strength on lyra. When she returned to silks, corde lisse seemed like a natural evolution to add to her training. She loves the feelings of freedom and empowerment that come with exploring the aerial arts.
Emerald Forest
Healing, Conditioning, & Realignment Coach, Company Artist
Unfurl, photo by James Ismert Photography
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Emerald Forest came to be in a green barn in the middle of the forests of Oregon. I became captivated by fusion belly dance and spent five solid years beginning in 2015 learning this form and how to move in both isolated and fluid expressions. I have been lucky to be surrounded by some of the worlds most influential teachers—Rachel Brice, Tiare Tashnick, and Zoe Jakes and I continue to practice and to study with them to this day. The dance vocabulary that we learn and utilize makes it possible for us to dance together in improvisation as well as in choreography. I have completed Rachel Brice’s Eight Elements certification level one and two, and practice with her now virtually through her Datura platform. I am also a practicing member of Tiare Tashnick’s Animara Dance School that celebrates Elemental, ritual Dance and Movement Magic together as a dance community. Finally, I fell in love with Lyra through Momentum Aerial in Flagstaff and love fusing these two movement forms as well. I look forward to sharing my own artistic, dance and conditioning development and training practices through my fledgling platform Emerald Forest Cirque and, here with the incredible artists of Hydrangea Sky. For me dance has become way more than a goal or career, but indeed has become my way of life, and I am deeply nourished and inspired by this ancient yet always evolving dance form and the dancers who surround me. You can connect with me @emeraldforestcirque on Instagram |
Jes Palmer
Aerial Rigging Technician, Stage Manager, Company Artist
Photo by James Ismert Photography
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After growing up practicing a variety of dance styles and having a strong background in tumbling and group stunting (flyer), Jes found the perfect blend of her favorite part from each of those things when she began training on static trapeze in 2020. Since then, Jes has continued to add new apparatuses wherever they could fit. Trapeze has continued to be her main apparatus, but Jes also trains in pole, silks, and rope, along with the recent additions of hammock and lyra. From her experience with dance, Jes held onto her love for contemporary dance in particular, and loves taking any opportunity to incorporate the style into aerial arts.
As an instructor and administrative assistant at Momentum Aerial Arts in Flagstaff, AZ, she has had the opportunity to continue seeking opportunities that will contribute to her success as an aerialist. This includes completing Paper Doll Militia’s Level 1 Teacher Training for both Trapeze and Silks, along with attending the upcoming American Circus Educators Conference (with administrative experience in both organizations, through being accepted to their work trade programs. |
William Eaton
Producer, Co-Director of Old Town Center for the Arts, Musician, Live Sound
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photo by Armando Kiyama
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William Eaton has been building one-of-a-kind guitars and multi-stringed instruments since 1971. His innovative instruments have been featured in Guitar Player, Frets, Acoustic Guitar, Experimental Musical Instruments, and many other publications. Eaton’s instruments have been displayed, at the Hollywood Bowl Museum, Museum of Making Music (Carlsbad, CA), Musical Instrument Museum (MIM – Phoenix, AZ), Tohono Chul Park (Tucson, AZ), Winter NAMM Exhibit (Anaheim, CA) among others.
A four-time Grammy Nominee, Eaton has composed for and performed with the Amadeaus Trio, Nouveau West Chamber Orchestra and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, and has performed as a soloist, with the Electric Harp Guitar Group, Ananeah, and the Nakai, Eaton, Clipman Trio. Eaton’s unique and original sound has been captured on 16 recordings for the Canyon Records label including his long time collaborations with R. Carlos Nakai and four recordings as the leader of the William Eaton Ensemble: an eclectic “world chamber fusion” group whose releases, have earned Billboard Critic’s Choice awards as well as charting in the top ten World album category. In a music related venture William and his wife Christine are founders and co-directors of Old Town Center for the Arts, a renovated historic building complex in Cottonwood, Arizona, dedicated to bringing national, international and regional performing artists to the Verde Valley since 2008. |
Christine Eaton
Producer, Co-Director of Old Town Center for the Arts, Costumer & Prop Designer, Choreography Advisor, Guest Performer
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Christine Eaton (formerly known professionally as Christine Lamb) graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and performed on every continent except Antarctica with Nikolais Dance Theatre from 1984 to 1987. Christine danced locally with her duet company Mixed Metaphor in Sedona, Arizona. Christine and William Eaton founded and presently run the Old Town Center for the Arts with daughter Taylor (CIRQUE Director) and Taylor's husband Logan (CIRQUE Co-Director). OTCA was envisioned by Christine to be a venue and creative space for aerial dance and other live performance arts. Christine's passion for modern and aerial dance inspired Taylor to follow in her mother's footsteps; without Christine's original vision, Hydrangea Sky would not have taken flight.
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Armando Kiyama
Photographer, Videographer
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Armando Kiyama is a photographer and visual artist based out of Arizona. Armando is one of the official photographers for Hydrangea Sky; he photographs the company artists for their portfolios (see each artist here) in addition to live performances. Armando photographed CIRQUE (2023) and Anthology (2024).
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Stephan Barber
Stage Technician
Photo by James Ismert Photography
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Stephan Barber has assisted in many live productions at Old Town Center for the Arts, notably aerial dance performances. Stephan has been with Hydrangea Sky Movement Arts as a Stage Technician for Ephemera (2022), Unfurl (2023), CIRQUE (2023), and Anthology (2024).
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James Ball
Head Lighting Designer
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James Ball (lighting designer) is the director of choirs and Theatre at Mingus Union High School here in Cottonwood. He has been awarded Northern AZ Theatre teacher of the year and runner-up Yavapai County teacher of the year. His plays and musicals have received multiple state awards and accolades. James started helping at the OTCA in 2009.
James Ball has done lighting design for Hydrangea Sky's live performances of Ephemera (2022), Unfurl (2023), CIRQUE (2023), and Anthology (2024). |
Walker Eaton
Holistic Fitness Fusion Training Coach
"My name is Walker Eaton, I am the creator of Holistic Fitness Fusion and the coach of the Holistic Training Team. From an early age I knew that health and fitness would be my life’s passion. Over the years I have practiced many modalities and athletic pursuits, including Pilates, Gymnastics, Yoga, Track and Field, Endurance Running and Biking, Body Building, CrossFit, Rock Climbing, Slacklining, Meditation, and more. All of these ventures shared a few common goals; optimizing my athletic performance, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and, of course, enjoyment and the pursuit of happiness. As a coach and personal trainer of over 12 years, I have focused on primarily corrective exercise, injury prevention, functional training, athletic performance, and holistic health, with longevity as our umbrella. I have always been obsessed with the idea of developing incredible athleticism through training that is predominantly focused on injury prevention so that I can do the things I love at a high level with less chance of injury.
Fundamentally, this is what I believe everyone wants in their own bodies: incredible ability and function without pain. This all brought me to create Holistic Fitness Fusion, a cohesive blend of everything I have learned through my broad spectrum of passions distilled down to the very best movements and organized into well-programmed routines.
Holistic Fitness Fusion is my attempt to fuse the very best ideologies from all of these modalities into optimized training routines that are all-encompassing yet minimalistic so that we can achieve a balanced life of longevity and performance in all areas. I am certain that helping and educating my family through health and fitness will be my life’s work — because that’s exactly what the Holistic Training Team is; a family."
Fundamentally, this is what I believe everyone wants in their own bodies: incredible ability and function without pain. This all brought me to create Holistic Fitness Fusion, a cohesive blend of everything I have learned through my broad spectrum of passions distilled down to the very best movements and organized into well-programmed routines.
Holistic Fitness Fusion is my attempt to fuse the very best ideologies from all of these modalities into optimized training routines that are all-encompassing yet minimalistic so that we can achieve a balanced life of longevity and performance in all areas. I am certain that helping and educating my family through health and fitness will be my life’s work — because that’s exactly what the Holistic Training Team is; a family."
James Ismert
Producer, Photographer, Videographer, Editor, Design
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James Ismert was audio engineer and producer for Anybody Listening? Recording Studio and BREAKER Records for 15 years. Photography and videography are his current passions.
James was the videographer and photographer for Hydrangea Sky's live performances of Ephemera (2022) and Unfurl (2023), in addition to photographing the company artists at Old Town Center for the Arts for their portfolios. You can view James Ismert Photography photos here. |