Lisa was first drawn to the excitement of the flying trapeze in 1987, taking her first swing at Club Med in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Within a year, she grew from an eager student to instructor level. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from the University of Houston and has been previously safety-certified by the USAG. After 5 years of teaching circus skills at Club Med, Lisa and her partner Stéphan had a 6-year career as professional aerialists, performing the flying trapeze, double trapeze, other aerial acts, and the Russian Swing all over the world. After starting a family, Lisa worked eight summers as Head of the Flying Trapeze at Country Roads Day Camp in New Jersey, overseeing 6 sessions per day, 5 days a week (thousands of happy kids).
Stéphan joined Club Med in 1987 as a swimming instructor but it wasn’t long before he was drawn to the flying trapeze rig. He quickly became a catcher and was asked to move on as a Circus Instructor. Within a year he was leading his team in various resorts around the world and was eventually tasked with opening the very first circus program in Europe for Club Med. Running away and joining the circus seemed like the most obvious next step for Stéphan and his partner Lisa. They went on to perform their acts all over the world including a long stint here in Las Vegas where they have elected to stay in their retirement from performing. After a few years off he is back at it and eager to share his knowledge and passion.
Chris attended Illinois State University, majoring in Secondary Physics Education; where he also participated in the Gamma Phi Circus – one of only two collegiate circus programs in the United States. While at Gamma Phi, Chris learned and performed acts such as Flying Trapeze, Russian Swing, Teeterboard, Handbalancing, Trampoline, Russian bar, Juggling, and many others. After attending ISU as a student, Chris stayed on for a year as the assistant coach of the Gamma Phi Circus. Following that year, Chris performed as a flying trapeze artist for POP Circus, traveling throughout Japan. After the 9.0 earthquake, that show went on hiatus and Chris transitioned back to a teaching role at TSNY Chicago. His performance skills as an incredibly talented flying trapeze artist were still in demand and he was soon contacted by Cirque du Soleil to train as a backup flyer while performing at Circus Vargas. After two and a half years there, Cirque hired Chris as an acrobat for the show KA, where he currently performs right here in Las Vegas! Chris continues to fly and teach others to fly at Trapeze Las Vegas.
Charlie was born in Cape Town South Africa where he started with a youth circus, Circus Osler. At Circus Osler, Charlie developed many skills such as flying trapeze, unicycle, tightrope, clowning, fire eating, rolo-bola, plate spinning, balloon twisting, face painting, and juggling… to name a few. After being drafted into the South African army and traveling all over Africa with the entertainment unit, he accepted an offer to work in Europe for 2 years as a trapeze catcher in an act known as the “Starlords”. Following his time in the army, Charlie worked as a chorus member and circus instructor to his fellow cast members in the production “Barnum” in Johannesburg. During his clowning career, Charlie has worked as a clowning teacher at Ringling Brothers Clown College, been a clown for Ringling at Disneyland, and an entertainer and stilt walker at the Circus Circus Casino in Las Vegas and across many state fairs, including Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and more. Currently Charlie still works as an entertainer in Vegas through his business, Charlie The Clown, and is proud to be part of the Trapeze Las Vegas team!
Brandon was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. There, he trained as a competitive gymnast with National Champion Coach Christopher Sommer, who’s program has blossomed into the world renowned Gymnasticbodies forum. He also spent many years learning piano and vocal performance, and has been a part of several musicals, his favorites being “Into the Woods”, “Les Miserables”, “West Side Story”, and “Rent”. He received his Aerial education with Darla Davis at Aeris Aerial in Sandy, Utah. There, he trained in silk, straps, sling, and chains, as well as hand-balancing and contortion. Brandon has worked as an aerialist at many corporate events, performed at the featured Aerial soloist in “Thriller” with Odyssey Dance Theater, and tied for 1st in the Male Silks Division of the 2015 U.S. Aerial competition. He recently moved to Las Vegas to pursue life as a professional aerial acrobat. This year he was crowned the 2016 U.S Aerial Male Silks Champion at the U.S. Aerial Championships in New York City. You can follow his training and progress on Instagram at @brandonscottacrobat.
Born & raised in South Florida, Kara has always had a passion for the arts, beginning with her strong gymnastics background as a level 7 gymnast. At age 15, she began specializing in aerial arts and acrobatics under the instruction of Russian Circus Legend Evgueni Baranok. She was a dance major at Dillard Center for the Arts. Kara has performed at many different events and special occasions, including Lorenzo Martone’s Nycked Fashion Show, Ultra Music Festival in 2012, and for celebrities like Dwyane Wade, Kim Kardashian and Jim Carrey, along with numerous clubs and events throughout South Florida. Most recently she was an aerialist and acrobat in Cirque de la Mer at SeaWorld in San Diego, The ACT at the Palazzo and LIGHT nightclub at Mandalay Bay on the Vegas Strip. She is currently performing as an aerialist and acrobat and is an instructor at Trapeze Las Vegas.
Lygia Way hails from the Big Island of Hawai’i, and recently moved to Las Vegas to pursue her dreams as a circus artist. She has trained on aerial cradle, silks, lyra, static and flying trapeze. Highlights of her career include features on American Horror Story and Bollywood productions in India.
Michael Radiff got his start in 2005 performing with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as a dancer, aerialist, and acrobat. From there his career led him to Las Vegas where he performed in Les Folies Bergere, Donn Arden’s Jubilee, and Steve Wynn’s Show Stoppers. Along with his performance career, he has been working as an aerial and tumbling coach since 2013.
Delphine Gaillard learned to fly at the tender age of eight. Through hard work and dedication, she was tour and stage ready by the delicate age of ten. Training at an infamous circus school, “Annie Fratellini Ecole Supérieur des Arts du Cirque, Paris, France.” played an integral role in honing the trapeze, Spanish web, silk and other aerial skills that would become the foundation of Delphine’s signature routines. Delphine moved to Las Vegas to play the role of “Julia” in the Cirque du Soleil production of the Beatles “LOVE.” The role of “Julia” was novel both because it was one of the only solo acts and because the unique use of straps and flight was akin to balancing on Olympian rings hundreds of feet above the audience. To date, Delphine has performed over 3,400 shows as “Julia” without incident.
Chris Tollette has been featured on NBC the Doctors, with a 7 year span of residency at one of the world’s most renowned water shows in Las Vegas called Le Reve. His acrobatic and Cirque career has brought him to stages like America’s Got Talent, music videos with Brandon Flowers of the Killers and flipping alongside Pitbull. Chris has an extensive background in nutrition, gymnastics, calisthenics, yoga, and strength training as an acrobat and Integrative Nutrition Coach. Chris is excited to share his knowledge with you at Trapeze Las Vegas.