Joanie Garcia and Morgan Louvier have survived the pandemic and launched a gravity-defying community.
Momentum Aerial is a school and manifestation of the collective dream of two Flagstaff women, housed in three warehouse bays and stretching across 5,400 square feet in east Flagstaff. It is here that Joanie Garcia and Morgan Louvier invite students age 5 and up to reach their highest potential through aerial arts.
Dancers, scientists, engineers and others of various ages and backgrounds share the airspace to practice their trapeze, lyra (aerial hoop), pole and rope skills.
Garcia is a rock climber who grew up practicing dance, which she continued in college. She came to Flagstaff from Durango, Colorado, after starting an aerial program called “Crested Butte Dance Collective.”
“When I learned about aerial dance in my early 20s, I started pursuing it in every way I could. I would drive to Boulder [eight hours away] for lessons and train on my own.”
Louvier grew up soaring on the flying trapeze. From age 12, she attended a school for the daring performing arts activity in Gilbert and later coached others.
“Aerial recreation programs have broadened in the last decade,” said Garcia. “But there are not many opportunities for aerial students in small art communities, only in large cities. That’s why I had to travel so far to get my start.”
But the two women changed the aerial landscape for Northern Arizona when they combined their vision, talents and forces and opened the school in 2018. Today, they have a staff of 13 teachers conducting 85 classes a week for 400 students.
“We like to say aerial arts is the tool, but the actual outcome to reach your own personal potential is whatever goal you want to achieve. You may want to gain physical strength, make friends, seek artistic expression or find a connection in the community,” said Garcia. “We find the outcome increases self-esteem and some of our students become role models for younger students.”
For those who are afraid of heights, the women have an answer. “We start our students really low to the ground and move them up when they are ready,” said Garcia. “It’s a great way for people to gain a different perspective and feel more comfortable with heights over time.”
Currently, through Aug. 23, Momentum Aerial is registering students for the fall semester. For those curious about the sport, they are offering an aerial sampler on Saturday, Aug. 31.
In addition, aerial instructors, who may be Northern Arizona University professors or W. L. Gore & Associates engineers, will be performing demonstrations and discussing the physics of aerial arts during the Flagstaff Festival of Science at Snook’s Science in the Park at Wheeler Park on Saturday, Sept. 18.
For example, NAU Assistant Research Professor in the School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems Kymberly Samuels-Crow, Ph.D., discusses Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
“There are a number of examples of this law in the aerial arts,” she said. “Spinning on a rope or silk is a great example. Spinning the silk clockwise makes the aerialist spin counter-clockwise, while spinning the silk counter-clockwise makes the aerialist spin clockwise. The aerialist will spin at a rate proportional to the rate at which he or she spins the tail of the silk. So, the faster you spin the tail, the faster you will move in the opposite direction.”
Whether they are promoting science, inspiring artists or growing a school, Garcia and Louvier are proud to have created a woman-owned small local business, which strives to offer competitive wages for teachers and affordable prices for students. And, they continue to be amazed at how high Momentum Aerial can go.
“The school has surpassed anything I thought it could be,” said Garcia. “We’re a three-year-old business that weathered the pandemic. We feel like we can make it through anything.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
For more information, visit
momentumaerial.org.
