Aerial Dance Retreat
Silks, Sling, & Lyra
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
June 28-July 5
Sept 14-21
Spend a WEEK in PARADISE with new friends, the beach, delicious, fresh, local food, and learn loads of new Aerial Skills!
This retreat runs parallel with our Circus Residency Program, and gives you a one week taster of our circus school in paradise. There will be 5 days of classes followed by one day to rest and explore the area. Get ready to be immersed in the world of aerial dance, floor work, creativity, and community.
Aerial Dance Retreat will have 2 daily classes – Morning classes start with a general warm up or dance class followed by 2 aerial sessions. The first session will be exploring various skills and sequences on either silks or lyra (students can choose which one they would rather focus on). The last part of morning class will be focused on aerial sling. We will use creative and technical exercises to take the time to truly connect with the work. Afternoon classes may include floor work, acrobatics, choreography, performance skills, and flexibility. We will also work with different kinds of music and themes in order to explore our creativity on our apparatuses.
The rest of our time can be spent eating amazing, healthy food, swimming in the warm ocean, reading in hammocks, and breathing the tropical air. There will be time to explore local markets and beaches as well as the local night life.
Prerequisites for Aerial Dance Retreat:
- At least two years of regular aerial study on aerial silks or lyra
- Desire to explore aerial skills, floor work, acrobatics, flexibility, and dance.
- The desire to move your body in new ways. No technical dance experience required.
Daily Schedule Sample: Everything is optional!
- 7-9:30am Coffee, Tea and Breakfast
- 10am-11pm Warm up or Dance Class
- 11-1pm Aerial Skills & Sequencing
- 1pm Lunch
- 2-5pm Pool-time, relaxing
- 3:30pm Afternoon snack (ice coffee and treats)
- 5-6:30pm Creative Exploration, Flexibility, Floor Work, Musicality, Performance Skills
- 7pm Dinner
- 8-10pm Evening Activities
We will take you to our favorite beaches for swimming, snorkeling, and releasing baby turtles into the sea. Evening adventures include a bioluminescent lagoon and local night market.
Space is limited, so sign up now!
About Our Teachers
Kerri Kresinski 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.
Mandy Hackman started her performance life as a professional dancer in NYC, where she discovered circus and slid gleefully sideways into the aerial arts. From there after, she continues to dance with various contemporary dance and live arts companies while also creating & performing circus work throughout the US. She specializes in aerial sling, silks, hoop, and rope, bringing a choreographer’s eye to her aerial creations. She is a founding member of Circus 617 and interdisciplinary arts group Hypha, director of circus acts for Double Blind Productions, and has toured her own dance/acrobatic work through her company Tree Project/ Shapeshifter Collective.
Mandy’s coaching incorporates her deep love of efficient movement mechanics. She applies her extensive study of anatomy, kinesiology and somatics to her technique coaching and loves digging in to make that one move just “click.” She has taught applied anatomy for performers at Metro State University in Denver and has coached at studios and festivals throughout the US, including the US Aerial Dance Festival, Excessive Realness Dance Festival, and leading anatomy & body mechanics workshops for Aloft Pro Track. Mandy is currently based in Boston as a senior coach at Esh Circus Arts, and Programming and Curriculum Development Lead at Commonwealth Circus Center. When not in the studio, you can catch Mandy applying that love of efficient, anatomy-led movement to her body inclusive strength and mobility practice All Our Bodies.
Performer website: https://www.mandyhackman.com @shapeshifteraerial
Mobility coach website: https://www.allourbodies.com @all.our.bodies
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.
Chloe Axelrod , a born and raised San Franciscian, has over 20 years of circus training, and over 15 years of circus teaching. She trained with masters of acrobatics such as Mr Lu Yi, and Xia Ke Min, and of flying trapeze Scott Cameron. She has done every thing from doubles on the flying trapeze to sitting on her head in contortion to basing and flying for three high human towers. Chloe’s specialty is aerial hoop on which she has a solo act and a doubles act. With these acts, she synthesizes years of training, a love for spinning, strong, fierce passion for movement into a whirlwind of virtuosic expertise. Chloe teaches in the professional training program at the San Francisco Circus Center as well as recreational classes. Through teaching and performing she shares the magic of circus all over the world. chloeaxelrod.com
Instagram @lishalight
Retreat Pricing (in USD):
| Room | Early Bird Price | Full Price |
| Shared Dorm (gender mixed) | $2000 | $2300 |
| Private Shared Room (2 friends sharing) | $2200 | $2500 |
| Private Room with Shared Bathroom | $2500 | $2800 |
| Private Room with Private Bathroom | $2800 | $3100 |
Early bird price is available until 90 days before the retreat begins.
Full tuition is due by 4 weeks before the retreat begins.
Rates refer to cost of one person’s tuition.
Couples/SO’s are welcome at an additional price.
What’s Included:
- Ground transportation to/from the Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM) to our accommodations*
- Arrive on June 28. Depart on July 5.
Arrive on Sept 14. Depart on Sept 21. - Tips on booking your travel.
- Arrive on June 28. Depart on July 5.
- Accommodations for the duration of the retreat
- Daily meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert & snacks
- 2 Daily classes (4-6 hours total/day)
- Aerial photoshoot
- Evening activities
- Trips to local beaches, baby turtle release, and night market
- 24 hour use of Swimming Pool, Jacuzzi, and Community Spaces
- High Speed Starlink Wifi Internet
- Evening Jacuzzi soaks
What People Are Saying:
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.
Kieran Stilson, 2022
Kerri is hands-down the best aerials instructor I’ve ever had. 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 a lovely human being and a true master of her craft. I have never learned aerial silks in such a technical, digestible, applicable yet artistic, creative and vulnerable way.
Jessica Leong, 2022
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. Kerri is skilled and optimistic, is genuinely there for you, and 100% rooting for you to “get that thing” and if you’re not there yet, can show you what needs to be done to get you to progress. 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.
Elizabeth Ferretti – April 2019
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 performers, 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
Links for more information:
- Accommodations – room descriptions
- Meals and Food*
- How to get here. Info and advice on booking your travel to Puerto Escondido.**
- Weather in Puerto Escondido
- Testimonials
- Excursions
Questions? Email us at SweetRetreatsMexico@gmail.com.