Our Team

Jenn is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and now calls Asheville, North Carolina home. She started her aerial training in Carrboro, North Carolina and mostly concentrated on Aerial Silks. Since moving to Asheville, her aerial repertoire has increased to include Trapeze and Lyra (and two flights so far on flying trapeze!). Since the opening of Empyrean Arts, she dived head first into learning pole fitness, absolutely loves it, and is now a certified Aradia Fitness Pole instructor! Jenn is also a certified Empyrean Aerial Arts instructor, and loves teaching everyone how to play in the air. She works as a veterinary nurse at an emergency clinic nearby and enjoys kayaking, hiking, and traveling in her free time when she isn’t up in the air.

Sara hails from NYC where her love of dance began with ballet. She began studying belly dance under Sarah Joy and eventually joined Browncoat Bellydance. She still partners with Sara Joy, bringing her exotic flow to the stage with Mischief Managed Burlesque as Datura Luxe. Sara’s love for exotic flow and all things gooey began with her first contortion class at Empyrean and spiraled out to pole and lyra. In 2020 she became a certified Twerk Technician through Vertical Joe’s and has had the privilege of learning from instructors such as Heather Poole, Waverly Jones and Jax Spencer.

Sam started pole dancing classes in August 2016 trying to find something that would keep her active and was instantly hooked! She started attending Lyra classes in January 2017, and has performed on Aerial Hoop three times since then. She is also interested in Aerial Sling and Dance Trapeze. Now, Sam dances in the air and on the floor as much as possible. She also explores movement through Yoga, Pilates, and Liquid Motion floor work. Sam also has an associate’s degree in Health and Fitness science and is an ACE certified personal trainer! She plans to compete in PSO soon, and hopes to spread awareness of plus-sized athletes and aerialists. Sam is a certified Pole and Aerial Flexibility instructor at Empyrean Arts, offers Personal Training, and teaches the occasional Floorwork and Conditioning class.

Camille Reid comes from a family of fitness and outdoor enthusiasts. From gymnastics, tennis, and horseback riding while young, to working at a rock climbing gym in high school – she’s always found joy and excitement from being active and taking on new adventures. After spending her 20’s running, indoor bouldering, and practicing yoga, she found herself wanting to explore more into the world of dance and self-expression through movement.

After talking about this desire with a friend, she started taking cardio dance classes, then in December 2017, she signed up for her 1st pole class at Empyrean Arts and hasn’t looked back since. She dove deep into the world of all things pole, but also practices aerial yoga, lyra and sling.

She has trained under a variety of talented pole instructors, including Doris Arnold, Davina Shewolf, Jax Spencer, and more. And in January 2020 she completed her Aradia Fitness training with Waverly Jones to teach beginner pole.

Camille is currently teaching pole privates, Zoom classes, and hosting studio rental sessions.

When not at work as a mental health facility Sous Chef, she enjoys makeup artistry, good coffee, and spending time with her rescue cats, Bo & Tammy.

Caroline Woolard is a certified accessible yoga teacher who enjoys helping others establish a curious and compassionate relationship with movement and their bodies. Caroline guides individuals to explore movement in a variety of ways to discover what feels best for each unique individual. She is passionate about gentle approaches to movement that support the body in releasing tension while also building strength and awareness in a balanced way. Caroline first began taking classes at Empyrean in 2018 and fell in love with spinning on Lyra. Caroline is also a Reiki master and potter. She often spends her time creating pottery in the River Arts District, doing private and group energy sessions, and enjoying time out connecting in nature.

April LeQueen is a performance artist specializing in burlesque and variety arts entertainment. After falling head over heels for the art of the tease in 2006, April worked her way into performing and producing entertainment as a career. Her love of this classic art form developed into her signature brand of comedic sass and has taken her all over the United States as a touring artist. She strives to keep variety arts entertainment alive and kicking in the modern age with her shows Burlesque Brunch and Asheville Vaudeville and with sharing her knowledge and skill set in a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment.

Lydia began her aerial journey in Charlottesville in 2016, not knowing how much it would change her life. While at Warren Wilson College, she connected with other aerialists, performing in the annual circus as well as co-creating an aerial club on campus. Lydia has performed with Empyrean Arts, Asheville Aerial Arts, and the Flying Catastrophe Circus in the 2020 Fringe Festival. While lyra is her main love, she also avoids the ground by practicing sling, silks, pole, trapeze, and stilt-walking. She currently teaches beginner lyra classes and is passionate about building choreography and fluidity. When she’s not in the air, she loves partaking in other art forms such as painting, woodworking, sewing, music, and basketry.

Lumen (they/he/she) took their first class at Empyrean in 2016, previous to their pole practice Lumen was drawn to movement through fire dance and contact improv. For Lumen, pole offers the delicious balance of soft butch fitness & hard femme style. His relationship with pole cultivates poise, strength and body awareness while also feeling sexy AF! When not on the pole you can often find Lumen out on a hiking trail with her pup, DandyLion, a two year old rescue and Lumen’s primary home audience member. Lumen is excited to be sharing their love of movement with Pole 1 & 2 students, come join them in the studio!

Emily Yancey has been studying aerial yoga since 2020 and greatly enjoys introducing people to this relaxing and releasing form of movement. She brings enthusiasm and encouragement to all her classes. Emily has been a student of movement based classes since a young age, the daughter of an NYC ballerina turned modern dancer, she has tried a variety of dance classes as well as more “out-there” movement based dance programs. She has a background in yoga and tai chi, bringing the mindfulness of both to her teaching. She is passionate about helping people find relief while also secretly giving a workout. When she is not hanging upside down, Emily is cuddled up with a book and her calico kitty. Her primary job is a digital marketer and designer, focusing on web development and social medias.

Todd Gorham is a Certified Arborist, a member of The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and is Empyrean Arts leading aerial rigger. Todd graduated from Warren Wilson College with a Bachelor of Arts in Outdoor Leadership and is most at home in the wilder regions of Appalachia. While attending WWC, Todd entertained his prolific energies by climbing trees, playing varsity soccer, and learning Aerial Silks and Acrobalance. Playing circus with his friends, taunting gravity, reading science fiction, fantasizing about being a kung fu master and fighting monsters in dreams are some of his favorite things to do.