About Us
Maria-Elena Marso | Artistic Director/Founder, Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts
Maria-Elena Marso has spent more than four decades doing what most only dream of — performing across six continents, moving through the world with the discipline of a dancer and the fearlessness of a circus artist. Her journey began in 1974 at the ballet barre, and she has danced nearly every day since. That devotion never wavered — it simply evolved.
From the stage to the sky, Maria-Elena has mastered the art of movement in every dimension. Alongside her partner Joe Marso, she pioneered a breathtaking Adagio act that blends strength, trust, and artistry into something truly rare. But for Maria-Elena, performing was never the finish line — it was the foundation.
Today, she brings that lifetime of experience into every class she teaches. A dedicated student of biomechanics and anatomy, she approaches each young performer with curiosity and intention — not to mold them into something, but to uncover what's already there. Her gift is seeing potential before the student can see it themselves.
Brent Durham | Assistant Director & Aerial Straps Instructor
Some athletes train to compete. Brent Durham trains because movement is his language — and he's been speaking it fluently for over 14 years.
Rooted in gymnastics and martial arts, Brent built his foundation on discipline, precision, and the relentless pursuit of mastery. That foundation took him to the head coaching role of the Boundless Gymnastics Competitive Boys Team in Palm City and Stuart, where from 2018 to 2023 he shaped young athletes into confident, capable competitors. His coaching philosophy mirrors his own journey: push the limits, respect the craft, and never stop learning.
Then came the air.
Drawn to the power and artistry of aerial straps, Brent took his athleticism to new heights — literally. He earned his Level 2 Aerial Straps Instructor certification, bringing world-class technique to every class he teaches. His performances have commanded stages across South Florida — from corporate events and theatrical productions to the adrenaline-charged atmosphere of South Florida Fairgrounds Fright Nights.
What makes Brent exceptional isn't just what he can do — it's how he teaches others to do it. His background in gymnastics, martial arts, and aerial arts gives students a rare, multi-disciplined perspective that builds strength, body awareness, and fearless confidence from the ground up.
At FADCA, Brent doesn't just teach circus arts. He lives them.
Alyson Oates “Ms. Aly” |Aerial Arts Instructor
Some teachers discover circus. Alyson Oates grew up inside it.
Aly began training at Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts at age 12, and she still remembers exactly what she thought of circus in those early days: “I hated climbs and loved anything that put me upside down!”
Eight years later, much has changed — but, as Aly puts it, “my love for this sport hasn’t changed a bit.”
Primarily trained in aerial fabric, Aly also loves Lyra and static trapeze, with trapeze holding the title of her favorite apparatus to perform. She first took the stage at 14 and says she “instantly became obsessed” with performing.
One of her favorite experiences came during FADCA's The Flying Nutcracker, when she performed the role of the Sugarplum Fairy five times in a single weekend. But what she remembers just as fondly was watching her own students perform the routines they had worked on together.
Aly began teaching in 2023, bringing years of FADCA training and performance experience into the classroom. For her, the best part of coaching is personal: “getting to know each individual student and watching them successfully show skills they doubted they could achieve.”
Her students also hear a message Aly has believed since she first began teaching: practice truly does make a difference. The harder you work and the more effort you put in, the more you are capable of becoming.
But Aly also understands that good coaching isn't simply about pushing harder. She believes a good aerial teacher must know “when to push your students to their full potential and when to make the kids check in with their bodies” and give themselves the recovery aerialists need.
That balance — hard work, confidence, body awareness, and knowing your own strengths — is what Aly hopes to pass along. Her goal is for students to become confident in their skill sets and learn how to highlight what makes each of them strong.
Outside the studio, Ms. Aly loves cooking, baking, and anything to do with Halloween. And there's one thing many of her students may not know yet: she's engaged and getting married this spring!
At FADCA, Aly's story has come full circle — from the 12-year-old who hated climbs and couldn't wait to get upside down, to the teacher now helping another generation discover just how much they can do.
Olivia Oster Assistant Teacher | Aerial Artist
Olivia Oster’s journey with Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts began when she was just seven years old. What captured her imagination first? The fun of aerial drops—and, as Olivia remembers it, “doing anything in a split.”
Ten years later, Olivia has grown from a young FADCA student into an accomplished aerial artist, competitor, performer, and Assistant Teacher.
During her decade of training, Olivia has explored nearly every apparatus FADCA offers, including Aerial Silks, Lyra, Cube, Trapeze, Tight Wire, Globe, Spanish Web, and German Wheel, along with specialty apparatus such as chains and unique metal aerial structures. She especially enjoys discovering what is possible on an unfamiliar apparatus—experimenting, creating, and finding movements that are uniquely suited to it.
Olivia has performed throughout Florida at arts festivals, theatrical productions, and private events. One of her most memorable experiences was performing at IMMERSE in downtown Orlando, where FADCA artists shared the festival with an extraordinary collection of professional performers and companies. She has also appeared at ArtsFest and the Lyric Theatre and has earned first-place competition finishes in both Solo and Duo Lyra.
Her transition from student to teacher began during her freshman and sophomore years of high school, when she volunteered as an assistant during FADCA summer camps. In 2025, during her junior year, she officially joined the teaching staff.
That history gives Olivia an unusual connection with the young artists she now teaches: she remembers being one of them.
Her favorite teaching moments aren't necessarily the skills that come easily. They are the ones a student struggles with, works for, and finally achieves. Olivia loves watching the frustration disappear when a child realizes, I did it.
Her philosophy is summed up in something she frequently tells her students:
“You can’t say you can’t do it if you haven’t tried it yet.”
It is a lesson Olivia learned through her own aerial training. Her teachers encouraged her to attempt skills even when she was frightened or wasn't convinced she could accomplish them. Today, she passes that confidence forward.
Olivia believes excellent aerial coaching also requires an eye for the smallest details—the tiny adjustment in position, timing, or technique that can make the difference between struggling with a skill and suddenly understanding it.
While she loves performing on Lyra, Chains, German Wheel, and unusual new apparatus, some of her favorite things to teach are specialty metal apparatus and Duo Lyra.
Above all, Olivia wants her students to leave class having had fun, laughed, worked hard, and felt genuinely proud of themselves.
Olivia is currently completing her senior year of high school and plans to attend college in Florida to study film and writing. Beyond the circus, she is a member of Martin County High School Varsity Debate and OPUS Chorus—creative pursuits that reflect the same curiosity, confidence, and love of performance she brings to FADCA.
From the seven-year-old who couldn't resist a good aerial drop to the teacher now encouraging another child to try something she isn't sure she can do, Olivia has grown up in the circus—and now she gets to help someone else do the same.
Our Mission
At Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts, we believe every child arrives with something worth celebrating — a unique combination of talent, potential, and spirit that no standardized curriculum can capture. Our mission is to see each student as the individual they are, and to teach accordingly.
We train with deep respect for the body. By honoring each student's natural joint ranges and physical boundaries, we create an environment where progress is never forced — it's earned. We know when to push and when to pause, when to challenge and when to cheer. That balance is not an accident. It is the result of years of dedicated study in the biomechanics and physics that govern aerial and circus arts.
Safety is not a rule at FADCA — it is a culture. Every lesson is built on the understanding that a confident, safe student is a student who thrives. We celebrate every milestone, no matter how small, because we know that each accomplishment — each climb, each hold, each flip— is a building block of something greater: a child who knows their own strength.
We don't just teach circus arts. We teach young people how to believe in themselves — one skill at a time.
“"Every impossible thing begins with a child who didn't know it couldn't be done."
— Maria-Elena Marso, Founder, Florida Aerial Dance & Circus Arts
