Amy Ell

 Amy Ell holds a B.S. in Exercise Science from Texas Woman’s University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Integrative Medicine. She is a Pilates Master Teacher, GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer, Thai Massage Therapist, choreographer, and longtime aerialist and aerial coach.

Trained in both classical and contemporary dance, Amy began exploring vertical movement early in her career. Her aerial work started in 1989 when she performed bungee choreography off a loading dock. She later studied Skinner Release Technique on dance trapeze with Robert Davidson in Seattle in 1990 and Vertical Dance Partnering on a rock-climbing wall at the Colorado Dance Festival in Boulder in 1999. Over the years, she has trained with numerous aerial and vertical dance pioneers worldwide, including Elsie and Serenity Smith, Fred Deb, Chantal McCormick, Lindsey Butcher, Sarah Poole, Magalie Lanriot, Compagnie Retouramont, Amelia Rudolph, and Wanda Moretti.

Amy’s choreographic work has been presented throughout the United States, New Zealand, Europe, and Ecuador, including projects supported by the U.S. State Department’s arts ambassador programs. While her earlier choreography centered on fabric, dance trapeze, and custom rock-climbing wall installations for theaters, her current work focuses on Vertical Dance. Through these performances, she honors the architectural and industrial structures her company, VauLt, performs on—such as rice silos—using movement and visual abstraction to illuminate their histories while creating striking large-scale performance experiences.