Welcome Kristi to the Coaching Team!

Please welcome Kristi Alyssa to the Parish coaching team! Look for her upcoming tutorials on trapeze, aerial hoop, lollipop, and more; and interact with her on the Discord. 

Kristi Alyssa has been a circus artist for 17 years and an instructor for 11 years. She first found circus by joining the Gamma Phi Circus at Illinois State University. She later went on to graduate from NECCA (2012) and Aloft Circus Arts (2015) professional and teacher training programs.

Kristi is a highly in-demand instructor, director and choreographer in the Chicagoland area. She is the Director of the Professional Training Programs, Director of the Youth Program, Director of the Aloft Youth Ensemble, an instructor, performer, lightning designer and photographer at Aloft Circus Arts in Chicago, IL. She specializes in lyra, duo lyra (with Chloe Zabicki) and single point trapeze. She also performs and teaches lollipop lyra, diabolo, sling, silks, spanish web, flexibility, juggling, pole, and more. She thrives in building closeknit, positive and supportive communities in her classes and loves ensemble work. She enjoys leading students in act creation and choreography.

Kristi is known as a director and choreographer who brings heartfelt ensemble, narrative-based storytelling to the stage. Her creative work is rooted in emotion, story and character. She is the founder and director of Reminiscent Circus,  who are the creators of the contemporary circus show "Way Home" (premiered July 2024). She also directed "Somewhere Out There" (May 2023) and "All in Good Time" (May 2024) and is currently working on a new show “From the Ground, Up” debuting in May 2025. 

Kristi has a masters degree in clinical mental health (she’s a therapist who strongly believes in the healing power of movement and expression!). Alongside her circus career, she is a professional photographer. She enjoys film acting (and was in AMC's Interview with the Vampire, 2022), figure skating, traveling, her cats and Taylor Swift.