Jordan and Clayton have curious minds, always eager to take a deeper dive and to see things from a different perspective. Their inquisitive natures are perfectly suited to the creativity and physics at the core of aerial arts. They’ve been described as “elite aerial nerds” and they are excited to share their discoveries because they’ve seen first-hand the powerful impact an aerial practice can have on so many lives.

About Jordan and Clayton

Teaching comes naturally to Jordan and Clayton as the practice has been central to their lives for many years. In fact, between them they’ve garnered nearly 40 years of cumulative teaching experience!

Before discovering the circus arts, Clayton was a swimming instructor and a first-grade teacher, and Jordan taught yoga full time. Each of them brought to their work in the aerial arts the experience they’d already gained from those early years of teaching.

When the couple discovered aerial arts as adults in their early 30’s they were immediately drawn to its combination of physical, mental, and artistic challenge. Jordan was drawn particularly to the soft apparatuses (silks, sling, and rope) because the combination of brainwork necessary in the wraps and bodywork in the air kept her fully engaged, while Clayton was drawn to the solid apparatuses (lyra and trapeze) which immediately felt like a natural fit. Although they both cross-train on all the apparatuses, they’ve each developed unique curriculums for their own particular favorites.

Before anyone was teaching aerial in the Charleston area, the couple began seeking out pioneers in the field to visit and learn from. In their early days they were especially influenced by The New England Center for Circus Art’s focus on solid technique, Paper Doll Militia’s focus on combining technique with artistry, and Aerial Space of Asheville NC’s focus on building a strong culture and teaching with intention. Since their beginnings Jordan and Clayton have been immersed in fully exploring their cumulative learning and they have used their discoveries to develop unique curriculums based on making aerial accessible to nearly any type of body through a strong emphasis on solid technique and efficient movement.

Jordan and Clayton performed together and as soloists under the stage name Wonderson Duo and even founded their own performance company, Circus Building Entertainment, which makes aerial and ground circus entertainment available for events in and around Charleston SC, their current home base.

The duo’s experience of living and breathing aerial arts, which always felt nothing short of amazing, resulted in the couple’s decision to focus the majority of their energy on teaching as a means of creating the chance for others to immerse themselves in aerial at a deep level.

Teaching has always brought Jordan and Clayton incredible joy, and building a successful aerial studio together has helped to fulfill their dreams of teaching and sharing that joy. Their studio is filled with strong and creative people who support each other, push each other, and challenge each other to constantly test the limits of what they are capable of both in the air and on the ground, both inside and outside the aerial studio.

Seeing their students discover their own unique strengths and then carry those discoveries over into their day to day life is what drives the couple’s teaching passion and challenges them to continue adapting and refining their curriculums to best meet the needs of each individual student they encounter.

About Aerial Fit^®

Jordan and Clayton created their aerial studio from the ground up. There were no other aerial schools, or anything even similar, in the entire state of South Carolina! They built out the facility to handle the unique safety requirements. They built the community of curious movers who give life to their space. They started small with just a few classes per week, and organically grew into a successful studio by responding to their students and always diving deeper into their material.

Jordan and Clayton strongly believe that aerial is truly for every body. Can’t climb? No problem. Not strong enough to even grip the apparatus? They’ve got suggestions, modifications, and fun things for you try. Jordan and Clayton have spent over a decade honing their curriculum and progressions to give anybody who wants it a deep learning experience in aerial arts.

Seeing the effects on their 5,000+ students, and how many “Ah-ha” moments have been generated with their creative drills and progressions inspired them to create Aerial Fit Online. Because everybody starts as a beginner, they’ve developed a vast beginner curriculum and effective ways to take students to the next level.

For the more avid students they’ve created a unique curriculum for developing student showcases that gives their students the experience of performing in a real show. They wanted to share that experience and those resources because they truly believe that any body can benefit from circus arts, and that benefit can be more than meets the eye.

As busy studio owners and instructors, they know that many aerial instructors have limited time in their schedule. Everybody wants to help their students succeed, but without the time and experience to draw on it can sometimes be difficult to know how to help your student. That’s where their experience, and the 20,000+ hours of time they’ve put into their curriculum come into play! Their motivation in creating this resource is to help teachers succeed, so their students can thrive.