*Aerial Mel Stevens
*Aerial Mel Stevens is a deaf, disabled, Queer, N-B., BIPOC aerial artist, rigger, and circus show director, and Accessibility and Inclusion Consultant with NoFit State Circus and Artistic Directors of The Future ( ADF) CircusWorks Director & NASAUK Director and Board Member Founder of Aim to Fly UK.
They began their performing career in the early ’80s as a dancer. After breaking their back, *Aerial Mel initially believed that they would have to let go of performance. They trained in Holistic Therapy *NVQ, Sports *BTEC, Teacher training *City and Guilds levels 3-5, and became a Health and Social Care Consultant with West Berkshire council and advising nationally with Skills for Care and The Grey Matter Learning, as well as Chair Person for West Berkshire Councils’ HealthWatch England. A decade later, *Aerial Mel was invited by Graeae to perform aerially for the GIDF in 2012, and PALI 3013 as part of the Paralympic aerial troupe.
In 2014 they gained their aerial teacher training qualifications, as well as their rigging certification, & founded Aim to Fly UK. Later that year they trained full time at Circomedia, & then began teaching accessible aerial with Circomedia’s ICAN classes. More recently *Aerial Mel has written risk assessments for NASAUK and Outdoor Arts UK (OAUK) and works with Bristol Old Vic (BOV) with Empowering Black Female Voices.
Facebook: Facebook.com/aimtoflyuk
Twitter: @aerialmel & @aimtoflyuk