Our Team:
Meet the fabulously talented Lead Instructors at Mountain Air Dance!
Cathy Werner: Artistic Director & Founder
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Cathy Stone Werner is a gymnast turned modern dancer who loves to fly! She graduated from Texas State University in 2000 with a B.S. in Dance and then went on to complete the M.F.A. program in Choreography at the University of Colorado in 2003. Cathy has taught and performed with Frequent Flyers Productions, an innovative aerial dance company in Boulder, Colorado; as well as Wicked Sister Dance Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Cathy founded Mountain Air Dance in 2009; Montana's first aerial dance company. Her classes, workshops and performances have thrilled Bozeman and surrounding communities ever since. Cathy continues to learn new styles and approaches to teaching, performing and choreographing wherever life takes her and has a love for sharing aerial arts with her community. Through the melding of modern dance, gymnastics, yoga, pilates and aerial arts Cathy has created her own choreographic and teaching style that moves dancers through the vertical space on the stage and creates strong healthy dancers. She believes in the healthful benefits of dance and strives to pass her knowledge and love for the art on to future generations. |
Michael O'Reilly
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Michael O'Reilly's passion for circus and aerial arts began very early in his life. He has been jumping, flipping, and flying since he was a young boy. At the age of 12, with the help of a crafty father, he rigged his own version of a trapeze bar above a trampoline in his backyard and there was no going back. He is a self-taught gymnast and acrobat with an early background in dance and various performance art forms.
Michael became serious about aerial arts in 2009 when he first took a class from Cathy at Mountain Air Dance. Michael was her student for about a year before moving away. Since then, he has continued to focus his training and push himself to literal new heights as an aerialist with the help of various instructors and performers in Montana, Washington, and Arizona. Michael is also a Montessori preschool teacher and greatly enjoys being able to share aerial arts with children who love to fly as much as he does! He is so grateful to be a part of the troupe at Mountain Air Dance and can't wait to help fellow flyers reach their highest potential. See you in the studio! |
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Hana Boss
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Hana Boss began her aerial career in California at the age of 13 years old and since then has been training as an aerialist for 7 years. Her passion for aerial dance shines during her intensive training and on stage in front of a variety of audiences. Hana has found her calling through her love for silks, Lyra, and hammock, all in which she trains weekly. She has had the opportunity to share her passion with organizations like the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, BASSH, Loa Tree, Four Sisters Vineyard, Lucidity Festival, and Kids Helping Kids Foundation. Hana has also performed in the entertainment industry alongside Kenny Loggins, Parachute, Gavin Degraw, and Katy Perry.
Hana is currently a student at Montana State University studying for a B.S. in K-8 Education and a minor in K-12 Art Education. She is a dedicated instructor at the local Bozeman studio, Mountain Air Dance and some of her other interests include art, singing, and exploring nature. She wishes nothing more than to keep pursuing her wishes to inspire others, defy gravity, build confidence, fitness, and offer an artistic outlet. |
Cecilia (Ceci) Whyel
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Cecilia is an artist, teacher, performer, and choreographer with over 25 years of training in a wide variety of movement styles. Cecilia is from Massachusetts and graduated Cum Laude from Elon University with a BA in Theatre Studies and a dance minor. She also completed one year in the MFA Dance program at the University of Oregon.
Cecilia has had the opportunity to perform in a variety of spaces, including but not limited to the American College Dance Festival (ACDF) Regionals in Missoula, MT, the ACDF Nationals in Washington, DC at the Kennedy Center, The Marsh Studio, and The Lakewood Cultural Center. Cecilia previously performed with DAMAGEDANCE, BRIAH Danse, Iluminar Aerial, and In the Wings during her time in Colorado. Cecilia’s dance training has heavily influenced her teaching style as a health and wellness professional (ACE CPT, ACE GFI, RYT 200). When Cecilia is not dancing, she's most likely hitting the trails or whitewater rafting with her family. |
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More info coming soon about the rest of our amazing instructors!
Kat (Kit) Bentley
Katie Steward
Jenn Kotila
Lauren King
Rita Ramsey
Kat (Kit) Bentley
Katie Steward
Jenn Kotila
Lauren King
Rita Ramsey