Aryn Shelander

📣 Big circus announcement - Part 1 🌞!!! Stay tuned for what discipline I’ll be doing and the special human I’ll be performing with 💛! Some reflections: I did a little digging to share a bit of my path to the present moment. In the beginning of my circus life I just learned things because I was having fun learning what my body could do, and in just LOVED training with my friends. Coaches told me I was distracted by learning too many disciplines. That was certainly true. 😂💀I didn’t even mention in the post about the duo acro hula hoop act I made while learning silks for the first time and performing aerial wall dance. 🥴😵‍💫! And I was slacking on my one arm handstand drills bc I was more interested in creating duo contortion shapes. My coach, Dominik, told me at this rate it would take me five years before I had a one arm handstand. Funny enough it was ten years before I performed a one arm handstand… lol he was more than right, but at least I never lost my love for what I was learning. I used to think of myself as “not good enough at contortion to say I was a contortionist” but I see that as silly now. I love training contortion and it taught me how to do incredible things with my body that I use in every discipline now. Some time around 2015 to 2023 I got attached to the IDEA that I did hand-to-hand and trained contortion. Plus, I was stuck aspiring to do a “good job” at what other people deemed “high level” and it made me freeze creatively for years, unable to make an act. It took me a long time break free of the idea that my identity was tied to a discipline or an outside idea of “good”. It wasn’t until I started to make acts that felt fun and interesting to ME that it started to flow. I started to relish in the creative formula that I learned from Ikigai the Japanese philosophy for finding meaning in life: What is your combination of: - What do I love doing? - What am I good at? - What can I get paid for? - What does the world need? When I thought about these questions, my ideas started flowing, I let go of the idea that I do a single discipline, started combining things I loved and hey! Here we are. I cannot wait to share part 2!

New Hair Hanging reel!!! This took forever to make!!! But after making 5 new hair-hanging acts in 5 months I was dying to put it in a single reel. Footage from @gottalentchile @houseofyesnyc @cirquedelasymphonie @therealshadeproductions Epic footage by @tinlazar More footage and on stage assistance by @joshdecks Creative collaboration and brain storming w/ @benhuey2 #hair #hairhanging #circus #circuseverydamnday #circusartist

My performance reel for Aerial Archery is finally here! I can’t wait for where this act will take me 🖤💜❤️🏹🎯 Artistic direction from @creative.viloria #circuseverydamnday #circus #cirquegram #cirqueduinsta #acrobatics #contortion #flexibility #archery #archerygirl #trickarchery #circusartist #archerygoals #fitness #fitnessmotivation #gymnasticsbodies #peopleareawesome #stretchgoals #backflexibility #backstretches #backday #backflexibilitytraining @houseofyesnyc @vegasauditions @leaveyourlegasea @virginvoyages #contortionist #flexible #flexibilitytraining #strongwomen @flexibilityposts_ @flexibilitynation @circus_my_world @contortiongoals @contortion.post @contortion_post @cirquedusoleil @cirquegram @flexibility.planet @flexible__people @cirquedusoleilcastin

Last chance to watch this beautiful cast together ✨ ✨Come join us✨

Get to know the Dear San Francisco Cast 9 ✨ . . Back stage at Club Fugazi. This is how we vibe before a show of Dear San Francisco!

There’s no better way to get pumped up than learning some new tricks during pre-show warm-up at Club Fugazi - it’s the perfect way to kick off the fun! . .

What areas do you want to get more flexible in? Ask any questions below 💌 Thank you @marionbrisse_ @benhuey5 and @thechloesomers for help filming!

In pre-show rehearsal we calibrate skills, teach each other new skills and show-tracks that we will perform in the future, and leave some time to play around and create new material. Maybe some of these skills will never be seen in the show but you never know what you might find.

This week is San Francisco Circus Week and we are celebrating at Club Fugazi! ⭐️People’s Circus Theatre, Thursday April 16 at 7:30pm ⭐️Circus Bella!, Friday April 17 at 7:30pm ⭐️Dear San Francisco, Saturday April 18 at 2pm and 7:30pm ⭐️ ALL DAY SATURDAY April 18th circus activities and performances outside of Club Fugazi. ⭐️Dear San Francisco, Sunday April 19 at 1pm and 6pm The video above shows The 7 Fingers cast warming up for their show ‘Dear San Francisco’.

Most people duck out of the way, @nathantsuji catches mid air. #nicecatch #targetpractice #archery #footarchery #handtohand

A moment from opening weekend. It feels so special to be back in the Bay with this cast and @benhuey5 signing “I left my heart in San Francisco”. I’m still learning where to focus my eyes in my back leg scale, and how to do my contortion warm up interspersed with other group acts. But I’m loving how collaborative the show is. We are all helping each other on and off stage and that’s my favorite state of being. Thank you @andreas.alfaro for the video!

It’s premier night at @clubfugazisf with @the7fingers and I get to do aerial foot-archery with @benhuey5 singing “I left my heart in San Francisco” and holding the target supported by @lucas.romero91 and @digao_circos and this amazing cast! Thank you @gypsysnider.the7fingers for your direction and confidence in us all!! You bring together people who care and that shows in every moment. Cute video by the Queen of San Francisco Chinatown @xirimpi ❤️🎯 Thank you for coming to the show and sharing this moment!