Michelle Mazzarella is a choreographer, aerialist, dancer, stuntwoman, producer, director, and teacher. She began her career as a dancer at age two, and achieved her Bachelors Degrees in Psychology and Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA, she directed both ICARUS Contemporary Dance Company and Foundations Choreography. In greater Los Angeles, Michelle joined TheCRayProject and Q.K. Entertainment, and performed and choreographed for LA Unbound. She has appeared on screen for Todrick Hall, Flood Your System, and The Mother Company, and on the runway with Fashion and Student Trends.
After graduating from UCLA, Michelle moved to Traverse City, Michigan, where she began teaching and choreographing for Interlochen Center for the Arts, The Old Town Playhouse, and Company Dance Traverse. She soon discovered aerial arts, and completed the highly regarded ProTrack Program at the New England Center for Circus Arts. At NECCA, Michelle specialized in Aerial Fabric, Hammock, and Cyr Wheel. Her most recent projects include developing acts on her own unique vertical apparatus, combining single point trapeze and aerial hammock. She also served as a coach at NECCA, sharing knowledge in Flying Trapeze, aerial apparatus, handbalancing, and more.
After graduating from NECCA, Michelle toured alongside the British duo Young & Strange in Champions of Magic and Delusionists, and appeared on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us! and Italian competition show Tú Sí Que Vales. She also performs in the corporate market with Boston Circus Guild and Westchester Circus Arts. Following her magic days, Michelle performed Spanish Web, Dance, Aerial Fabric, and Cyr wheel for Super American Circus, WeFlip Entertainment, SeaWorld Orlando, and many more. Most recently, Michelle has begun her next adventure as a stunt performer with Action Horizons, appearing in the Bourne Stuntacular at Universal Studios.
As a performer, Michelle has been described as versatile, genuine, vulnerable, prepared, and present. Her masterful manipulation of musicality and texture are a staple of her work onstage. She performs any work with passion, technique, skill, heart, precision and accuracy. As a choreographer, she takes joy in inspiring her audiences and performers alike, and is a dedicated team player with a strong foundation in choreographing a variety of genres for both stage and screen. As an educator, Michelle encourages her students to discover their potential by challenging themselves, all while cultivating a safe and nurturing environment. Michelle has been described as a “true Renaissance woman,” and is a lifelong learner of her many crafts.