Vesta's Teaching Team
Our teachers also perform as Vesta Entertainment; Vancouver Island's vibrant contemporary circus and fire performance troupe. We provide lively costumed acrobatic stilt dancers to festivals, and perform both large and small-scale choreographed productions all over the west coast of Canada. We teach both summer camps and weekly classes, and provide circus playshops and artist-in-residence programs to schools. Internationally experienced and highly professional, Vesta has participated in three humanitarian social circus tours with “Spark Circus”, teaching circus and performing for Burmese refugee camps, orphanages and hospitals on the northwest Thai/Burma border. We've headlined at the 2013 Victoria International Busking Festival, the 2014 San Francisco Fire Expo, and perform yearly at Pacific Fire Gathering and our regional Burning Man events.
Karina Strong
Karina is the heart of Vesta. A former Social Worker trained in workshop facilitation and community development, and with a small business management diploma, she is currently at Vancouver Island University completing her Teaching degree. Mother of two, she is an internationally acclaimed performer. Karina and her husband Kevin took their two children on Spark Circus 2012, teaching circus and performing in the Burmese orphanages, migrant schools, and refugee camps for two months. She founded VestaFire Entertainment in 2010 as a way to share her knowledge with others in order to create joyful community.
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Melissa Nobels
Melissa is an accomplished acro-stilt dancer and teacher. She is a certified NIA dance instructor and enjoys sharing her love of expressive movement to music. She is currently teaching internationally (China, Thailand, Malaysia), returning to her home on Gabriola Island for the summer performance season. Her passion is in creating community and mentoring girls into confident young women.
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Jamie Black
Jamie is filled with joy, rhythm and dance! She comes to the stage with a true passion to move the audience through performance. Jamie has worked in outdoor education with children and youth for over 14 years. She is the facilitator for BodyTalk: a youth mentorship and performance program run by Crimson Coast Dance Society. Her passion is to use nature and performing arts to inspire body, mind and soul awareness. She has lived on Vancouver Island most of her life, and uses storytelling to craft wild play. She is currently completing her Masters in Environmental Education and Communication at Royal Roads University.
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![]() Quinn BeasleyQuinn is a professional circus artist who was born and raised in East Vancouver, and has been training and performing for over 7 years. His talents range from breathtaking fire performances to mesmerizing juggling and aerial acts. Quinn has performed and taught all over the word, in places such as the U.S., Thailand, Japan, and Haiti. Quinn' is also available for keynote speaking with his TedxTalk, about following his dream of being a professional Circus artist helping him move through addiction and homelessness.
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