Acro Educators

INTRODUCING OUR GUEST FACILITATORS FOR
Acro Educators Training Program 2026:

MICAH ELLINGER will be guiding us on a conversation around the topic of "Environmental and Social Impacts of being an acro educator."

DESCRIPTION: We often think about how we can hold the best container possible for our students- in other words, how do we create a positive impact within our circle of influence as a space holder? But what if we expand our circle of concern a little larger, to include the natural world and the people we impact outside of our acro bubble? Everything we do has impact, especially as we potentially gather many people in a place that's not their home and that involves lots of travel. Let's think together about how to give back to the larger community and minimize harms. Through the years of calibrating our acro skills, let's also calibrate our positive impact with our efforts & intentions.

BIO: Micah Ellinger has been immersed in the world of partner acrobatics since 2008, starting with an intensive circus program for 9 months at New England Center for Circus Arts in Vermont, and in 2016 completed 3 years training hand to hand at École Nationale de Cirque in Montreal.
Since then he has performed internationally with several companies, including Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, and Circus Monti.
Starting in 2020, he has shifted focus to coaching full time.
Micah is a coach at Progressive Partner Acrobatics, LEAP, co-founder of ATC, and founded his own acro business: Micah Ellinger Acrobatics Coaching. �When he’s not tossing someone in the air or teaching someone to do the same, he enjoys group singing and learning how to grow food. Micah has a Permaculture Design Certification and has spent the last 5 years learning about Appalachian ecology.
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JON HANDLEMAN will be guiding a conversation around the topic of "Creating meaningful and Dynamic Experiences"

DESCRIPTION: Let’s get real and dive deep into different methods of enlivening workshops and coaching the human within the acrobat.

BIO: Jon Handelman is a life coach who for over a decade has crafted creatively rich and meaningful community experiences, offerings, and events. He is the co-creator of Groove School, a musical school for adults, and one of the co-founders and inhabitants of Sun Song Community. He has started regular communal jam meet ups, men’s groups, various retreats in connection and healing, and created and directed traveling musical peace circuses that have performed throughout South America. Jon regularly hosts community events in Asheville, NC and teaches workshops at various festivals, including LEAF, Rendezvous, Floyd Yoga Jam and Compassion Camp. He is the creator and director of the Love Song gathering, a 4 day, 200 person event focusing on village building, communal singing, and musical development. Most recently, Jon organized and focalized a community written and directed interactive musical called “Before Long”. He currently runs an event company called Conscious Events which focuses on community, growth and service where all profits go to marginalized people. You can check out his web-site here: www.jonhandelman.com
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We are looking forward to the rich conversations we will have this spring at AE!
LEARN MORE ~ https://www.progressivepartneracrobatics.com/acroeducators

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---> Learn to reflect what you love as an Acro Teacher
www.AcroEducators.com

I'M BACK!
First creative handstand since shoulder surgery (biceps tenodesis) 3 months ago! I am feeling so fortunate to be in such a staggeringly beautiful place while I explore what being on my hands again feels like.
- - - > Part of my reemergence is the offering of an Acro Teacher / Coach Training this April in Asheville. ~ Interested to know more? 👉 www.AcroEducators.com

BIG NEWS! 📣 For the last 10 years, teaching and coaching Acro has been a primary focus of my life. It’s taken me across 20 countries, countless gyms, studios, parks, and maybe a few questionable rooftops - all in service of supporting acrobats and movement lovers. NOW it’s time to taylor my offering to teachers and coaches.

🔥 Introducing Acro Educators 🔥
A training program for those ready to lead, teach, coach, and inspire—with skill, heart, and a sense of humor. A pedagogy-focused, week-long program catering to current educators of Acro. Led by Blox, assisted by .moonbeam.acro and featuring some very exciting guests, this transformative experience combines lectures, generative discussions, hands-on workshops, introspective exercises, and group activities to help you uncover and refine your unique teaching/coaching style. Become an acro coaches who lift with their legs and their words!

April 5-11, 2026. Downtown Asheville, NC

www.AcroEducators.com

🤝 Acro Educators Training Program is the teacher training for

📣 An appeal for support: It's been a week since Hurricane Helene blasted Asheville area (and beyond). To reduce widespread suffering there is a very real need for supplies and financial support right now, but also long after the media has moved onto juicier stories. If you want to send relief $ and don't already have a recipient in mind, you can send to me and I will forward it to grassroots orgs on the ground and/or individuals in need. (Venmo, CashApp, PayPal). Message me directly if you're not in the USA and we can explore other transfer options.

Please understand that our recovery is a marathon not a sprint. For example, Asheville city's water supply infrastructure has been decimated and it is unclear when it will be operational again, but they are estimating many weeks or even months. Houses and humans and animals were swept away by the raging flooded river. Some neighborhoods and neighboring towns have been literally erased. Factories were flooded introducing toxic chemicals into the waterways and the mud left behind. There are growing concerns of pe*******on into groundwater. A real mess that will take a lot of time and a lot of support to heal.

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My family is safe and healthy and well. The storm was intense and 20+ big trees fell but none hit structures, only came close. Our dome home is high up on a hill so there was no flooding and its shape is conducive to high winds flowing over it. My dear parents-in-law down the road didn't fare as well. Their property took real damage with trees falling on several structures. If you'd like to contribute to their recovery, please indicate as such when you send $ so I can make the distinction between family support and general impact support.

🌀 ♥️✊

You know how you can just take your hand away real quick to get the pic? Don't act like you don't know what I am talking about. 😉 Come learn how to actually do the skills you are excited about! Thailand TRAINcation with .moonbeam.acro and I starts on Jan 6th. Still room if you want to join.