Maia Castro-Santos

Maia brings her lifelong experience with aerial hoop to stages and studios across the US, blending grace, fluidity, and control with her fierce personality and powerful style. She has performed with Spiegelworld, Piff the Magic Dragon, Opera Vermont, the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra, Circus Evo, Cirque Us, Circus Smirkus, and more! As a coach, Maia builds students’ confidence with progressions for advancing dynamics, sharing her specialty split-spanset style sequencing, and helping students find their fastest spins. She has developed her coaching style and curriculum through years of working with students of all ages and levels in lyra, silks, and trapeze. She coached at Circus Smirkus camp 2022-2023, Murmurations Aerial 2023-2025, and Lines Vermont 2023-2025. Currently, Maia is a coach at the New England Center for Circus Arts, offering private lessons and weekend immersions while teaching recreational classes and working with the aerial hoop majors in NECCA’s ProTrack professional training program. She also travels to studios for featured workshop weekends, bringing her expertise to Rhode Island Circus Space, Buffalo Aerial Dance, Iron City Circus, Orlando Aerial Arts, and more. She always coaches with guided progressions and variations, meeting every student where they are at, and helping them climb to their next goal. Maia hopes you leave her classes feeling sweaty, strong, and satisfied.