2024 Delaware Art Educator of the Year
Maia Palmer
Revival
The 2022 Ascend Flow Arts showcase theme was ‘Revival’ - a reemergence after the setbacks we all faced during and after Covid-19. Maia chose a song that speaks to her desire to get back out there and grab life back by the reins. As Camilla Cabello and Shawn Mendez sing in Bam Bam, “It's been a hell of a year, thank God we made it out…. Así es la vida, sí, that’s just life, baby…”
The Sugar Plum Fairy
Photos by @billykz and @iamphotogemz | ProPixel Imaging LLC
A Day at the Beach
Photos by @billykz and @iamphotogemz | ProPixel Imaging LLC
Legend of the Pleiades Sisters
For my first performance at Ascend Flow Arts, I was inspired by the Greek legend of the Pleiades star cluster, including the star for which I was named, Maia.
According to the legend, the seven lovely daughters of Atlas were being relentlessly chased by the hunter Orion, until Zeus turned them into doves in order to escape Orion’s advances. They flew up, up, up into the heavens where they became bright, shining stars.
For the music, I danced to Propuesto Indecente by Romeo Santos, a song that parallels the experience of the Pleaidas sisters as they faced the unwanted attention of an unrelenting pursuer.
The introductory bachata entrance was choreographed by dancer extraordinaire Kelly Burke, and performed with one of my all time favorite dance partners, Pravine Viswakumar.
Dumb and Dumber: A Comedy of Errors
Caitlin and I started lyra together about a year and a half before our duo performance at Ascend Flow Arts. While we take our learning seriously, we also find humor in our mistakes. Inspired by Lauren Morgens and Sharon Dounce’s lighthearted duo performance the previous year, we were looking for an opportunity to unleash their own inner comedians together. I hope you enjoy our aerial rendition of Dumb and Dumber.