Marisa grew up in Austin, TX, where she developed a passion for dance as a member of the youth competitive dance team, Austin’s Dance Elite. She trained and competed in a variety of styles, including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary. At the age of 13, Marisa began teaching youth dance classes at Alisa’s Dance Academy and Champions Gymnastics while continuing to hone her own skills. She has also had the opportunity to train at prestigious institutions such as Edge Performing Arts Center, New York City Dance Alliance, Millennium Dance Complex, and many others.

After high school, Marisa attended Chapman University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Advertising with minors in Leadership and Education. During this time she turned to yoga to help address injuries from years of competitive dance. In 2014, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training with S-Vyasa. She also began performing fire dance, as well as pointe and character acts for various festivals organized by Insomniac Events and Fire and Ice Entertainment.

Marisa’s love for aerial arts began after she saw a live performance by Quixotic, which inspired her to start training in aerial silks. In 2017, she earned her aerial yoga teacher training certification from Levity Academy. Eager to delve further into the circus world, Marisa joined Flyco, a pre-professional aerial training program, in 2018. There, she trained in Chinese pole, trapeze, partner acrobatics, lyra, silks, rope, and contortion. Following her time with Flyco, Marisa became a member of A-wol, a contemporary dance aerial company, and also began coaching with The Circus Project.

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Marisa holds a real estate license and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. She continues to train regularly in contemporary dance, silks, lyra, and contortion. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities like hiking with her dog, climbing, and skiing with her partner.