Heather Stinnet is more than just an instructor here at Lotus Fitness Studio; she’s a fixture. You’ll see her scampering up and down the ladders at our student showcases, rigging lyras to the ceiling and taking them down again between acts, and generally just being a ray of sunshine. She’s a fan favorite among our students and it’s easy to see why.

Heather started dancing at about nine years old with ballet and acrobatics, and kept at it through high school. She especially connected with lyrical dance because she loved how expressive it is and how it allows a dancer to communicate deeply with their audience. True to form, when she teaches choreography here at Lotus, she incorporates a lot of lyrical inspiration. Although her choreo tends more toward the sexy than the interpretive lately! While she delved deep into the world of dance, Heather is not much for competition. This gives her classes a stress free vibe that her students love, because for her, the best thing about teaching is watching her students go from, “I could never do that!” to “Wow, I’m totally doing it!” She is truly enthralled with the journey aerial students take by overcoming their hang ups and fears and embracing a truly fun new hobby.

While pole was her gateway drug, Heather definitely gravitates toward lyra. She finds that lyra allows for total freedom in exploration and coming up with new moves. In fact, one of her favorite things about the culture of aerial dance is the spirit of invention. She loves how innovative aerialists have become, and especially how social media sites like Instagram allow for a sort of crowd-sourcing for new tricks and transitions. She loves getting inspiration from other aerialists online, and even from her own students. By really allowing themselves to play and try new things, and just have fun with it, Heather watches her students get stronger and more advanced. “It’s progression through exploration,” she says.

If there is one thing we can say without reservation about Heather, it’s that she loves her students. For her, the most fulfilling thing about teaching working with everyday people on a recreational level. “I love when people walk in and say, ‘I want to fly through the air and do splits at forty,’ and sometimes they don’t think they’ll get there, but they surprise themselves.” Heather sees her job as helping people do something they never thought they’d do, and about providing a no pressure, fun atmosphere where people can leave their stress at the door and just have fun. But she’s not just a chipper little cheerleader all the time. “Sometimes you gotta coddle people,” she says, “and sometimes you have to lovingly call someone a chicken shit,” because we can all hold ourselves back sometimes.

While the aerial community in general is full of supportive, encouraging people, Heather finds that Lotus really exemplifies this more than anywhere else. She loves that there is a spirit of great commeraderie in the studio, that it is a drama-free place to get your stress out and embrace a spirit of play. When her “lyra babies” surprise themselves with what they can do, she says they light up like children and that our students here truly look forward to cheering for their classmates when they nail a new trick.

When she’s not at the studio, this Apopka native relaxes at home with her three cats and husband, Jon. She is a self-declared nerd and a total bookworm. Her best advice to any incoming student or current aerialist is that this is your journey and no one else’s. You have to nurture where you’re at and build on it. You can start from anywhere. Aerial is tough, she says, but Heather is here to help you fly. She will see you in the air!