The moment that changed Haley Viloria’s life happened when she was four years old.
It started when her parents took her to see Cirque du Soleil’s “Saltimbanco.”
That led the grown-up Haley to a career as a trapeze artist and contortionist, and an appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” She doesn’t recall many details of the show—the booming sounds, the overwhelming sights—but one thing remained with her: the music.
Years later, as a teenager, Haley heard a song from the show and instinctively began singing along to the lyrics.
“Mom, how do I know this song?” she asked, confused.
“You were four when we took you to see ‘Saltimbanco’,” her mother, Erin Viloria replied. “You were terrified, so we had to leave early, but the song must have stayed with you.”
Her parents brought her to a second Cirque du Soleil when she was 15, this one called “KOOZA”, where she found herself enchanted by the trapeze artists as they swung through aerial maneuvers, making shapes in the air.
That’s when she told her mother, “I want to be a trapeze artist.”
Viloria’s inspiration from this childhood memory left such an impression that it drove her to succeed and ultimately fulfill her dream of performing in Cirque du Soleil.
Now, at age 34, she wants to share the circus arts with others and last year opened a school where anyone could experience the same sense of wonder that once changed her life.
Circensia Studios opened its doors in February near Miami’s Arts District, attracting aspiring performers and professionals to train and bring their ideas to life. There Viloria, alongside a team of instructors, help performers develop their skills and reach new heights.
A group of men and women watched Viloria as she demonstrated how to do a handstand, then went to the wall, determined to put their feet in the air.
“Just try this 5–10 times and take a break, don’t forget to smile!” Viloria says, as she helps a student trying a handstand. “Try not to rely on the wall.”
“She was very accommodating to all skill levels, I’m excited to come back,” says Melanie Benjumea at the end of class, raising her voice in glee.
Viloria’s pursuit of aerial mastery came with obstacles.
Her mother, though supportive, was cautious. She was worried about the challenges of making a living as an artist and did not want Viloria to struggle, so she insisted she continue her education to balance with her circus training.
Born and raised in Petaluma, a small town 40 minutes outside San Francisco, Viloria rose to the challenge. She commuted two hours each way by bus to the San Francisco Circus Center while juggling her studies and the demands of circus training. That’s when Serchmaa Byamba, an internationally known trainer of elite circus performers who specializes in contortion and helped Viloria unlock the unique combination of skills that set her apart.
“Contortion wasn’t her major focus at first,” Byamba recalls. “But she had such natural flexibility and an incredible work ethic. She’d come to every class with 100% energy and a promise: ‘Watch me—I’ll do it.’ And she always did.”
Under Byamba’s guidance, Viloria achieved one of her most memorable milestones: mastering a handstand on aerial straps. Suspended high above the ground, she held her body inverted in perfect alignment, blending contortion and aerial techniques in a way that few performers can achieve.
“Combining those skills is not easy—it takes both strength and grace,” Byamba says. “Viloria didn’t just have the talent; she had the drive to make it happen.”
That dedication placed her on international stages, turning her dreams to reality when she joined Cirque du Soleil’s “Amaluna” in 2014. She spent three years with the show before transitioning to KOOZA in 2017—the same production that had first inspired her to pursue trapeze artistry at 15. She moved to Miami in 2018 to start working for Celebrity Cruises while continuing her performances with KOOZA. She performed with the company for two years until the show’s end in late 2022.
In 2024, her performance at the Viva Fest World Circus Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, earned her the top prize and caught the attention of America’s Got Talent producers, who invited her to audition.
America’s Got Talent judges praised her skill and her act’s danger, garnering three out of four votes.
Sofía Vergara calling her act “beautiful” and Simon Cowell admired her technical precision.
“It was wow for me—you definitely have a yes,” Heidi Klum said.
Howie Mandel, however, did not see the “wow” factor that would get him to a “yes” vote.
Her growing international recognition also led her to an appearance on “France’s Got Talent” that same year.
Today she dreams of becoming an artistic director for Cirque du Soleil, the place where she started. While performing used to be her main goal, she now finds happiness in teaching, coaching and building a circus arts community.
Her recent achievements in early 2025 reflect her ongoing commitment to the art form. She won honors at the International Circus Festival in Las Vegas, created a new hand balancing act for the show Cloud9 in South Beach and co-directed two shows on the cruise ship MSC World America.
Later that year, Viloria added several major milestones to her career. In July, she won the Bronze Idol at the Bolshoi Circus Festival in Russia, one of the most prestigious circus competitions in the world. In October, she received the Platinum Critics Award at the Latina International Circus Festival, recognizing her technical mastery and artistic expression.
From a childhood memory of a forgotten song to the flying heights of aerial performance, Viloria’s story shows that even the tiniest seeds sown in the past, can with perseverance blossom into something remarkable.
Drawing from her experiences, she motivates her students to be themselves.
“Stay true to who you are,” she tells them. “Your art should reflect your uniqueness.”
