Sora Aerial Arts started out as Bella Forza Lexington in 2013 when our Founder, Jessica decided to quit her full time job as a Special Education Teacher to take the giant leap of being a full time aerialist. She began the studio as the only instructor teaching Intro & Beginner Level classes using a few aerial silks hanging in a local gymnastics facility. The vision was to create a space that kept health and fitness at the forefront and embodied an uplifting community spirit by inspiring others to find joy, purpose and friendship through the aerial arts. The company expanded into its own facility in August 2014 increasing its offerings to various disciplines in Aerial Acrobatics, Pole Fitness, Aerial Yoga, Flexibility Training, Dance, and Group Fitness. With growing memberships and programs, the studio became a vibrant space for community, fitness and the arts.

Coming from Education, Jessica was determined to start a thriving Youth Program that focused on athletic development, character building and creative expression. After running kids classes for about a year and a half, auditions for Sora’s Junior Company opened, with the goal of creating a positive space for youth in our community to grow, develop positive relationships and train at a pre-professional level in the aerial arts. The Youth Programs at Sora continued to grow through class offerings, summer camps, training and performance opportunities for both recreational and pre-professional youth students, ages 8 and up.

In 2015, Sora (then Bella Forza) debuted its first aerial theater production, Matilda, to sold out audiences. In subsequent years, the company performed studio-wide aerial theater productions with cast sizes of 50-75 youth and adult aerial performers, students and instructors alike. Past productions include Matilda, Wizard of Oz, WONKA, Anastasia, and The Aerial Nutcracker.

Through the successes of its shows, the company shifted from having a major focus on fitness into a space of sharing focus between fitness, creating, and performing which inspired the name change from Bella Forza Fitness to Sora Aerial Arts in 2017. The word Sora means "sky" and represents the limitless creative and physical potential that lives within each and every person.

Over the years, the company began to perform at various events and shows around the community and across region, setting in motion Sora’s entertainment company, Sora Contemporary Circus which was officially developed in 2017. The Professional Company performs year round at corporate galas, concerts, events, and festivals across the region. Sora Contemporary Circus performed its first ever original aerial theater production, Utopia in theaters in its inaugural year, and In 2018 Sora was chosen as a featured performance group at the Atlanta Aerial Arts Festival performing a group aerial silks routine featuring company members Jessica Johnson, Allison Evans, Kate Girard, Lis Sanchez, and Alexis Allen. In the fall of 2018, Sora presented its first annual Halloween Aerial Variety Show, Night Circus in a local night club, and due to its huge success, has run the show each year since. Sora Contemporary Circus continues to innovate, create and perform original shows for our community and for events far and wide.

At Sora, you can learn to fly, become the strongest version of yourself, develop as a performing artist & athlete, improve your overall well being, create lasting friendships, and so much more. We have a passion for expanding our community and uplifting those around us through our classes and our art. We welcome people of all ages, abilities and body types to join our classes, and we invite you to come watch our shows! We put on several aerial theater performances, student showcases and community performances each and every year. We would love to see you at the circus as a participant or audience member!