IDAHOFALLSMAGAZINE.COM 43
On Stage with Stasia Acrobats
BY TORRY BARNES
person-high pyramid to twirling on a lyra
above the ground, the stunts they do can be
dangerous. Thankfully though, the troupe
hasn't had any serious injuries.
As the "father" of these acrobats, Nelson
makes safety a priority and therefore each
team member must earn their spot as a per-
former. In fact, only seven troupe members
perform at events. Each member must grow
sufficiently in strength, flexibility and team
trust before they can perform and do more
risky stunts.
"We take our time to develop skills,"
Nelson said. "Basics are extremely impor-
tant to everything we do in life, but espe-
cially here. Bad basics breed injuries. So we
work to make sure their basics are solid."
The 18-year circus veteran always revisits
the basics with his students, no matter how
many years of experience they have.
Nelson does require a lot from the
troupe, even jokingly calling himself "the
mean dad."
Each student must have a 2.7 GPA to stay
to maintain membership on the Stasia team.
Above all things, Nelson wants his stu-
dents to learn the principle of discipline.
He believes discipline is not only a key to
successful acrobatics, but to a successful
everyday life.
"Discipline is not the enemy of enthusi-
asm, it's just giving you the tools to focus
STEVE SMEDE PHOTOS