Mary Jessica Hammes
she/her
Senior Instructor – Dance Trapeze
Repertory Company Member
Mary Jessica Hammes has been a teacher and member of the performing Repertory company since Canopy opened in 2002, having started studying trapeze with Canopy founder Susan Murphy in 2000. She currently teaches single-point dance trapeze to all ages, runs the Summer and Winter Camp programs, assists with the planning and instruction of outreach events, directs the winter student showcase, and helps organize Canopy’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
She began studying trapeze with Canopy founder Susan Murphy and has since trained with instructors including Serenity and Elsie Smith (Cirque du Soleil/founders of New England Center of Circus Arts), the cast of Girls on Trapeze, Rain Anya and Sarah Holmes (Paper Doll Militia), Aimee Hancock (NECCA, Cirque Eloize), Jamie Hodgson (NECCA, Nimble Arts), Megan Gendall, Niff Nicholls, Alex Allan, Fred Deb, and continued study with her first mentor, Susan Murphy.
Alongside her aerial career, MJ pursued careers in journalism (writing and editing for many publications) and teaching (high school journalism, preschool, and elementary/middle school ELA). Her experiences in the classroom and a lifelong love of research and learning has led to a strong interest in Trauma-Informed Teaching, Social Emotional Learning Skills, and Social Circus, and towards finding ways to strengthen practices of differentiation and accessibility to all students in the aerial world. When she’s not in the air, she enjoys camping, knitting, reading, and spending time with her family.