Mary Jessica Hammes
she/her
Senior Instructor – Dance Trapeze
Repertory Company Member
Mary Jessica Hammes grew up in Athens, Ga., and graduated from UGA with degrees in journalism and French—never dreaming she’d take up aerial dance in the near future! After seeing an ad for classes and feeling spontaneous, she began studying trapeze with Canopy founder Susan Murphy in 2000. When Canopy opened in 2002, Mary Jessica was a member of the founding repertory company who taught the first classes and performed in shows. Since then, she has had the extreme good fortune of training multiple times with Serenity and Elsie Smith (Cirque du Soleil alumnae and founders of the New England Center for Circus Arts); the cast of Girls on Trapeze; Rain Anya and Sarah Holmes (Paper Doll Militia); aerialist Aimeé Hancock (NECCA, Cirque Eloize); Jamie Hodgson (NECCA, Nimble Arts); Megan Gendall; Niff Nicholls; Alex Allan; and of course continued study with her first mentor, Susan Murphy. MJ loves to teach both adults and children and counts performing with her friends among her most joyful experiences. When she’s not in the air, she enjoys camping, knitting, and spending time with her family and pets.