Our Roots

Art in Flexion’s story is connected to a tradition of circus arts passed from teacher to student across generations.

Vintage photograph of four acrobats performing hand balancing and contortion — A tradition passed through generations

Honoring Cheryl Lindley

Cheryl Lindley brings a lifetime of circus, performance, and creative experience to Art in Flexion. Her career spans acrobatic performance, clowning, directing, and creating new circus acts.

Founder Hanna Denham trained with Cheryl Lindley at Sophia Isadora Academy of Circus Arts for much of her career. Cheryl’s teaching helped shape Hanna’s development as a performer and coach, forming an enduring foundation for the work she shares with her students today. Cheryl continues to teach at Art in Flexion, sharing her knowledge with students and remaining an active part of the studio’s story.

Hanna Denham in performance costume standing with her coach Cheryl Lindley — Hanna with her coach, Cheryl Lindley

Cheryl’s own training connected her to Piero Canestrelli, a performer and teacher born into a multigenerational Italian circus family. His career spanned European and American circuses before he settled in San Diego, where he shared his knowledge with a new generation of circus artists, including students at Sophia Isadora Academy of Circus Arts.

The Canestrelli family in circus performance costumes — The Canestrelli family

Cheryl has performed extensively, including a doubles acrobatic act with Annetta Lucero at SeaWorld. She also created an aerial act for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, bringing her creative experience to the development of new circus work.

Cheryl Lindley, the blonde performer, balancing on one arm in a doubles acrobatic act with Annetta Lucero — Cheryl Lindley and Annetta Lucero in their doubles act at SeaWorld. Cheryl is the blonde performer.

Alongside her acrobatic work, Cheryl has directed productions for Fern Street Circus and worked as a teacher and star clown with Imagination Entertainment’s iL CiRCo. Her performance career brings together physical skill, character, and storytelling, experience she continues to share with students at Art in Flexion.

Cheryl Lindley performing in a green floral costume with musicians at Fern Street Circus — Cheryl Lindley performing with Fern Street Circus

Ken Taylor

A Lifetime of Movement, Learning, and Teaching

Ken Taylor’s approach to movement draws on decades of martial arts, fitness instruction, and bodywork. After playing high school and junior college football, he began exploring karate, tai chi, and kung fu, developing a lifelong interest in how the body moves and how we care for it.

An original childhood photograph of Ken Taylor with his family — Ken Taylor with his family as a child

Ken trained with his first kung fu instructor, Sifu A. A. Moering, for nineteen and a half years, earning a black sash and teaching kung fu. During that time, he also studied with his brother-in-law, master instructor Mickael Maillet, earning a black sash in White Dragon kung fu. He later trained with Master Hosea for two years and has spent the past twenty years studying Ba Qua kung fu.

Vintage photograph of Ken Taylor demonstrating a high kung fu kick outdoors — Ken Taylor practicing martial arts outdoors

Vintage photograph of Ken Taylor teaching aerobics — Ken Taylor teaching aerobics

Archival photograph of Ken Taylor training on gym equipment — Ken Taylor training in the gym

His introduction to massage came in 1975, when his kung fu teacher taught students the basics so they could care for one another. Ken eventually pursued formal training, beginning at Mueller College before completing 1,000 hours at the School of Healing Arts. He graduated with a Holistic Health Practitioner qualification and a certificate in Zen-Touch, and also became certified in Reiki. Alongside this work, he spent nearly three decades teaching fitness and aerobics and working as a trainer.

An original newspaper clipping photograph from Ken Taylor’s collection — A newspaper photograph from Ken’s collection

For Hanna, Ken’s influence is deeply personal. She has trained with him since she was seventeen, learning so much from his knowledge of movement, flexibility, and the connections throughout the body. His teaching has helped shape her understanding and remains an important part of Art in Flexion’s roots.

Ken Taylor guiding Hanna Denham through a stretch on a padded bench — Hanna and Ken Taylor

After retiring in 2020, Ken continued sharing his experience with students at Art in Flexion. He still teaches at the studio today while continuing his own martial arts practice, carrying forward a lifetime of learning through the students he supports.

Ken Taylor holding his feet in a wide straddle stretch on a mat — Ken Taylor continuing his flexibility practice

Carrying the teaching forward

When Cheryl retired from running the academy in 2020, Hanna purchased it and brought it together with Art in Flexion. This transition carried forward the school where she had trained while creating space for her own approach to movement education.

Hanna Denham performing an inverted split balance on a table in a blue costume before a circus audience — Hanna Denham in performance

Today, Art in Flexion brings these circus roots together with Hanna’s background in anatomy, strength, and flexibility. We honor Cheryl’s and Ken’s lasting influence and the teachers who came before them by continuing to share their knowledge, while developing our practice for the students we teach today.