Meet The Flyest Fly Team!
Anna Marie Carreno
Co-Visionary & Operations Director
Anna Marie is a southern California native. Growing up she excelled in athletics where training in boxing was a large focus during her teens. Her passion for fashion and entertainment led her to work as a stylist for many music videos. She can also be found in front of the camera as a performer in videos for Janet Jackson and Lenny Kravitz. With an adventurous spirit, Anna Marie journeyed to both Europe and Asia, yet still found that her heart belonged on the West Coast. Her employment experience includes working with renowned companies such as Los Angeles Magazine, Virgin Entertainment, and the Ritz Carlton group. Her extensive work and ecclectic life experience gives Anna Marie an amazing business perspective to Fly Studios. A few of the many contributions she brings to the Fly vision is her approach to building an awesome team culture and a consistent need for excellent customer service. When Anna Marie is not creating new company software or perfecting Fly systems, you might find her adding to her collection of vintage records!
Suzi Ziebell
Fly Instructor
Suzi Ziebell is a Santa Barbara native who has found her way to the South Bay area and luckily into our studio! Prior to being a part of the Fly Studio team, Suzi spent 20 years managing the Main Street Conservatory of Dance in Wisconsin. Her talents include being a certified Pilates instructor, a fearless rock climber, and to top it all off she's an amazing mother of two, and a grandmother of one very special little girl! Suzi was the Fly Studios manager for 2 years (was here the very first moment Fly Studios opened their doors to the world!), and then evolved into a gifted aerial instructor for our youth academy. Suzi's positive, nurturing, and "excitement for life" energy spills out in all of her classes which is why she is an inspiring gift for all of us at Fly Studios.
Lita Gratix
Fly Instructor
Lita Gratrix began training in Aerial Arts after she moved to the Los Angeles area from Seattle in 2005. She is very grateful to have trained under the wing of internationally recognized aerial teachers, including Maximilliano Torandrell, Tania Peirce, Sagiv Ben-Binyamin, and Michael Lipiari. Lita has also performed on the Tissu (fabric), Hoop, Rope, and her newest creative endeavor: the Chain. Lita began teaching in 2007 and was welcomed into the Fly family in 2011 and now has a leading role in the continuous evolvement of the Fly Studios academy program.
Ramon Moore
Fly Instructor
Ramon Moore was a Division 1 Varsity Gymnast at UC Santa Barbara where he graduated with a BS In Biological Sciences. He was a member of the Aerial research and development team of Franco Dragone's "Le Reve" (the show at the Wynn Las Vegas) and has helped with gymnastics/acrobatic choreography in two of Debbie Allen's stage productions. He has performed at Major Venues all over the world including locally at The Dorothy Chandler theatre, Nokia Live, and The Ford Amphitheatre. He currently works as a coach for Rhythmic and Artistic Gymnastics as well as for aerial arts throughout southern California. In 2003 he made American History becoming the first American to medal in the first International Men's Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition held in Japan. He followed those medals with an American Group Gold in 2005. Ramon can currently be seen on Netflix in Disney's Hannah Montana and Universal's Peaceful Warrior. He has been a principal performer in commercials for Pepsi, Toyota, T-Mobile, Tamagachi, and is currently visible in a national commercial for Dodge.
Sammy Planchart
Fly Assistant Instructor
Born in Venezuela, and raised in both Venezuela and in the United States, Samantha Planchart was a ballerina for 17 years. Throughout her years as a dancer, she also explored other types of dance like jazz and contemporary. At age 15, national critics considered Samantha the number one dancer in her country. Samantha also studied theater and performed with Fernando Yvosky and Grupo Thespis in Caracas, Venezuela. Then she moved back to the United States where she studied Yoga at Golden Bridge Yoga, and music at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. She entered the world of aerial arts through FlyStudios, where she has found another home for her artistic expression.
Michelle Bolong
Owner & Artistic Director
Michelle was raised as a South Bay native having started her Martial Art training in Taekwondo at the age of nine. In her later teens, she decided to expand her movement knowledge with technical dance. She was eventually selected for a dance degree by The Laban Academy of Dance in London, England. In Europe she toured as a professional dancer, choreographer, and a performance martial artist. In 2000, Michelle relocated to San Francisco to culminate her own innovative style of movement entitled "Martialdance." Her choreography combined the power of martial arts, weaponry, alongside the fluidity of dance. This brought her to tour internationally with companies: Velocity Circus, Vortex Collective, and Los Angeles based dance theater company Diavolo. Soon after, Cirque Du Soleil recruited Michelle to join in their new production of the Beatles show called LOVE. Here she was part of the creative team, dancer, and aerial dancer. After 3 years with Cirque Du Soleil, Michelle returned back to Los Angeles to establish Fly Studios in Manhattan Beach. She still maintains her relationship with Cirque Du Soleil as a part of their brave team of "creative process performers," where she is called in to test new aerial inventions and to create innovative movement for their future productions. Michelle's other passion is being a creative director for live performing shows. Her credits include having directed shows for artists Kesha, OHM, and Billy Idol. Her 20 years of experience of being a movement artist including being a gold medal winner in the state championships in Taekwondo, a certified pilates instructor, a professional dancer, a performer, and an entrepreneur which give her the momentum to continue to build her vision of a unique aerial arts center that specializes in children and generating something truly new and exciting to the Manhattan Beach area and beyond.
Maricruz Myska
Fly Creative Birthday Designer
Maricruz, originally from Mexico, seems to have done it all! The list includes having worked with children for 15 years as an elementary school instructor, taught Flamenco dance to girls 1-5th grade, a counselor at a rehab center for families and teenagers, a painter and arts & crafts talent, and an awesome wife and mother. Maricruz has become an essential part of the Fly team as a leading creative voice in all of the Fly Birthdays and Events. Her passion for creativity spills out in her designs for party themes, decor, catering, and all the details large and small. Maricruz has a gift of creating an array of amazing palettes of colors, textures, and wacky imaginative sets for the Fly signature parties she designs for a diverse range of party ages and needs. Undoubtedly, both our guests and the rest of the Fly team are constantly in awe of her unique artistry as she makes parties come alive in such incredibly ways! "I take pride in my job, I love seeing the smiles of the kids and parents when they had an amazing time at something I did for them!"