Testimonials

"Natalie is a uniquely compassionate, encouraging and dedicated teacher with a deep understanding of the human body. I have always felt safe and inspired in her classes. Beyond that, she is a champion of expression in all art forms, building a supportive, welcoming arts community wherever she lands. We are lucky to have found her!"

~Lea Bender

"Nat is a very safe instructor--this is unusual and important. There are lots of cool things to do with acrobatics and trapeze, but Nat's careful personal attention, and attention to risk, made acrobatics good rather than potentially scary. In the end, training with Nat is just the best!

As a non-profit employee glued to the computer all day, I'm am neither rich nor supremely ahtletic, but being able to study trapeze in an affordable environment with Nat has been so good for me.

Thanks to Nat, I gained so much strength and knowledge about my body. I've also never been in better shape!"

~Zach Strassburger

"Natalie is a most inspiring and amazing teacher. She will keep you safe while at the same time challenging you to stretch past your physical and mental limits.

I have trained with her for almost 3 years and am so grateful for her support and the progress I have made in my training."

~Catherine Bodnar
Performer

"This studio is what art lovers of Brooklyn need.

Anything is possible."

~Sini Anderson
Performer/Director

"Natalie's teaching style is thoughtful, kind and always given with love and encouragement. You can't help but be drawn in by her warmth and generosity. She truly cares about each individual and will take the time to figure out what your particular needs are.

As a beginner, I always felt safe with Natalie and trusted her insights as to what my body needed in order to advance.

Her patience, attention to detail and constant devotion have not only transformed my body, she has also strongly influenced my mind and spirit as well. She's an inspiration of strength and love. I feel extremely fortunate and grateful to have found her!"

~Danielle King

"Natalie is an ideal trapeze teacher: She's well grounded, a great communicator, and sensible about what is possible for each student. I love how she laces together warm-ups, strengthening, and artistry in a way that makes sense to my head and my body. She creates combinations that build on your strongest skills, test your weaknesses, and include your favorite moves. She always throws in the things you love to do and makes sure that you know that anything is possible."
 
~Aimee Lee
Artist/Musician/Performer
aimeelee.net

"Natalie has a unique connection and understanding to movement. Not only is she an amazing performer but her innate ability to understand how the body makes movement possible enables her to communicate those intracacies to her students. She is patient and kind and supportive and amazing!

If you have the opportunity to work with her, you should!"

~Lollo Birgitta
Performer

"Natalie is an excellent trapeze teacher. She inspires students to work their hardest, whether they are training to be professionals or enjoy aerial work as a hobby. Her deep understanding of movement is matched by a passion for teaching that helps students feel safe and have fun!"

~Somjen Frazer
somjenfrazer.com

"Ruby Streak taught me how to fly!

Literally, and figuratively, I learned how to move my body and mind into new and curious positions. Flying upside down helped my spirit to awake and arise. What resulted was not just a physical change (although Natalie is an ab-workout creativity champion!) but an emotional one as well.

The welcoming, encouraging and amazing energy of Ruby Streakers, and Natalie herself, are a constant inspiration to me to do better, live fuller and fly higher."

~Erin Wigger
Photographer
erinwigger.com
eleigh.com
 

"It has been a total pleasure to be part of Ruby Streak's inspiring community.

Working with Natalie has helped strengthen my love of creating on the trapeze just as much as it has strengthened my physical body. Natalie's enthusiasm and support has been terrific, and consistent.

I feel lucky to be part of such a vibrant space, and the extended family Natalie has cultivated.."

~Amy Verebay
Circus Yoga Instructor/Performer

"Training with Natalie is a real joy. Her depth of experience and ability to teach precise muscular engagement has significantly improved my power and technique on the trapeze. As a fellow aerial instructor, I recognize that the specificity of her teaching style and her ability to give students tools to grow as acrobats and as artists is a rare treat."

~Jordann Baker
Aerial Silks Performer and Instructor

"When I started studying trapeze in 2004 I was scared of heights. I had no gymnastics background; in fact, I was a complete exercise-phobe! But I was obsessed with trapeze artists and envied the incredible things they were able to do up in the air. I began semi-privates with Natalie Agee (who I also greatly admire as a performer) and I say, without reservation, that she is an exceptional teacher. She has oodles of patience (an absolute must for learning trapeze), a concise sense of movement, and gives detailed feedback to help improve form and strength, with additional concern for safety. She always asks what you want from a lesson and works hard to give you that. She has helped me choreograph sequences for performance. Natalie has helped me improve so much, I'm able to do tricks on the trapeze I never thought I'd be able to do in a million years!"

~Marie Carter
Writer/Yoga Instructor
trapezediaries. blogspot.com

"I am very lucky to know Natalie and to train with her when I come to NY. She demonstrates beautifully. She has lots of patience giving instruction, so I feel very comfortable challenging myself, trusting her, and trusting myself. Also, I was impressed with her octopus piece!! I want to move like that!"
 
~Tomoko Horikawa
Yoga Instructor/Dancer

"Studying with Natalie has supported and inspired my trapeze training in so many ways: She's pushed me to get stronger than I thought I could, nipped my bad habits and refined my technique, shown me better ways to do old tricks, taught me new tricks that I leave her studio excited about, and helped me work out tricky transitions -- all with unshakable patience, focus, and warmth. "
 
~Megan Gendell
Acrobat/Artist

"Natalie is not only an amazing trapeze performer but undoubtably my favourite trapeze teacher. Her complete attention to your personal goals, style and safety makes her a pleasure to train with. She is incredibly attuned to your body and her background and thorough understanding of technique allows you to really get the most out of every session. I've been training with her for years and miss her dearly not being in NY currently. In short -- Natalie rocks! Count yourself lucky to have found her."

~Randon Burns

"The Quietest Storm.
A Fire Hazard.
A Fire Cracker
Crack Pot.
A Pot of Gold.

Teacher, Friend, Partner in Crime.
Natalie Agee. Endless inspiration."

~Rebecca Stronger
Acrobat/Performer

"I have been studying trapeze with Natalie for 9 years now.  I have seen so much improvement in my strength, coordination, body awareness and confidence.  I love the way she teaches.  She is very attentive to form and alignment, which I believe is really important.  I have learned many tricks and exercises from Natalie on the trapeze.  I believe she cares very much for her students.  She also gives the right amount of spotting needed for each individual.  Her prices are very reasonable, and the studio is very close to the subway, which also makes it convenient. I Iook forward to continuing my training with her."
 
~Kelly Ertsos

"Natalie is a fantastic teacher. She knows her stuff inside and out, and she helps with every detail, helping you create beautiful form. Her conditioning exercises are very helpful. She is wonderfully supportive and works on the level of the student, which in my case was very, very beginner. I highly recommend her!"

~Paula Oleska

"I never thought I would learn the trapeze so easily when I started...  I worked with Natalie for about six months and was able to create a large vocabulary of strength and movement. Her classes are both challenging and fun. She is a great teacher, generous and thoughtful."
 
~Jessica Segall
Artist/Musician
youngersisterband. com

"Natalie is a great instructor. She is patient and extremely talented. She is able to convey technique in basic uncomplicated terms which is very important for beginning students. She's also got a really good haircut!"
 
~Lori Messerschmidt
Bon Vivant/Brooklynite

"I've studied with Natalie Agee since September 2005. She is a devoted, enthusiastic, and nurturing teacher who places equal emphasis on strength, safety, and creativity. Under Natalie's tutelage, I've acquired over thirty new "tricks" and I continue to learn more, with visible strength gains along the way.

"In addition to expanding my repertoire of trapeze moves, Natalie has provided invaluable creative guidance in choreographing new routines. I've created three distinct routines while working with Natalie, and have performed in five shows, with three more to come in October 2007. Natalie has always gone the extra mile for her students. She has put in extensive time and energy to coordinate student recitals; these shows are great motivators to train harder, and they give us an opportunity to showcase our work and to relish the progress we've made.

"Natalie has also made me feel like part of a greater trapeze community. She hosts terrific guest teachers in her studio, sends notices about upcoming shows, and cultivates a thriving, supportive network of fellow students with whom to share lessons and tips.

"Natalie's teaching style is fun, friendly, and highly specific. She fuses verbal and bodily-kinesthetic intelligences: she has an uncanny ability to translate physical and proprioceptive abstractions into clear verbal instructions. In her lessons, she identifies and integrates the key muscle groups needed for each move, and devises powerful conditioning exercises to strengthen those connections. Natalie's unique expertise has transformed me from a novice non-athlete into a professional aerialist, and I've loved every bruised, callused, exhausted, rope-burned minute of it :)"

~Natalie Denney

"Natalie has a patient yet energetic style of teaching -- with an exacting knowledge about meaningful minor adjustments only a professional can share."
 
~Jane Martin
Designer/Performer
shiftdesignstudio. com
 

" Natalie is, hands down, one of the most gifted teachers I have ever studied with. Her ability to break down movement to its essential core, to focus on efficient, thoughtful expression, and to help students move through fear and self-imposed limitations has allowed me to reach new heights (no pun intended) not only in aerial arts training but with violin performance as well."
 
~Rachel Winard
Musician/Performance Artist

"I have performed in Natalie's Ruby Streak Variety Show at her Velveteen Rainbow space and it was a wonderful experience.

The venue is beautifully maintained and equipped. The performers Natalie has trained are all experts in their aerial skills and a joy to behold. The atmosphere is warm and friendly and totally professional, and the location is easy to get to by subway.

I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend the Ruby Streak Trapeze Studio/ Velveteen Rainbow Performance Space to anyone interested in performance artistry and superior circus skills, as a student or an entertainer.

Natalie's endeavors deserve the greatest success!"
 

~The Amazing Amy: Contortion and Unique Yoga Dancing 
www.idanz.net/aharlib
 

"Life at Ruby Streak is full of color. You get to explore and develop your creative soul while meeting truly wonderful friends. I normally go to the studio to train aerial acrobatics but the space gathers all sorts of artists and musicians under one cozy intimate and friendly atmosphere. Natalie Agee is a very talented artist and I feel very lucky to have her as a friend, trapeze teacher and artistic mentor. She is extremely aware and knowledgeable of how the body moves and can really communicate that to her students when learning new tricks or perfecting old ones. What I enjoy the most is preparing new pieces for a show; here Natalie has a knack for helping you develop your own style while providing advice and that final touch that makes it special."

~Arantza Barrios
Neuroscientist