Carmel Magazine

C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 167 aerialist techniques to teach her colleagues how to rescue people who go over the beautiful but treacherous Big Sur cliffs. Carey has become something of a legend in her adopted community for another reason: her practice rig hung from the branches of a huge tree in her backyard, overhanging a creek. She was standing next to it when a particularly vicious Big Sur winter storm brought that tree down. "I was certain that I was going to die as I watched it come toward me," she recalls. The branches fell to either side of her and she escaped with a minor bruise. Nine lives, indeed. "Performing is my passion, but I also have a passion for teaching," Carey says. She still trains at her home, on a rig under the redwoods in sight of the stump of that ill-fated tree, and that inevitably draws a crowd—especially of kids who want to learn how to do the amazing things she does in the air. "We formed the 'Canyon Kids Circus' and they performed at the 2019 Big Sur Fashion Show," she says. Carey was also a founder of the Radical Movement Factory, a Santa Cruz organi- zation dedicated to imparting aerialist skills to children and adults. "I love being able to encourage people to face their fears and fly," Carey says. To learn more, visit erinjanecarey.com. One thing to know about Erin Carey: she doesn't approach life halfway. In life as well as in work, she performs without a safety net. Photo: Juan Lewis "Trapeze is the base of aerial… I went to a traditional school. For the first few months that's just about all you do…I can do static trapeze with my rig. Swinging requires special rigging."

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