Meet Tiana Hernandez: From Salsa Dancing to the Circus
Tiana Hernandez has spent more than 15 years training across the performing arts, including figure skating, acrobatics, Latin and ballroom dance, aerial arts, and contortion. She started her circus journey five years ago in Hawaii and now teaches Intermediate Lyra at Roustabout School of Circus & Performing Arts. Her coaching focuses on blending strength and beauty while helping students build confidence and pride in their own art.
We sat down with Tiana to talk about how a breakup unexpectedly led her to circus, what she loves about coaching, her life as a performer, and why students should expect to work when they come to her classes.
How did you first get into circus?
I first got into circus because of a breakup. I was dancing salsa professionally at the time, and then my partner happened to be my salsa dancing partner, so I needed to get away.
And the circus school was two blocks down.
Worked out.
What made you want to become a coach?
People kept asking me.
I got into coaching first with flexibility, and then later on, I ended up finding coaching opportunities with aerial. Once I came back to Colorado, it started.
I don't even know how it really started. I just started subbing a couple classes here and there, and then eventually I ended up taking on classes. The more students took my classes, they realized they wanted me to teach, and the more I enjoyed teaching them.
What do you love most about coaching your students?
The fact that I can see what they can do, and they can't quite yet.
And then when they do it, they're just so happy, and knowing that they were able to achieve that because I knew it all along. Knowing it for themselves is what makes it really special.
What's your favorite circus discipline?
I still love flexibility and contortion the most out of anything.
When it comes to aerial apparatuses, I think I enjoy... it's a hard question. Currently, silks, but it changes probably every three months.
What's one thing you wish new students knew before trying circus for the first time?
Something I wish students knew before trying circus for the first time is to understand that it is an athletic sport.
When you come to class for your first circus class, you should be in athletic gear, and if you're not sure what you should be in, you should message the studio.
Tell us about your proudest coaching moment.
My proudest coaching moment hasn't happened yet. I think it's going to happen this weekend.
One of my students is the lead in the show I'm choreographing for, and once I see her perform on stage a truly difficult lyra piece, I think it's just going to be super inspirational.
Do you find a lot of value in seeing your students perform and watching that growth happen?
Yeah, I do find a lot of value in seeing my students perform and then seeing that growth level for themselves.
I myself do circus to perform. I know a lot of people just do it for a hobby or to get the exercise in, but I've always been performance-driven. So when my students get that energy to perform, they get to share that experience on stage.
What's something people might not know about you outside of circus?
I've dabbled in so many things.
Something people might not know about me is that I've actually had a recurring role on Magnum P.I. for four seasons. It was a non-speaking role, but I was their regular waitress on the show.
It was a lot of fun. I got to see how Hollywood operates, essentially, and meet some really cool people and meet some really cool directors, honestly, and some really bad directors too.
That's the entertainment industry.
If you could instantly master one circus skill, what would it be?
Roll-ups on any apparatus.
They're so painful. I've done them on straps before. I have not done them on silks before, but I've seen this really pretty one where your hand and your foot are in locks, and you're holding your foot with your other hand and rolling up.
And I'm like, someday.
Someday.
If someone's nervous about taking their first class, what should they do?
Bring a friend.
Recruit.
What makes Roustabout special to you, and why do you like teaching here?
What I like about Roustabout, other than the space is just very open, and I think something about the openness of the space makes it feel inclusive, is the instructors that are here.
I know most of the instructors that have come to Roustabout on their own terms for one reason or another, who teach at many other circus communities as well, but these are the instructors that I know care about the students.
So when you share that mentality together without having talked about it, I think that means something.
How would you describe your coaching style?
Tiana's classes are hard.
I do adapt my curriculum to who shows up to class, so someone will always have something that they can succeed at and work at, but expect to work in my classes.
What's your pre-workout ritual?
Water is my pre-workout ritual.
I'm actually allergic to caffeine, so I can't drink anything with caffeine in it. And being contortion training, I can't really eat anything three hours before my training sessions.
Describe your favorite circus act that you've ever performed.
You know, my first VIVA competition was super special.
Not just because I won it, but because I had only been in circus a short period of time, and the first thing that happened when I stepped onto the stage is I tripped and I fell.
And it didn't matter. I got up, I started spinning, I did my thing, came off the stage, and it couldn't have gone any better.
It was crazy.
What's your go-to training music?
I like instrumental.
That really depends on the vibe of the environment. But if I'm the only one in the studio, typically I just like some instrumental, whatever that means. Pop, punk, classical. Yeah, just something to feel.
What's your dream performance venue?
My dream performance venue is Red Rocks.
Just one time.
What's your most hated form of conditioning?
I consider running a form of aerial conditioning just because it's in my repertoire, but I don't like it in Colorado.
There's no oxygen here. There's no water in the air. My lungs are on fire.
If you weren't doing circus, what would you be doing?
If I weren't doing circus, I'd be salsa dancing.
That's what I started before I started circus. I was a professional salsa dancer, so I definitely miss it a lot. Unfortunately, in Colorado, it's not as easy to get from one place to another with all the time in the world, so I had to choose.
But I'd be dancing.
Where can people find you on social media?
I can be found on Instagram and Facebook. @tianarose6.
