PRO PRO Advice 

PRO Exclusive: Think Like an Acrobat– Let’s Design for Ourselves: The Art of The Circus Costume With Master Costumer Nora Nikitin

Shenea Stiletto, ,
Think Like an Acrobat--Nora Nikitin
As part of our CircusTalk PRO membership content, available exclusively to PRO membership subscribers, please enjoy this PRO video series titled Think Like an Acrobat.
Shenea Stiletto is a two-time World Acrobatic Champion, USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member, a World-Class Handbalancer and a seasoned professional in the circus industry. In this series, she will share her expertise as a career circus performer as well as select insights and secrets from her guests about the business. Think Like an Acrobat will cover an array of useful topics from how to navigate a contract, to understanding the role of a good agent, and how to maintain long-distance relationships while living the globetrotter life.

Lenora Nikitin has been designing and creating cirque style costumes for more than fifteen years of her twenty nine year design career. She was the head designer for Cirque Productions, now owned by Cirque Du Soleil, and now has her own design business, Cirque Designs. A prominent career achievement includes being awarded the Henry Hughes Award for her costume designs of Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy on Boadway in 2008. Please enjoy this conversation between Shenea and the master designer herself as the two discuss topics from costume creation to advice on how to communicate with your designer to get the costume of your dreams.

Video Editor and Designer: Emily Holt Produced by CircusTalk (c) CircusTalk 2022
Shenea Stiletto
Acrobat, Podcaster, Circus Artist, Handstand Instructor -United States
Shenea Stiletto (Shenea Booth) is a two-time World Champion Gold Medalist in Acrobatic gymnastics, a USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member, and World Acrobatic Society Inductee. Her career includes a decade of collaborations with Cirque Du Soleil including the coveted hand balancing role as "The Promise" in Varekai, becoming the first-ever African American female soloist to play a lead character in a Cirque Du Soleil production.
Shenea was also a finalist on America’s Got Talent and has continued to be a featured artist with prominent circus entertainment companies worldwide.

Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.

🎧 Join us on the StageLync Podcast for inspiring stories from the world of performing arts! Tune in to hear from the creative minds who bring magic to life, both onstage and behind the scenes. 🎙️ 👉 Listen now!

Shenea Stiletto

Shenea Stiletto (Shenea Booth) is a two-time World Champion Gold Medalist in Acrobatic gymnastics, a USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member, and World Acrobatic Society Inductee. Her career includes a decade of collaborations with Cirque Du Soleil including the coveted hand balancing role as "The Promise" in Varekai, becoming the first-ever African American female soloist to play a lead character in a Cirque Du Soleil production. Shenea was also a finalist on America’s Got Talent and has continued to be a featured artist with prominent circus entertainment companies worldwide.