Rena Dimes

Rena is a contortionist, aerialist, and dancer based in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. Raised in rural New Hampshire, she began studying ballet and Tae Kwon Do at 4 years old. As she expanded her dance education to include modern, jazz, and hip hop, she continued to train as a martial artist until 2007, when she received her 2nd Degree Black Belt. 

Craving adventure on the West coast, Rena chose to attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon. There, she had the privilege of working alongside several prominent choreographers in Portland’s contemporary dance community through her studies in the Reed dance department including Carla Mann, Minh Tran, Tere Mathen and Tracy Durbin. She also briefly studied capoeira under Mestre Pedro Cruz, founder of Portland’s Grupo Raça.

It was at Reed College where Rena also found circus. After receiving her B.A. in Linguistics with an allied field in Dance History in 2014, Rena was accepted into A-WOL Dance Collective’s pre-professional training company, FlyCo. With A-WOL, Rena performed in two original works as well as in several corporate events for clients including the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the Portland Opera, and the Galaxy Dance Festival (Polaris Dance).

Rena went on to train in the Intensive Professional Performance program at the New England Center For Circus Arts (NECCA). She graduated in 2017, specializing in Aerial Slings and Contortion. Since then, Rena has performed as a contortionist, hand-balancer, and aerialist throughout the greater New England region. Since 2018, Rena has been a touring ensemble member with the contemporary circus company Cirque Us, as well as an aerialist aboard AIDA Cruises.