An azure ice cave at the toe of a glacier. A deep limestone canyon, carved by millennia of hydrological forces. A quartzite peak at the roof of the Rockies. 

These are the places where Sasha Galitzki is in her element. These are the spaces where Galitzki soars.

Galitzki is an adventure aerialist—an acrobat of the sky, using silks and ropes and riggings and her own artistic and athletic instincts to perform dazzling maneuvers while suspended high above the most inspiring natural features she can find. Adorned in a thin layer of sequinned lycra, performing a careful choreography of spins, flips and poses, it’s the closest Galitzky can come to obtaining the sensation of flying, she says. There’s just one rule: no falls. 

“I’m not roped up. There’s no harness. I can’t fall; that’s the rule,” she says. 

Because her aerial displays are typically done in remote locations, besides her rigging-specialist and ACMG-certified partner (convenient, she knows), Galitzki’s performances typically don’t have an audience. It’s usually just her and the mountains—which is part of the allure, of course. 

“I treasure being in that stillness alone,” she says. 

Two years ago, however, Galitzki was inspired to share her artistic expressions with a wider audience. Along with her rigging partner, she started being accompanied by a videography team into the landscapes she so venerated. Galitzky imagined that like her, others could be inspired by the fleeting beauty of the mountains. 

“Living here, I’m witnessing these changes,” she says. “I’m seeing changes in the mountain and it worries me as a a human on the planet,” she says.

As such, together with filmmaker Trixie Pacis, Galitzki is on the precipice of launching Wild Aerial, a short film documenting her unique, aerial expressions amid dynamic mountain environments. Through multi media, audiences will be able to travel with her to the toe of the Saskatchewan Glacier, for example, to behold the ephemeral nature of ice while Sasha dances in the wind.

“The film project gives me an opportunity to invite folks to join me in these very special places; no crampons or skis required,” she says.

Oh, and about performing in sub-zero temperatures while dressed in a spandex onesie: yes, it’s cold. Although Galitzki selects her garments to accentuate the beauty of the environments in which she’s performing, there’s also a much more practical reason for choosing such skimpy attire: safety. Less gear means less risk of getting hung up in her silks.

“The more layers, the more bulk, the more straps, the more things can get caught,” she says. “And it’s not like someone can just grab a ladder and come get me.”

Galitzki’s performances aren’t always quite so out-of-reach. Notwithstanding the documentary, which she and Pacis hope will debut at the Banff Mountain Film Festival this October, Sasha also leads the recently-refreshed team at Cirque Aurora, the Jasper-based acrobatics troupe that performs at local events and collaborates with local artists. When her friend and fellow Cirque founder, Laura-Ann Chong, set sail for Montreal earlier this year, Galitzki figured that would spell curtains for circus arts in Jasper, but then she met Benjamin Howard, a former professional dancer and juggler who is working with the culinary team at Pine Bungalows’ Kumama Bistro. Reinvigorated, Cirque Aurora will shine on after all.

“Meeting Ben so randomly was a sign that Jasper is meant to have circus arts,” she said.

Jasper audiences will certainly benefit from the collaboration—but whether you catch Galitzky on stage with Cirque Aurora, on the big screen when Wild Aerial debuts, or happen upon her while suspended above an impossibly beautiful slot canyon, Galitzky hopes her expressions of skill and imagination will inspire reflection not just on the artistic achievement, but on her co-stars—the shifting elements of nature itself.

“I would love if my work could inspire people to bring attention to these fragile environments, and how special and vulnerable they are.” 

Help Wild Aerial get over its fundraising finish line by supporting it on Indiegogo.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com