Nashville Pros
Nadia Sosnoski '12
Some musicians compare the rush of a big performance to feeling as though they could fly. By comparison, Nadia Sosnoski ’12 really does fly in her performances. Sosnoski is often booked for appearances that feature her singing while suspended on aerial silks before her audience. Her unique combination of singing and aerial arts used to be a rarity in Music City, but has become one way for Sosnoski to—let’s say— elevate her profile.
Sosnoski came to Nashville in 2012 with aspirations to establish herself as a singer/songwriter. While looking for a hip-hop workout class, a Groupon offering aerial fitness classes caught her attention. She tried it and loved it so much that she was soon teaching aerial classes and performing as an aerial artist at a range of events and functions.
P!nk has been one of Sosnoski’s main musical influences. During the Truth About Love Tour, the superstar began singing some of her signature songs while performing aerial stunts. Inspired, Sosnoski decided to combine her love of music and aerial arts, and began crafting an entire show featuring her singing while performing on aerial apparatuses. She believes the two go together as naturally as singing and dancing. And her instincts are proving correct.
Nadia Sosnoski sings while airborne.
Sosnoski cofounded the aerial arts company Elevated Entertainment Nashville with two other aerialists. They book at corporate functions, weddings, and high-end parties for solo and group performances.
Sosnoski’s aerial shows are much more strenuous than a gig at the Bluebird Café or Douglas Corner. “It takes a lot of stamina not to huff and puff through a song when you’re trying to climb a strip of nylon,” Sosnoski says. “It’s tough. I’ve learned that there are some moves on the silks that I cannot do while singing because the wraps pull too tightly around my stomach. But I’m figuring it out.”
Sosnoski, who grew up in Anaheim, CA, attended the Orange County School of the Arts before enrolling at Berklee. During the last two years of her Berklee experience, she sang with the acclaimed student a cappella group Pitch Slapped. “That group was one of the best experiences I could have asked for,” she recalls. “My sight reading, time, and performing ability all improved so much in that group.”
These days, Sosnoski has a full schedule. She teaches aerial arts in addition to booking and presenting performances. But she also stays grounded by writing songs and posting them under her nom de plume Nadia Faye(Opens in a new window). As well, she sings on weekends with a Motown band and works a few days a week at the performing rights organization SESAC to keep plugged into the Music Row scene. With the calendar having turned to 2017, Sosnoski’s main goal is to continue growing her company and fine-tuning her aerial show. Move over, P!nk: You’ve got some high-flying competition.
