This Miami circus arts instructor defies gravity. See how she pursues her passion

Seven-year-old Mila Puletti dreamed of being a trapeze artist. She would go over to her friend’s house in Italy, and they would play trapeze on the wooden pole tree swing in the backyard. Hanging by the knees, they would swing together, side-by-side.

In high school, Puletti traded the wooden swing for colored belts. Since there was no circus arts or gymnastics center in Sansepolcro, Italy, she followed in her brothers’ footsteps and practiced martial arts, even competing in and winning a kick jitsu competition.

She put on a white button up and black apron as a waitress at Tutto Italia at Epcot, moving to Orlando as part of the Cultural Representative Program. Puletti went to see the resident Cirque du Soleil show, then La Nouba, in Disney Springs a handful of times while she worked there.

The first time she saw the silks act in the show, she watched in awe as a man clad in white pants soared through the air with red fabric wings.

“‘Oh my god! I wish I could do that,’” Puletti said she thought.

Now, years later, she dresses in activewear and ties her hair up into a messy bun before heading to Miami Circus Arts Center, where she trains and instructs various classes, including silks. Puletti taught summer camp this year as well, helping kids explore the circus arts.

Puletti thinks Miami is a great place to train in circus arts, with multiple studios to choose from across the city. However, there is a lot of competition when it comes to performing, a goal of Puletti’s.

“If you look to improve on your level of training, yes, it’s a very good place,” she said. “If you look to perform, then you need to be somebody.”

This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 10:24 AM.