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Mel Lee: Rocket Scientist turned Circus Showgirl!

I used to defy gravity by launching rockets: now I defy gravity onstage and coach others to launch their power šŸš€


3 years ago I left my aerospace career to become a full-time circus artist - and I haven’t looked back since!

I grew up in a tiny Scottish village as a studious, straight-A student. I was Head Girl of an all-girls Catholic high school and voted ā€œmost likely to become a nunā€.. I think that says everything you need to know about my childhood!


Until one day, while studying Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, a friend convinced me to try a pole and aerial class ā€œfor fun.ā€ Little did they know, they were igniting the spark for my next calling in life..

What started as a hobby quickly turned into a full-blown obsession. I’d spend my days buried in textbooks and my evenings flying in the studio. That passion soon expanded into other disciplines like aerial and contortion, - and before I knew it, I was living a double life: engineer by day, aerialist by night.


However, I never saw this as a realistic career path. My parents emigrated from Hong Kong and sacrificed everything to build us a better life in the UK. They worked tirelessly to give me the education and opportunities they never had, and I wanted to make them proud. They instilled in me their drive, discipline, and determination, and I wanted to honour that - so I went on to pursue a career as an Aerospace Project Manager.


Within 4 years, I was promoted to Senior Project Manager and delivered four major projects to the European Space Agency: the MTG satellite mission, Met-Op Receivers Mission and MicroCARB mission.

But the higher my rockets launched, the more I wondered - was the sky really the limit for me too?


That was the moment I realised: life is short. My brain would always be there - but my body wouldn’t. So, I took the bold, terrifying leap to chase my dreams and become a full-time circus artist.

Since then, this wild adventure has taken me places I could only have dreamed of:


⭐ I’ve had the privilege of working within the Hollywood industry, coaching incredible talents like Golden Globe winner Anya Taylor-Joy and Olympian Nile Wilson


⭐ I’ve toured internationally, from concert halls, to cruise ships to cabaret stages; sharing the stage with the likes of Snoop Dogg


⭐ I’ve won international titles such as Miss Pole Dance Scotland and now serve as an international competition judge; allowing me to celebrate and uplift the next generation of performers


⭐ And perhaps what I’m most proud of - I’ve built a community of incredible students worldwide, teaching sold-out workshops to help others feel strong, sexy, and completely at home in their bodies. Movement isn’t just about flexibility or tricks; it’s about freedom, confidence, and joy. šŸ’•