Lea Hinz
Hinz in 2021
Born 1989 (age 36–37)
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Occupations Aerial performer, creative director, choreographer
Years active 2006–present
Website leahinz.com

Lea Hinz (born 1989) is a German aerial performer, creative director and choreographer based in the United States. Hinz practiced rhythmic gymnastics while growing up, eventually becoming a six-time German national champion and a member of the German national team. As an adult, she transitioned into circus arts, specializing in the aerial hoop. She performed internationally, eventually settling in Las Vegas. Since the 2020s, Hinz has worked as a creative director and choreographer for films and stage productions.

Early life

Lea Hinz was born in 1989 in Göttingen, West Germany.[1][2] Both her parents were doctors.[3]

Hinz began practicing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of eight and competed for TSV Obernjesa during her youth.[4] She achieved significant success in the sport,[3][2] winning the open competition at the Deutschland-Cup der Rhythmischen Sportgymnastik in 2006, an event considered the unofficial German national championship.[5][6] In total, she won the German national championship six times and was part of the German national team before withdrawing shortly before the 2008 Summer Olympics.[2][3] She wanted to retire from competitive gymnastics, but did go on a tour doing acrobatics with the Feuerwerk der Turnkunst (Firework of Gymnastics) troupe.[3]

Hinz performs with Feuerwerk der Turnkunst in 2007.

After graduating high school in 2008,[3] Hinz was about to start medical school in Berlin for neurology, but gave up her place when a director for a variety show offered her the opportunity to create an aerial acrobatics act.[2][7] At first it was only going to be for an hour, then for a year, before she returned to her studies, but it became her career.[3] Her father was initially dismayed, but approved of her choice when he saw how happy it made her.[2]

Aerial performer

Hinz performed contortion and aerial acrobatics for the GOP Varieté-Theater Hannover [de], including a 2011 performance in Hannover airport and onboard a special flight to and from the Canary Islands.[8] She gradually began to specialize in the aerial hoop, performing aerial acrobatics sometimes 10 meters (33 ft) off the ground.[7]

In September 2012, Hinz won 25,000 euros in the ZDF Germany's Superbrain [de] television game show, by navigating a laser obstacle course while blindfolded.[9][3] In 2012 she performed aerial hoop in Gütersloh and at the Urbanatix [de] street art festival in Bochum.[10][11]

Hinz on aerial hoop in 2013

In 2013, Hinz began performing internationally. She joined the Canadian contemporary circus company The 7 Fingers, to create the act "Amuse" in Montreal and perform it in Mexico.[1][12] In 2014, she appeared in the La Soirée cabaret and variety show in New York City.[13] There she developed her solo act, "Girl in Jeans", portraying a self-confident young woman performing aerial hoop acrobatics in street clothes. The act became one of her signature performances.[3][14] She later performed it over 2000 times in the Absinthe circus show in Las Vegas, where she also developed a more sensuous act, "Mirror", where she performs in the hoop as she changes from a red evening dress to lingerie.[3]

In 2016, Hinz performed in Absinthe in Las Vegas,[15][16] at Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle,[17] and returned to Europe for performances with the Feuerwerk der Turnkunst touring troupe.[7] In 2017, she performed in La Soirée at the Aldwych Theatre in London,[14][18] and appeared on the La France a un incroyable talent (sometimes called France's Got Talent) French television show.[19]

Hinz performing "Mirror" in 2016

In 2018, Hinz began living in Las Vegas.[20] She was under contract with Absinthe at Caesars Palace, while continuing to tour internationally.[3][4] In 2021, she appeared on America's Got Talent.[21] She also performed at Teatro ZinZanni in Chicago in 2021, 2023 and 2024.[22][23][24] In 2022, she performed with the circus Flic Flac in Kassel, Germany.[4]

Director and choreographer

In 2021, during the shutdown of live entertainment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hinz created and directed Consciencia, a short film featuring multiple performers.[25] The film received the Silver Awards for Best Screendance Short and Best First Time Director (Female) from the Independent Shorts Awards in March 2022.[26] Her short film Nasty Infinity, which she both directed and starred in, received the Outstanding Achievement Awards for Microfilm and Experimental Short at the 2022 Indie Short Fest (Los Angeles International Short Film Festival).[27]

Over the 2022–23 New Year, in Kassel, Hinz realized that her time as a stage performer was running out, so she would need to move behind the scenes.[28] Her partner in Las Vegas had been staging an immersive reality show, "Speed of Dark", where the audience walks into the performance, and Hinz developed her own immersive performance concepts.[4]

Hinz on aerial hoop in 2013

In 2023, Hinz founded the entertainment company Cosmic Drama, through which she directs and choreographs immersive performance works based in Las Vegas.[1] The company's debut production, "After Dark", premiered in 2023 at the Las Vegas Circus Center and sold out its run.[28][29] It was followed by "Reflections", in 2023,[30] "Cloud 7" in 2024,[29][31] and "Dolls: Invitation to the Blues" in 2025.[32]

In addition to her own productions, Hinz has worked as a director and choreographer for other artists and companies. In 2021 she co-directed and choreographed a Feuerwerk der Turnkunst tour in Sweden.[33] In 2023 she and Carisa Hendrix co-directed the stage production "Shuffled" for magician Andi Gladwin.[34] In 2024 she worked as choreographer and director for the Particle Ink production "House of Shattered Prisms" at Luxor Las Vegas.[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c "About – Lea Hinz". leahinz.com. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e Riebsamen, Hans (20 October 2014). ""European Youth Circus": Absprung in die Luftnummer" ["European Youth Circus": A Leap into Thin Air]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 17 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Im Ring hoch in die Luft" [High in the air in the ring]. Wetterauer Zeitung [de] (in German). 18 October 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Lienig, Kathrin (23 December 2022). "Von Las Vegas nach Kassel: Lea Hinz tritt am Luftring bei Flic Flac auf" [From Las Vegas to Kassel: Lea Hinz performs on the aerial hoop at Flic Flac]. GT/ET Göttinger Tageblatt – Eichsfelder Tageblatt (in German). Archived from the original on 23 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Deutschland Cup 2006 der deutschen Gymnastinnen GYM family Event 2006" [2006 Deutschland Cup for German Gymnasts – GYM Family Event 2006]. www.gymmedia.de.
  6. ^ "Extraklasse beim Deutschland-Cup" [World-Class Performance at the Deutschland Cup]. German Gymnastics Federation (in German). 13 June 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b c Werner, Heike (24 July 2015). "„Turnen bildet Charakter"" ["Gymnastics builds character"]. German Gymnastics Federation (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2026. Similar but slightly shorter at Werner, Heike (30 July 2015). "„Turnen bildet Charakter"" ["Gymnastics builds character"]. Wochenanzeiger [de] (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  8. ^ Strahl, Gordon K. (22 April 2011). "GOP unterhält Fluggäste in 10 000 Metern Höhe" [GOP entertains passengers at an altitude of 10,000 meters]. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2026. continued at "Shows in der Türkei" [Shows in Turkey]. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 22 April 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Lea Hinz ist "Deutschlands Superhirn" / Artistin gewann den Titel in Jörg Pilawas gleichnamiger Show (BILD)" [Lea Hinz is "Germany's Superbrain" / Acrobat wins the title in Jörg Pilawa's show of the same name (picture)]. presseportal.de (in German). ZDF. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  10. ^ Krause, Von Lennart (24 November 2012). "Anmut im Autohaus". Neue Westfälische [de] (in German). Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  11. ^ Stahl, Jürgen (11 November 2012). "Kommt ein Radler geflogen" [A cyclist comes flying]. Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Amuse – Les 7 doigts de la main – Silent Partners Studio". silentpartnersstudio.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  13. ^ "LA SOIRÉE". This Week in New York. 13 April 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  14. ^ a b Arratoon, Liz (2 December 2017). "Review: La Soirée, Aldwych Theatre, London". The Widow Stanton. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Lea Hinz – Von Göttingen bis nach Las Vegas" [Lea Hinz – From Göttingen to Las Vegas]. Norddeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 20 January 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  16. ^ Weatherford, Mike (11 October 2014). "'Absinthe' is one of a kind, and maybe that's a good thing". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  17. ^ Scully, D (8 July 2022). "Teatro ZinZanni's Welcome to Wonderland: A Delightful Vision Through the Looking Glass". Seattle magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  18. ^ De Lisle, Laura (7 December 2017). "La Soirée, Aldwych Theatre review – flickers of brilliance in a patchy evening". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Léa Hinz – France's Got Talent 2017". YouTube. France's Got Talent. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Lea Hinz Interview". Teatro ZinZanni – Chicago. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  21. ^ Thompson, Stephanie (29 June 2021). "Last Golden Buzzer given to quick change act on Season 16 of 'America's Got Talent'". WCMH-TV. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  22. ^ Ihejirika, Maudlyne (27 October 2021). "Seeking respite from reality, theater's glorious return to Chicago offered just the ticket". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  23. ^ Jones, Chris (25 October 2023). "Review: Teatro ZinZanni reopens its dinner-cirque show in fine, trimmer form". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  24. ^ Weinberg, Rachel (15 January 2024). "Review: Teatro ZinZanni Chicago". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  25. ^ Hinz, Lea (7 February 2021). "Consciencia". YouTube. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  26. ^ "Silver Awards: March 2022". Independent Shorts Awards. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  27. ^ "Award Winners: April 2022". INDIE SHORT FEST. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  28. ^ a b Lienig, Kathrin (8 July 2023). "Göttingerin Lea Hinz räumt als Show-Regisseurin in Las Vegas ab" [Rhythmic Gymnast Göttingen Native Lea Hinz Scores Big as Show Director in Las Vegas]. Göttinger Tageblatt. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  29. ^ a b Novak, Samuel (8 August 2024). "'CLOUD 7 – An Immersive Experience' Is Here". Vegas411. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  30. ^ Hinz, Lea (31 August 2023). "Reflections". leahinz.com. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  31. ^ Katsilometes, John (9 August 2024). "Cool Hang Alert". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  32. ^ Novak, Samuel (24 July 2025). "Welcome to the House of 'DOLLS'". Vegas411. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  33. ^ "Feuerwerk der Turnkunst – Von der Vision zur Weltsensation" [Fireworks of Gymnastics – From Vision to Global Sensation]. German Gymnastics Federation (in German). 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  34. ^ Gladwin, Andi (11 March 2026). "Lea Hinz: The Director Behind Shuffled". www.vanishingincmagic.com. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
  35. ^ Novak, Samuel (10 April 2024). "'PARTICLE INK' Returns – Luxor's Best Attraction Ever?". Vegas411. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
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