Who We Are…

The heartbeat of Above Ground is to offer a space of both physical and emotional safety, and to bring honor to God. ALL walks of life are welcome here! We want our students to be free to express their authenticity and creativity while demonstrating kindness and respecting others. We are a studio dedicated to excellence, and to safe, technical learning. We strive to foster an environment that exudes warmth, encouragement, and support.

Our History…

Amanda Hamburger is the founder of Above Ground. Amanda first fell in love with aerial arts in 2010 in the theater department of Louisiana State University. Five years later, her growing passion which began intentionally only as a hobby, suddenly turned into more. She began practicing in her backyard on an originally crafted rig and quickly attracted students, many of which encouraged her stating, “you know, you really should open a business”. It wasn’t her first inclination but as the months went on, her heart was swayed. Thus, Above Ground was first born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For the first year and a half, she rented space out of a local cheer gym. With great success and a growing clientele, she went on to open the doors of her very own dedicated space in 2017.

God brought blessings upon Above Ground and it flourished. Students became friends and those friends became a tightly-woven family; however, always open to receiving new folks into the fold. Amanda had built a team of certified instructors providing safe learning of aerial silks, hammock, lyra, trapeze and rope. Together, they put on almost a dozen in-studio performances, hosted many events and parties, and performed locally all over Baton Rouge and surrounding areas, and even throughout the state of Louisiana.

In 2021, God had new plans for Amanda and her husband, Chris. Closing the doors to her beloved Above Ground, they moved to Los Angeles, California, in pursuit of more dreams and passions. Amanda looked for new opportunities to re-open Above Ground in LA, but it simply wasn’t in the cards. With yet another vision and direction, Amanda and Chris moved to Georgia in the fall of 2022. By that winter, God opened the door for Above Ground to be reborn, reimagined, and reinvented.

Since reopening, Above Ground has grown again with leaps and bounds, faster than anticipated. Amanda believes whole-heartedly that God has big plans for the business. She trusts Him with her life and with all of her dreams and desires. She has allowed him to be Lord of her life and to guide and direct her steps. We hope that you feel the love and the presence of the Father when you step into our studio and when you climb to new heights.

Meet Our Instructors

Amanda HamBurger

Hi, I’m Amanda Hamburger. (Thanks to my wonderful husband for that amazing last name!) I’m a deep southern girl, born and raised in Louisiana. When I’m not doing aerial, I’m probably thinking about it, although I do have a few other hobbies like hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. I’ve trained extensively in aerial silks, sling, lyra, rope and dance trapeze. I have earned multiple teaching certifications from Circus Arts Institute nearby in Atlanta, GA. I earned my BA in Communication Studies as well as an M.Ed. in Counseling. My background includes multiple forms of dance, tumbling, theatre, art, and music. 

I love Jesus and I love people. I find that there is no greater joy than to truly know people on a deeper level and to help them unlock their potential, enriching their lives. For me, I’ve found that aerial arts has helped me realize that I have more physical and psychological capacity than I ever realized. Years ago, after several significant injuries, my physical and mental health hit rock bottom. A very accurate word you could have used to describe me would have been 'fragile'. It’s a long story, but one of the turning points for me in my healing process was finding aerial. With God, with motivation, some P.T., and a little hope, my body and mind began to heal and become stronger. I have realized new capacity within myself and it’s my goal to have others realize that same capacity within them.  

“We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too.” — Kristin Martz. 

Peter Logdson

Peter was introduced to aerial acrobatics in November of 2012 when a friend hijacked him to a Trapeze class taught by Davey Swinton. He then found an aerial gym, conveniently located close to home, where he learned predominantly from Amber Monson and Kara Jones for his first year. He went from not being able to do a single pull-up to being in some of their most advanced classes! He was then invited to join an apprenticeship program to become an instructor by the end of 2013 which he completed in 2014.

Peter has continued to expand his personal skills and his teaching repertoire over the years. He teaches rope, sling, silks, aerial partnering (on multiple apparatuses), and some partner acrobatics. He also dabbles in straps, trapeze, and on rare occasions lyra.

He has been known for having a focus on technique, conditioning, and understanding of theory, as he believes this enables higher levels of safety for his students in both his classes and when they learn from others. This approach also facilitates how efficiently his students have learned new skills in the past due to not easily tiring, truly comprehending the how and why skills work, and where their body truly should be when practicing the skills they are learning. 

If you want to chat with him about other interests he has, you will have a cornucopia of options! Beyond aerial acrobatics, he also enjoys spending time with his dog (Karrah) getting in around 55-70 miles in every week with her, playing soccer, Atlanta United, 3D printing, building/painting miniatures, baking, growing fruits and vegetables, snowboarding, and most forms of gaming!