Flying high
Local DJ and acrobat Nick Bailey on moving bodies and minds

]Season’s greetings, dear readers! For this week’s Between the Beats, I sat down with Nick Bailey, better known to some as DJ Arsonnick and to others as a local acrobat, aerialist and tumbler extraordinaire. Nick is relatively new to Durango but has already become a central figure in two of our most expressive spaces: music and movement. If you have been to a Varsity Crew Productions show or caught a Secret Circus Society performance recently, you have almost certainly seen him doing what he does best: moving bodies, lifting spirits and leaning hard into self-expression.

I caught up with Nick to talk about how he landed in Durango, his background in acrobatics, his path into DJing, and how all of it fits together.

SS: How did you find your way to Durango?

NB: I lived in Dallas for a long time. I got into trail running while living there and eventually ran my first ultra – a 69-mile race – and that really pushed me into reconnecting with nature. I found myself longing to be somewhere beautiful; somewhere that actually cares about the environment. You don’t really get that in Dallas. I came to visit a friend who was living up here for a short time, and on my first trip, we almost summited Handies in Silverton and Sneffels in Ouray. That was it. I knew I wanted to live here.

Not long after, I went through a big breakup with a woman I was engaged to. I moved back in with my mom for about eight months, built out my van, and when it was done, it was time. I just got in and came up here.

SS: Tell us about your background in acrobatics, because anyone who has seen you perform might wonder why you are not living in Las Vegas.

NB: I was a gymnast starting in middle school and stuck with that for a while. In high school, I switched to cheerleading, mostly because it is really hard to get scholarship money as a gymnast unless you are truly elite. I always told myself that after college I would try out for Cirque du Soleil, since that felt like the pinnacle of aerial and acrobatic performance.

In my early twenties, I blew out my right knee a few times and kind of gave up on that dream. Coming to Durango changed everything. I met Ruby, who runs the Secret Circus, and we started training together. Suddenly it was like I actually got another shot at a childhood dream.

What really stands out is how inclusive the community is. There is no gatekeeping. If you want to be part of it, people help you find a way, whether you are an incredible athlete or just want to dress up and have fun. The circus and burlesque world here is genuinely welcoming.

SS: You are also a core member of Varsity Crew Productions and have been hosting and supporting a lot of shows with that group. How did your journey into DJing start?

NB: I got into electronic music in my early twenties and went to tons of shows in Dallas. I worked for a promo company called Full Access, so I spent a lot of nights handing out flyers and being immersed in the scene. I never really mixed or produced back then, but I loved the culture.

When I moved to Durango, part of my intention was to go all in on music and see what would happen. I started learning to mix as a hobby, and then I met Ryan Waldman and Danny Kurz. They welcomed me with open arms. We started small, throwing low-key shows, but we kept getting better, meeting other DJs and building community.

SS: What are your goals moving forward?

NB: My dream as an artist is to have a platform I can use for good. I want to create music that empowers people, whether that means helping someone grieve a loss, get through a breakup or just feel uplifted. We have realized we do have reach. In a small, tight-knit community like this, you really can make a difference, at least in the world right around you. That matters to me.

SS: How do acrobatics and music feed each other?

NB: It is all about freedom of expression. With acrobatics, I get to express myself physically without needing to compete or win anything. I can just move. Music works the same way. I get to play sounds that feel empowering and cathartic and hopefully provide the kind of release that dancing gives.

SS: What is coming up on the horizon for you?

NB: We are going to keep climbing the ladder with Varsity Crew Productions. A lot of us have been producing our own music, so I will be releasing more tracks and hopefully getting booked in other cities. Long term, my dream is to travel the world playing music, empowering people and continuing to use whatever platform I have to make a positive difference.