“ I am the executive director of the Philadelphia school of Circus Arts and the new circus school Circadium . I ' ve been involved with circus for over 25 years . I learned to unicycle and juggle when I was a kid . I went to Circomedia in the UK in 1995-1996 and learned trapeze and tightrope walking and all of those wonderful things . When I came back , I did freelance performing and started teaching in early 2000 . I didn ' t get involved with AYCO and ACE until the last couple of years because from 2010 to 2013 my husband and kids and I went on the road with the Cirque du Soleil show Totem . So we were traveling all over the world for four years . When we got back , it was time for me to step in and get involved . The organization has grown to a wonderful place where we have Amy Cohen as the executive director — and so many great things are going on in this sector — and I have been so happy to be part of it .”
— Shana Kennedy
ADAM WOOLLEY Safety Program Committee Chair Adam is a hand balancing and rope coach who has trained and taught all over the US over the past 9 years . He graduated from the first pro-track class at the New England Center for Circus Arts in 2007 , and continued his training in Chicago and San Francisco before moving to NYC in 2010 and starting a career as a full time coach . He has coached aerials and hand balancing for Circus Warehouse , NECCA , and his own private studio , Circus Edge . He is currently the Head Coach at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts , safety program manager for ACE , and the managing director and cofounder of Circus Now , a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the evolution of circus arts in the United States .
TARA JACOB Hup Squad Coordinator / Youth Committee Liaison Tara first fell in love with the fun , creativity , and community she found in the circus as a teenager at The Circus Space in London , and went on to found the Circus Folk Unite ! collective at Hampshire College . She then completed the 2012-2013 pro-track program at the New England Center for the Circus Arts . Now she is an instructor at SHOW Circus Studio in Easthampton , MA ! She is also the AYCO Hup Squad action team liason , coordinating the AYCO CircusIsMyLife youth blog with a bunch of fierce and fantastic teenagers from across the country .
MARIBETH JOY
Treasurer This month marks the end of Maribeth ' s seven year term on our board . We are incredibly grateful for her dedication to AYCO and investment in the national dialogue about youth and social circus . She has been , and continues to be , a beacon of light and inspiration for youth and social circus communities around the globe .
Maribeth joined CircEsteem in 2004 as a volunteer juggling instructor not realizing that she would spend the next 10 years of her life dedicated to CircEsteem ’ s mission of uniting youth from diverse backgrounds and building self-esteem and mutual respect through the circus arts . As the Executive Director until 2016 , her vision and commitment to social circus has been instrumental in CircEsteem ’ s growth and success .
SHANA KENNEDY Member Shana is the Founding Director of the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts , and the Executive Director of Circadium . She trained as an aerialist and a juggler at Circomedia , in England , and performed for many years in both capacities . She began teaching aerial skills in her home and backyard in 2001 . In 2006 Air Play was founded as a performance and teaching company ; it evolved in 2008 to the full-fledged PSCA facility . She is deeply committed to the growing presence of circus artistry and education in the U . S ., and to furthering the sector as a whole .
JEN AGANS Member Jen Agans , Ph . D ., is a research scientist at Cornell University , where she works to build synergy between youth development research and practice . She grew up in youth circus , training with Jackie and Rick Davis beginning in middle school , touring with Circus Smirkus in 2004 , and coaching at the Silver Lining Circus Camp from 2005 to 2009 before serving as camp director from 2010 to 2014 . Jen has been a member of AYCO since 2001 , only missed one AYCO festival ( 2007 ), and has been bringing her research and evaluation perspective to AYCO / ACE conferences since 2010 .
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