Alumni Showcase Cast

An aerial acrobat who has performed with Cirque du Soleil and America's Got Talent LIVE!, Andrea is known for sculpted strength and exquisite technique. She explores human complexity on stage with seat-shifting performance that leaves viewers wanting more. A San Francisco native, Andrea arrived to circus from the worlds of theater and modern dance. She has trained in aerial arts and acrobatics under acclaimed coaches in Montreal, Buenos Aires, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, as well as through the New England Center for Circus Arts’ ProTrack program.

Doug graduated from the New England Center for Circus Arts, and has worked for Circus Smirkus, Chicago’s Midnight Circus, Diamond Family Circus, AIDA Cruises and was a cast member in the first three Cirque Us tours. Doug holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business of Live and Performing Arts with a concentration in Touring Productions from Columbia College Chicago. At age 20, Doug founded Cirque Us. Doug is also a co-founder of the Upper Valley Circus Camp. Doug currently sits as the head circus coach for Circus Smirkus Camp and the Artistic and Operations Director of Cirque Us.

Elise Southwick is a multi-disciplined circus artist from the high desert of Santa Fe, NM. She received her professional training at The New England Center for Circus Arts from 2013-2015. From 2017-2020, she toured the world with AIDA Cruise Lines, where she performed Aerial Silk, Trapeze, Straps, Cube, Bungee, Adagio, Aerial and Floor Pole, Ribbon/Floor Contortion, and various Character and dance choreography. She has also performed with Quixotic Fusion, Wise Fool New Mexico, and The Santa Fe Opera.

Jay Clement is a queer, Aotearoa-based contemporary circus artist, coach, director, and choreographer. He received his formal training at NECCA and has since gone on to perform and create internationally. He is a principal performer and choreographer for Tāmaki Makaurau-based circus-theatre company The Dust Palace, and has also co-founded award-winning Manubrium Circus Theatre, and acts as co-director for Aotearoa’s premiere youth circus company HighJinx. In his spare time he is an avid nap enthusiast.

Over the last 20 years, Julia’s aerial career led her to dance on buildings, perform over whales and dolphins, tour the world performing and coaching, found an aerial performance company and school, design and custom build an aerial studio, judge international circus competitions, perform on a cruise ship, develop one of the first college level aerial dance courses, become a 2 time US Aerial Championship finalist, create and direct full length circus productions, and receive several grants for artistic excellence. Julia is a graduate of NECCA and St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Nimble Arts, MOTH Poetic Circus, Cirque Imagination, JAR Productions, World Entertainment Services, Oma Entertainment, Blue Lapis Light, and SeaWorld have employed her talents. Julia now shares her expertise as a circus consultant, books performances with her company Aerial Horizon, and is the Marketing Director and aerial coach at NECCA.

Lauren Breunig fell in love with circus while working as a counselor at Circus Smirkus camp. She began taking classes at NECCA, first as a recreational student, then as part of the ProTrack Program. She is the pioneer of an original apparatus, the Sliding Trapeze, and has been featured as an innovative aerialist in festivals across the United States. She also performs on aerial sling, trapeze, fabric, and partner acrobatics. Find her on Instagram @laurenbreunig Lauren has toured and recorded in the US and around the world with a variety of folk music groups, including her band, Windborne.

(Duet with Shannon Mckenna) Nicole Burgio is a circus artist, performer, and educator. Nicole graduated from NECCA's professional program, , then studied at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts while attaining a master’s degree in Clinical and Counseling Health Psychology from the Philadelphia School of Osteopathic Medicine. Nicole has toured as a solo performer to international festivals, theaters, cruise ships, and televised programming in many countries. Her solo evening-length work xoxo moongirl, produced by Almanac Dance Circus Theater, received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won Philadelphia’s Barrymore award for Outstanding Choreography and Movement. In 2018 and 2019, she conceptualized and facilitated Proyecto Colmena, an intensive ensemble program at Casa de Artes Circo Contemporaneo in Mexico City. In 2021, Nicole founded The Ready Room, a hybrid virtual/in-person inclusive learning space designed to empower professionals and non- professionals with flexibility, handstands, balance, and acrobatic training.

(Duet with Nicole Burgio) Shannon McKenna is a performer, coach, and entrepreneur. She earned her B.F.A. from NYU with a concentration in physical theater. She trained rope and flexibility at NECCA and worked in German cabarets, Portuguese holiday shows, and in American trad and contemporary circuses. Shannon launched The Artist Athlete, an online company seeking to bridge the gap between the professional and recreational worlds. She is currently in Montreal, training straps with Victor Fomine. http://www.theartistathlete.com / IG: @the_artist_athlete