2nd Annual Alumni Showcase (Virtual) Contributors

Amaya Alvarado is a multidisciplinary circus artist and lover of movement. After completing the Professional Program at the Circus Warehouse in NYC she went on to graduate from the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) focusing on hand to hand, group acrobatics, and trapeze. Amaya has performed with a number of renowned companies and organizations including Comedy Central, Summer Stage NYC, Nimble Arts, and Aerial Angels, and she is the founding director of Aiya Productions. She has studied hand to hand, acrobatics and aerials with some of the greatest coaches and innovators in North America: at NECCA and in Montreal with Jérome LeBeaut (Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize and Seven Fingers) and Natalia Adamiecka (Cirque Eloize). She also studied with prominent coaches at the Beijing Acrobatic School in China, including Coach Lee and Coach Tzuo. Amaya co-created, choreographed and performed in the contemporary circus theatre show Tinder and Ash, born through a Tohu artist residency in Montreal and further developed at the Orchard Project Residency in Saratoga Springs, NY. In 2019 Amaya directed and performed, in collaboration with Kate Law, a two woman show entitled Pole Disclosure which was developed with support from the Regional Arts and Culture Council of Oregon. Amaya’s most recent work, entitled “Grief Cabaret: A Glamorous Mourning” premiered in Portland in September 2021. Amaya is a movement storyteller and her work has been called “hilariously vulnerable” and “beautifully touching."

Ben Kaufman is a circus performer from Brattleboro Vermont. He started attending the New England Center for Circus Arts as a child and was quickly drawn towards handbalancing, hula hooping, and acrobatics. He toured with Circus Smirkus for three years and has since gone on to perform with Circus Culture, Cirque Imagination, CirqueUs, Nimble Arts, Wunderle's Big Top Adventures, Cirq Motif, Metta Theatre and The Boston Circus Guild. He won the 2019 Windham County's Got Talent competition and in 2021 he moved to London where he performs and teaches across the UK.

Copper Santiago is a multidisciplinary artist and circus performer currently paying rent in Philadelphia. Born and raised in New York City, Copper grew up training flying trapeze and has travelled extensively to study circus, notably at the New England Center for Circus arts and the Circadium School of Contemporary Circus. Currently enrolled at Goddard college pursuing a BFA in socially engaged art, Copper has performed on both sides of the Atlantic. She moves from her inherited and cultivated impulses for agency. Her favorite food is arugula.

Elsa was first introduced to circus at Ithaca College before attending the Intensive and Professional track programs at Necca. Since then, Elsa has performed in and US and internationally with companies including Cirqe de Demain, Sandals Resorts International, 305 Entertainment, and Boston Circus Guild as an aerialist and handbalancer.

Jessica Perry is an artist and creator of multi-genre performance art and coach to her beloved students. She started her circus journey with flying trapeze and aerial acrobatics in Colorado as a teenager. From her first swing, she was hooked. This led her to completing the protrack program at NECCA in 2014. Her very reasonable parents insisted that she get a college education. In 2017, she graduated from the National Centre for Circus Arts in London where she got to study, not only circus technique, but also act creation, theater, directing, biomechanics, and the anatomy of building strong circus bodies. Since then she has traveled through Europe, Australia, and the U.S. working with AIDA Cruises, Stufish Productions, CIRCA, Creactive by Cirque du Soleil, Acrobatic Conundrum. She spent the majority of the pandemic at Emerald City Trapeze Arts in Seattle as manager of the acrobatics, fitness, and aerial programs where she got to help her students achieve their creative and technical goals. She is thrilled to be continuing her coaching and performing career at Elevated Dreams in Santa Barbara, California.

Kate Law has performed with Jo Krieter’s Flyaway Productions, Project Bandaloop, Portland Trail Blazers games, the San Francisco Opera House, the Boston MFA, the House of Blues andmany others. She won the RAWArts Boston Performing Artist of the Year, has worked with the Boston Circus Guild, and Directed for her company, Bow & Sparrow. Kate is a graduate of Professional Track program at New England Center for Circus Arts. In Portland she performed with AWOL Dance Collective, Night Flight, The Circus Project and created Pole Disclosure, a full-length duo show with her partner Amaya Alvarado. She has recently moved to Salt Lake City.

Kristi Alyssa has been involved in circus for 15 years this year (2022!). She is a graduate of NECCA (2012) and Aloft (2015). She is currently a highly in demand instructor in the Chicagoland area as well as the director of Aloft’s youth program, manager of Aloft’s professional training programs and manager of Frankfort Circus Centers aerial program. Outside of circus, she enjoys practicing photography and background film acting.

Suzon was born in Brussels in 1989 from a mother passionate about moving bodies. As the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, she also grew up embracing the limits of the body and soul. When she was 12, her sister dragged her to her first circus class, marking the beginning of 8 years of addiction, testing every circus discipline possible. Suzon then graduated from a masters in physical education in 2012 and passed her circus teacher certificate a year later. All in all, we can definitely say that Suzon knows the art and the way. She likes being above ground, that’s her thing: she spends less time on earth than she does in the air. During her professional training she flew through Ireland, the US and Spain where she respectively did Vertical Dance, graduated from the Pro-Track program at the New England Center For Circus Arts in Cyr Wheel and Dance-Trapeze, and then from the Formacion Profesional En Artes Circenses Carampa in Trapeze and Teeterboard. Today, Suzon performs for various companies and directs her own shows.