Circus Springboard: What To Do if Your Balloon Pops Contributors

Darcy Biddle is an aerialist and storyteller who enjoys portraying characters of both the silly and serious variety through circus arts. From the sunny world of Southern California, Darcy began aerial arts at age 11 and threw themself into the craft with abandon—performing and teaching as often as they could. Darcy is now in their second year of ProTrack and working towards the goal of creating acts that will truly touch audiences’ hearts, and art that they are excited to share with the world. When they’re not doing circus, they enjoy writing and spending too much time at local coffee shops brainstorming their next creative endeavor.

Henry is a jack of many trades within the circus, starting as an aerialist at age 5 at Xelias Aerial Arts in his hometown of Minneapolis he quickly grew to love the art form and by 13 he was juggling, tumbling, clowning and much much more. In his free time he enjoys cooking, kite flying, and playing music. In 2021 Henry joined protrack at the New England Center for Circus Arts where he focuses on aerial rope & clown.

Katie Russo's performance career began at fifteen in marching band and color guard culminating in the WGI world championship title with Onyx color guard in 2017. Attending the Jacobs School of Music on a premier young artist scholarship, she excelled in musical ensembles and trained vigorously as a generalist at a local circus arts school. Katie has a passion for athleticism and artistry and is currently a juggling and Chinese pole specialist.

Rae Lawhorne (they/she) grew up in the mountains of Virginia, filling their time with as many dance classes as they could. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Dance and Choreography, she turned her eyes toward the sky and began taking aerial classes. After a few years of taking and teaching classes at their local aerial studio, Rae decided to take their training to the next level and attend the ProTrack program at NECCA, where they chose to specialize in lyra and Chinese pole.

Meaghan Behne is a professional aerialist who has performed throughout the country. She is also an experienced teacher in several aerial apparatuses of varying levels. She is currently in year two of The New England Center for Circus Arts’ Professional ProTrack program. She was originally from Houston, Texas and moved to Brattleboro, Vermont to follow her circus dreams. She relishes the opportunity to perform in variety of circus shows and events. Past awards include 2019 Flight Night (Silks) 1st Place- Youth Advanced, 2020 Flight Night (Silks) 1st Place- Adults Advanced 2021 Flight Night (Silks) 1st Place- Adults Advanced. Her hobbies embrace reading the latest thriller.

Olivia Sather is a dynamic and versatile aerial performer who was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She has had training as a singer, dancer, stage performer and circus artist. At the age of 13, she started classes at Xelias Aerial Arts. When she realized all the elements of performance that she loved could be combined as a circus artist, she set her sights on making that her career. Olivia is now in her second year of ProTrack with a major in Aerial Rope and minor in Chinese Pole. She aims to make the audience feel connected to her by bringing authenticity and passion to her presence onstage. She is very excited to share these characters with you. Thank you!

An aerialist, dancer, and acrobat from Winnipeg, Canada, Réanne Hein loves flying in the air, climbing on other people, and sharing her passion for movement and circus with everyone. When she’s bored she likes to quiz herself on the 245 flags she has memorized. Starting as a competitive dancer, she discovered circus at 15, gaining experience and learning how much she enjoys working with others in an ensemble. At NECCA, her main focuses are aerial straps, Chinese pole, and partner acrobatics. You can find her on Instagram @reannehein and on her website www.reannehein.com.

Rose Francis is a multi-disciplinary circus artist specializing in aerial straps, trampoline wall, and partner acrobatics. In the middle of a pandemic, she flipped her life from studying and working in medicine to pursuing a professional circus career! She is driven by her desire to help as many people as possible explore the wonders of circus! When she's not spinning by her ankles 20ft in the air, she enjoys cuddling with her cat Levi!

Neva Cockrell is a professional dancer, interdisciplinary artis, and embodiment teacher. She danced with Pilobolus from 2016 - 2019 touring to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, China, Mexico, Israel, Dubai, and within the US both as a dancer and as the Dance Captain. She is also a writer and director who uses dance-theater as a tool for social change. In 2010 she co-founded her own interdisciplinary company, Loom Ensemble, based in NYC which has toured across the US, Europe, and UAE. She is passionate about using Loom Ensemble’s performances to open difficult conversations, and then facilitate community discussion to unpack the emotional vulnerability and cultural taboos of each show. She was recently awarded the New Work New England grant from NEFA as a director for Loom’s most recent piece. Neva has been teaching dance, theater, and embodiment practices for over a decade, including opening Physique 57’s first international studio in Dubai and developing her own movement technique, Catalyst. Her diverse background in gymnastics, partner acrobatics, contact improvisation, Capoeira Angola, and Yoga inspire her unique style of Contemporary Dance in both her choreography and her classes. She is yoga teacher certified through Simple Yoga with Eric Stewart, and is deeply passionate about the overlap of somatic work and breaking down systems of oppression. After directing the Art Monastery from 2015-2022 in Italy and Vermont, she now lives, works, teaches, and creates at WildHeart: Center for Performance and Embodiment Practice https://www.wildheartcenter.art/ (founded by Neva and her partner Raphael) in the Hudson Valley with their two-year-old, Acradion.

Sasha Bogdanowitsch is a composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and educator who writes music for theater, dance, film, concert music and original songs. He is a co-founder of World In One Pan Arts Collaborative (a non-profit arts organization) and Loom Ensemble (interdisciplinary theater ensemble). Sasha has performed worldwide and throughout the tri state area in NY venues such as: Carnegie Hall, Whitney Museum, Symphony Space, BAM and Roulette. www.timbretree.com https://sashabogdanowitsch.bandcamp.com/Designer

Alexandra Mushinski is a textile artist, dancer, aerialist, and creative writer currently based in Western Massachusetts. She received an Individualized BFA [textiles, performance, writing] from California College of the Arts in 2019. Since, Alexandra has delved into the world of aerial arts, modern/contemporary dance and physical theater, and theater design, and is always excited to try out new forms of creative expression. Alexandra has worked with Loom Ensemble, Wild Goose Players, and NECCA on projects in recent years.

Zane Defiant, Director of Facilities and Rigging has worked as a project manager, technical director, fire art safety inspector, placemaker, and roustabout on productions with NECCA ProTrack, Nimble Arts, Defiant Circus Arts, Great Lakes Experimental Art Inc, Lakes of Fire, Madison House, Riverwalk Theater, and Everything but Theater. Zane also co-founded the nation’s 2nd nonprofit restaurant and bakes a mean cupcake.