Every Body's Circus
Each of us has different strengths
Every Body's Circus Overview
SANCA’s Every Body’s Circus (EBC) program offers individual lessons, group lessons, classes with inclusion, and camps that benefit children and adults with the following needs:
• Learning differences
• Behavioral issues
• Trauma Related Disorders and Mood Disorders
• Sensory and processing issues
• ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Cerebral palsy, hemiparesis, spina bifida
• Visual or hearing impairment and other physical challenges
• Anyone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access circus or exercise
Every Body’s Circus (EBC) provides a flexible, individualized approach to group and one-on instruction that enable youth to develop physical and social interaction skills. These progressions are adapted to the abilities and needs of the students participating in each class and/or session. Our goal in the EBC program is to help EBC students find the success and self efficacy they need to eventually graduate from the EBC program and move on to recreational circus classes. We hope to create an inclusive, integrated community where children of all abilities can exist side by side in any program at SANCA.
Circus as a Therapeutic Tool
Without any therapeutic intention, Circus naturally provides social, emotional and physical benefits to those who access it. In the EBC program, we combine circus arts with Play Therapy and Sensory Integration to provide added therapeutic effect for EBC students. In EBC group classes, students gain core strength, balance, flexibility, gripping strength, social skills, self regulation skills, and confidence using a variety of circus skills, including trampoline, tightrope, juggling, handstands, and aerial arts. Students who have participated in our Every Body’s Circus programs have accomplished amazing proficiency with many circus skills in spite of incredible obstacles, including visual or hearing impairment, stroke, spina bifida, hemiparesis, and more.
For non-confidential inquiries, e-mail: ebc@sancaseattle.org.
We will respond to all inquiries within one week*.
Click here for Privacy Practices Information
Every Body's Circus Services
The Every Body’s Circus program offers group classes and individual instruction during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarter to students who have gone through our inquiry, assessment, and placement process. We do not offer weekly EBC classes during the summer quarter, instead, we offer EBC support during our summer camps.
The EBC program is a closed cohort program, which means we accept a finite number of students each year and monitor their progress in our program during that year. Our goal is to bridge EBC students into recreational circus classes after they have completed one full year of EBC instruction.
This is how our cohort system works:
- Inquiry Period: We receive inquiries for potential EBC students January through June each year. Our waitlist is then closed until the following January.
- Assessment Period: Potential students who submitted inquires during our open inquiry period are then contacted during June, July and August to come into SANCA for assessment.
- Placement: Once assessment is complete, the new student is placed in one of our EBC group classes or EBC individual instruction in September.
- Re-assessment: Once an EBC student has moved through the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters, we assess if the student will remain in the EBC program for another year, bridge over to our recreational circus program, or move on to other therapeutic programs outside of SANCA.
EBC Group Classes
(55 minutes):
Our Every Body’s Circus group classes are play focused, student-centered general circus classes for children with physical, emotional, or cognitive challenges who need extra care and accommodations from specially trained SANCA coaches. Students will engage in social, emotional, and physical skill building while learning how to use trampoline, trapeze, aerial fabric, tight wire, juggling, and strength and flexibility. Class size is generally 4-6 students that are led by 2-3 Every Body’s Circus coaches.
EBC Individual Instruction
(55 minutes):
For students who struggle with impulse or mood regulation, low self confidence, fear and anxiety, or otherwise do not feel ready to join a group setting, we can provide a one on one coach for 1-3 quarters to help your student gain the confidence and self regulation skills they need to feel prepared for EBC group instruction.
Tuition & Financial Assistance
All fees are due prior to the start of the lesson. We accept cash, check and all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX & Discover).
Individual lessons: $50 per hour
Group lessons: Prices range from approximately $220 – $310 per session, depending on the length of that particular session (our quarterly sessions range between 9 and 14 weeks). Call our office at 206-652-4433 for current session pricing.
Youth scholarships available –
DDD Funds – SANCA is a DSHS recognized respite care facility. Some services can be covered by DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) funds, if the client has those funds available. Please let us know at the time of registration if you wish to use these funds for services and provide us with your case manager contact information, so that we can submit a claim to the State of Washington on your behalf. Please note, the client is ultimately responsible for payment of services in the event your claim is denied.
Insurance – Our services cannot be billed to insurance as they are not yet considered a mental health therapy. We are working towards this goal to increase the accessibility of our program.
*We strive to attend to all emails and correspondence within one week, however, EBC is a very popular program and sometimes it takes us up to two weeks to follow up.
“Circus is fun! I like aerial a lot, but only about a foot above the ground.”
