SANCA

SANCA is recognized nationally as a leader in youth circus arts education, safety, and instructor training. The school is located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, an area with limited access to arts and cultural opportunities, especially for children. Founded in 2004 with five students, almost  1,000 students take classes at SANCA every week. Annually, SANCA serves more than 30,000 people with classes and camps, in-school and after-school outreach programs, and public performances.

SANCA offers experiences that are physically challenging, socially enriching, and teach physical literacy to people of all ages. SANCA’s services to the community include recreational classes and day camps to provide youth with a safe, social, constructive environment for physical arts. Our programs broaden community engagement, reach diverse audiences, and encourage participation in the arts. SANCA’s programs for youth reach those with the least access and opportunity to participate in healthy, creative, physical activities.

Our Mission

SANCA’s mission is to improve the mental, emotional, and physical health of children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities by engaging them in the joyous creativity of acrobatics and circus arts.

Our Vision

Circus is the home of the spectacular . . .

We dream of a world in which all people share in an inspired and thriving community transformed by world-class instruction, performance, and play.

We know in our bodies that every body can benefit from the joys of circus. We are unbounded in our imagination and unbridled in our passion to explore the fullest capacities of the human body and spirit.

We know in our minds that lives can be forever changed by a single moment of inspiration. We nurture a broad spectrum of creative expression from clownish hilarity to acrobatic virtuosity.

We know in our hearts that circus arts provide vital pathways to personal and collective empowerment. We cultivate the spectacular in unexpected places, dissolve perceived differences, and celebrate our shared strength.

Circus is for Every Body!

SANCA’s Values

The SANCA community embraces the following core values in the work we do, the circus we learn, and the relationships we build:

Inclusivity:  We create a welcoming community that fosters trust, cooperation, and a sense of belonging.  We provide access for all to experience the joy of circus arts, whether as active participants, as engaged spectators, or as patrons of circus arts.

Play:  We delight in the joy of creative play, laughter, and having fun.  Circus gives us opportunities to grow our minds, grow our bodies, and grow our hearts.

Respect:  We believe mutual respect is the bedrock of a healthy community.  We treat ourselves and others with integrity and compassion in our words and deeds.

Excellence: We hold ourselves and each other to the highest personal and safety standards.  Understanding that failure and humility are integral to success and growth, we encourage persistence in the face of challenges.

Creativity: We create opportunities that ignite our imaginations and cultivate wonder in our community.