Author Archives: Jessalyn Hoffman

Meet SANCA’s new Outreach Coordinator

Today we announce that Coach Julia has accepted the role of Outreach and Events Coordinator here at SANCA! Julia was born and raised in Seattle and has called this city home as long as she has known. Starting out in the theater as a kid, they stumbled upon circus arts when doing a one-act play that required “something circus-y.” She has since gone on to specialize in Aerial Fabric and Lyra (Aerial Hoop). Julia has been at SANCA for a year now and is excited to be stepping into this new position! They bring to this role experience working with both public and private schools in the Greater Seattle area, coordination, and production experience while working on volunteer film projects, and a background in theater and circus arts. When not at SANCA, they can most likely be found at home, hibernating with a cup of coffee and cuddling with their roommate’s dog.

Meet SANCA’s new Artist-in-Residency Coordinator

Today we announce that the talented circus artist Terry Crane has accepted the role of AIR Coordinator here at SANCA! Terry loves to perform and facilitate the performance of live circus. He currently resides at Equinox Studios, where he is a proud plant parent. Born and raised in the foothills of the cascades, he has been a climber and a ham since his earliest days. He specializes in vertical rope, trapeze, Cyr wheel, partner acrobatics, and slack rope. As founder of two circus companies, Circus Syzygy and Acrobatic Conundrum, he has made it his mission to further expression and ensemble work in contemporary circus in the Pacific Northwest. He brings his acumen as a producer, director, and performer to the role of Artist in Residency Coordinator at SANCA. His favorite color is green. He sometimes glazes over in conversation as he is concocting his next pun. As A.I.R. coordinator, his goal is to bring the circus community a breath of fresh air.

Did you know that Terry also runs Acrobatic Conundrum, Seattle’s premier contemporary circus arts company? Check out the amazing shows he produces and see what’s upcoming here.

Meet Kira, SANCA’s new intern!

SANCA has a new intern! Meet Kira, a SANCA student immersing herself in the world of circus in class and in the office. During her internship, she will learn various skills ranging from coaching to the administrative work that goes into making a circus school like ours run.

Kira comes from Highline Big Picture School where they use internships, apprenticeships, and rigorous, interest-based projects to immerse students in work they are passionate about to develop the skills, habits, and knowledge to succeed in higher education, overcome obstacles to their well-being, and contribute positively to their communities. You can read more about the work they do in the link below.

Can we all give Kira a warm SANCA welcome

https://bigpicture.highlineschools.org

Congrats Ivanna!

Today we announce that our talented Coach Ivanna has accepted the role of Aerial Coordinator!

Ivanna started out in a career dancing with various companies in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles and was introduced to aerial arts along the way. She has always found a deep sense of freedom and connection within movement. The ability to simultaneously tune in and get lost inside the expressiveness of moving is glorious. She was delighted to find that same sense of expressiveness in aerial, just with a different set of boundaries. She currently performs on various apparatus and sees each as a different dance partner to get to know and discover how to create with. In addition to performing, Ivanna is also an instructor in multiple studios in Seattle. She started at SANCA in 2017 and is excited to now step into the Aerial Coordinator position. She previously held the Lead Instructor position at Art Flying Aerial in Los Angeles and Aerial Director at Emerald City Trapeze Arts here in Seattle. Her teaching style is heavily influenced by her work as a Pilates instructor and bodyworker and her fascination with anatomy and biomechanics. We are overjoyed that she accepted this new position, please join us in congratulating her!

Congrats Nick! -SANCA’s Youth Company Administrator

Meet Nick!

Nick Harden started working at SANCA on January 1, 2009. Today we announce his position of Youth Company Administrator! Nick is a circus performer and coach. He performs acrobatics and unicycle internationally with his wife and circus partner Wendy. He has performed with many companies including Cirque Mechanics, Flynn Creek Circus, Venardos Circus, Zoppe Circus, and Acrobatic Conundrum. He has shared his knowledge and love of circus with youth at many organizations around the US, including six seasons with Circus Smirkus. In addition to his work in Y-Co here at SANCA he has also worked with other youth circuses, including Circus Smirkus in Vermont, Circus Harmony in St Louis, and Circadium in Philadelphia. Nick & Wendy live here in Seattle with their two young children who love to climb on their papa! We are proud to have Nick in this position and invite you to join us in giving him congratulations!

A warm welcome to our new advisor!

Meet Rachel!

Rachel Nehmer was introduced to circus arts at French Woods Festival at the age of 12. Despite her honest attempt to pursue a normal career path, earning her BS in Biology at Haverford College and taking a job in research at UW, she couldn’t stay out of the center ring for long! In 2004, she joined Lara Paxton’s aerial ensemble The Aerialistas. Soon after she began working with her now-husband Ben Wendel to create a trapeze duet right here at SANCA.  Known as Duo Madrona, Rachel and Ben debuted at the 2005 Moisture Festival and have gone on to perform thousands of shows all over the world. Highlights include the prestigious Cirque de Demain Festival, an epic tour of Switzerland with Circus Monti, collaborative creation on two continents with Circus Syzygy, an appearance on French television with Patrick Sebastian’s Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde, and over a decade of dinner show productions with Teatro Zinzanni. Rachel’s coaching experience includes teaching at studios and schools throughout the region, such as Versatile Arts, Emerald City Trapeze Arts, Knotty Yoga, and more. At SANCA, she has worked as an instructor in the recreational program, the professional prep program, and as the director of Cirrus Circus youth company. She is so excited to be back on the SANCA team in a new leadership role.

SANCA’s Fall Appeal

Join the Supporting Act, SANCA’s monthly giving program! SANCA is looking to revamp our Every Body’s Circus program and we are looking to you, our supporters for help.

As a SANCA program, Every Body’s Circus makes sure that students of all abilities have the chance to circus with us. Every Body’s Circus adapts our recreational classes to accommodate kids with disabilities in an inclusive, non-competitive, accessible environment. EBC empowers kids to learn the joy of circus in a non-competitive, accessible, inclusive environment. Monthly gifts will help SANCA to create a dedicated space with specialized rigging and equipment for students with physical disabilities.

With your gift in the Supporting Act, our new community of monthly donors, we can design and furnish a dedicated space at SANCA for kids whose circus joy knows no limits. Join SANCA’s Supporting Act today with your monthly gift, and play a powerful role in Every Body’s Circus!

Monthly donation plans start at just $10 a month!

Join today: https://www.amilia.com/store/en/school-of-acrobatics-and-new-circus-arts/shop/memberships?

New job opening!

ADVISOR

PROGRAM STRATEGY AND OUTREACH

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Advisor, Program Strategy and Community Outreach is a member of the
Executive Director’s leadership team, providing direction, vision, and strategies for all programs. In addition, the
Advisor will lead community outreach and engagement within the professional circus industry. The Advisor is an essential member of the SANCA staff and will drive strategies that create a positive and engaging circus culture within the organization.

COMPENSATION:
Annual Salary: $27,000 – $34,000 Part-time position.
Benefits: Benefits include free circus classes for staff, free and/or discounted circus classes for the direct family of staff, and free use of SANCA’s gym for training and fitness.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including any of the following
representative duties, knowledge, and skills:

• Collaborates and communicates effectively with other SANCA staff to develop and implement program
strategies, community outreach, and a positive culture within SANCA.

• Provide exemplary leadership that drives the programming vision for the organization; collaborating with
internal and external stakeholders to execute state-of-the-art circus arts for the community.

• Play a leadership role in the community and develop strong partnerships with organizations that will
support and further expand the SANCA mission.

• Provides visionary strategy for programs; recreational classes, Youth Companies, Flying Trapeze, Every
Body Circus, Artists in Residence, adult performances, and workshops.

• Drives strategies for developing a positive culture within SANCA; bringing people together to share,
learn and grow both internally and externally.

• Provides strategy for the coach’s education program, minimum standards, and curriculum for all SANCA
coaches.

• Develops strategy for prioritizing facility usage for all constituent groups and working across department
lines to communicate priorities.

• Partners with the Manager, Marketing and Outreach to provide program strategies for marketing
campaigns.

• Leads the program advisory committee; creating and driving the direction, recruiting, and onboarding
members, and communicating progress to the program staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate will have a strong reputation in the circus community, a strong background in circus arts, and exemplary leadership skills. They will work well with others and have a strong ability to foster a creative, open-minded work environment; they will be open to new and different ideas, with a willingness to celebrate the successes of their team members. Bachelor’s degree preferred. Professional work experience in the circus community is mandatory. We will also consider candidates whose experiences and learning have come through non-traditional paths.

TO APPLY:
Please email your cover letter and resume to hr@sancaseattle.org. The position is open until filled. Questions may be asked by email only to hr@sancaseattle.org

Covid-19: Direct Exposure Policy Update

Direct Exposure: An individual was within 6 ft of another individual that tested positive, for more than 15-minutes.

  • Anyone that has been in direct contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID 19 is to immediately monitor symptoms AND take a PCR/at-home/antigen/molecular test:
  • Immediate quarantine is no longer required as long as there are no symptoms and the individual tested negative immediately after exposure. 
  • If an individual tests negative, they are welcome to immediately return to activities and be tested again at the five-day mark after exposure.
  • If any symptoms are present, individuals may only return to activities if they are post-symptomatic and have received a negative test result.
  • If the test is positive, they must remain in isolation for 5 days. They may then return to SANCA as long as they are symptom-free.
  • If symptoms persist after 5 days of isolation, the student must remain out until symptoms subside.
  • Students do not need to retest after the stated isolation period but should continue to mask and social distance when returning to activities.
To view our full Covid-19 Policy visit https://sancaseattle.org/covid19/