The Youth Performance Companies Manager is responsible for overseeing and administering all aspects of SANCA’s Youth Performance companies. The manager will provide leadership and vision to ensure that we provide a high quality program with a positive environment and collaborative engagement opportunities for our youth performers. The manager will also look for ways to continue to grow the program and connect with the community at large. All youth company coaches report to the manager. The manager reports to the Athletic Director (AD).
Job Experience Requirements – Youth Company Manager
The ideal Y/Co Manger will have:
Experience creating and managing budgets, including tracking expenses and ensuring financial accountability.
Experience in circus show production, including planning, rehearsals, and performance execution.
Strong background in team leadership, with experience managing and supervising coaches, artists, or staff.
Minimum 5+ years of circus coaching experience with youth, with a solid understanding of youth development and safety standards.
Excellent organizational and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with youth, families, and staff.
Essential Duties
Oversees Youth Performance Companies’ performances at all SANCA events and fundraisers as well as all external inquiries
Oversees external bookings including contracts, insurance, site visits, show programming, staffing, equipment reservations and transportation, and marketing
Tracks events/participation each session for Development
Works closely with the Youth Performance Company coaches and AD to develop:
Curriculum
Overall goals
Timelines for projects
Other strategic planning
Coordinates parent volunteers for Youth Performance Company events
Performs coach evaluations annually to hold Youth Performance Coaches accountable, provide growth opportunities, and ensure quality instruction in collaboration with the AD
Serves as a liaison with the greater SANCA organization
Works with Lead Coaches to create and maintain individual group member handbooks
Creates the annual Youth Performance Program budget
Manages Youth Company trips (AYCO, other youth circus festivals)
Enhances communications and marketing in collaboration with the Marketing Manager
Manages storage of costumes and equipment for all youth performance companies
Manages equipment and rigging needed for Youth Performance Companies
Opportunity to lead a Youth Troupe
Compensation: Admin $25-$27 per hour; Coaching $30-$37 per hour
To Apply: Please submit your resume, a brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience, and copies of your certifications to [email protected]
The Development Director (DD) is a critical and highly visible member of the SANCA leadership team, responsible for leading and executing a comprehensive, multi-faceted fundraising strategy to ensure the organization’s long-term financial health and growth. This role oversees all aspects of development, including individual giving, corporate and foundation relations, government grants, and fundraising events. The DD reports directly to the Executive Director (ED) and is the primary staff liaison to the Board of Directors‘ Development Committee.
Key Responsibilities and Duties
Strategic Development Leadership & Planning
Create and implement annual development plans to meet and exceed fundraising goals, aligning all efforts with SANCA’s mission and annual operating budget.
Provide input and support for the leadership team in organizational vision, strategic decision-making, and budget planning.
Lead monthly meetings of the Board Development Committee and provide comprehensive fundraising reports and strategic updates.
Create development reports for internal analysis and external stakeholders.
Individual Giving & Donor Relations
Oversee the donor journey, including identification, research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship for current and prospective donors.
Develop and execute individualized strategies for major donor cultivation, including face-to-face meetings, and tours.
Plan and execute donor appreciation events and personalized stewardship activities, delegating thank-you calls and personalized cards appropriately.
Coordinate complementary tickets and special experiences for key donors.
Manage and grow the SANCA Sidekick recurring giving program and track activations.
Develop and implement the various annual fund appeals to achieve SANCA’s fundraising goals.
Institutional Giving & Corporate Relations
Grants Management: Manage the grants consultant:
Serve as the primary liaison, ensuring the consultant has all necessary organizational information, data, and access to key stakeholders to produce grant applications.
Review, edit, and provide strategic feedback on all consultant-drafted materials before submission, ensuring brand consistency and alignment with the organization’s fundraising goals.
Monitor the consultant’s progress against timelines and revenue targets, facilitating strong communication, and approving the final portfolio of foundation prospects and submissions.
Corporate Sponsorships: Cultivate and maintain relationships with current corporate sponsors and actively identify and secure new partnerships. Maintain a compelling sponsorship package.
Fundraising Events & Campaigns
Plan and execute fundraising strategies and elements at SANCA events including spring gala, SANCAFest, fall donor appreciation with detailed workflow, delegation, and volunteer management in coordination with the Production and Events Team.
Create donor solicitation strategies at events with the Board and Executive Director
Work with marketing to ensure event promotion and marketing materials are executed in a timely manner and tell SANCA’s story.
Data Management & Administration
Maintain the integrity, accuracy, and security of donor data across all platforms ensuring that all donations are recorded promptly and accurately.
Serve as the administrator and subject matter expert for multiple giving platforms and CRM.
Issue accurate tax receipts in line with IRS requirements. Track and report matching employer donations. Ensure all donor accounts and ledger codes are up-to-date for finance reporting.
Create and manage online donation forms to accurately track campaign sources.
Marketing & Communications Support
Work closely with the Marketing team to craft compelling content for all fundraising communications, including newsletters, website copy, emails, social media appeals, and physical mailouts.
Representing SANCA at donor events, receptions, and professional meetings to cultivate relationships and raise the organization’s profile.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience: Minimum of 5-7 years of professional fundraising experience with a proven track record of securing four-to-five-figures from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Leadership: Demonstrated success in developing and executing comprehensive, multi-faceted fundraising strategies that meet or exceed annual goals.
Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate SANCA’s mission compellingly to diverse audiences, including donors, board members, and staff.
Data Management: Proficiency with CRM/donor database management (experience with Givebutter is a plus) and excellent analytical skills.
Event Planning: Experience managing and executing large-scale fundraising events, including galas and auctions.
Collaboration: Proven ability to work collaboratively with a Board of Directors, executive leadership, and staff across all departments.
Passion: A passion for SANCA’s mission and the positive impact of circus arts on youth and community development.
Compensation: $85k-90k Salary
TO APPLY: Please submit your resume, a brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience, and copies of your certifications to [email protected]
Step into Jessie’s Diner, where everyday moments come to life through circus arts!
Created by the talented youth of Celestial Circus, this slice-of-life show follows a colorful cast of characters as they juggle friendship, mischief, and the magic of daily diner life.
Celestial Circus is a student-centered performance troupe that serves teens with historically underserved identities within the SANCA community. Meeting weekly, the program fosters resilience, creativity, and community through collaborative circus arts. Coaches support youth in leading their own artistic process while ensuring emotional safety and personal growth. With support from SANCA’s scholarship program, Celestial Circus removes financial barriers to performance, making art truly accessible.
Show Times July 12, 2025 | 7pm – 8pm
July 13, 2025 | 2pm – 3pm
Show Location
Yaw Theater
6520 5th Ave S Seattle, WA 98108
Doors open 15 minutes before the show begins.
All ages are welcome!
Tickets are pay what you can. Suggested donation is $20.
For one weekend a year, SANCA presents a showcase of four unique circus performances featuring students, alumni, staff, Youth Companies, and friends. SASS is SANCA’s largest community building event. Our students and staff spend months developing skills and acts in preparation for the showcase. Audiences will be treated to creative displays of acrobatics, high-flying aerials, juggling, and much, much more! Every SASS show is different, so you can come to multiple shows and still see something different!
Friday, November 22nd at 7pm, Doors at 6:30pm
Saturday, November 23rd at 3pm, Doors at 2:30pm
Saturday, November 23rd at 7pm, Doors at 6:30pm
Sunday, November 24th at 3pm, Doors at 2:30pm
TICKETS
General Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door Youth Admission: (17 and under) $15 in advance, $18 at the door
Year round, SANCA’s Artist in Residence (AIR) Program provides rehearsal space and support to circus artists creating new work. Usually, the artists develop a show to perform on stages around the US and beyond. Not this time! Recent Artists in Residence, Leah Jones, Emma Curtiss, Laura Burch and Danny Boulet took their vision not to the stage, but to the screen. With their video ready to be seen on small screens everywhere, Leah and Emma took some time from teaching, training and performing to tell us all about it. – Susie Williams, AIR Program Coordinator
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
How did this project come about?
Emma Curtiss: Leah calls me one day and is like, “Emma, here’s what’s going to happen. I have a vision. There’s going to be a video. We’re going to do it. You, me, and Laura. I see the color red. There’s a song.” And that was about it.
Leah Jones: Yeah. That sounds about right!
So the song sparked the idea?
LJ: Originally, I had the idea to a different song. The first song was more hard hitting and intense. I was thinking about the fact that Emma and Laura have this natural intensity and power to them. The second song is much more playful and chill, and I love juxtaposition. So I thought, oh, this is much more interesting to me.
What made you think of it as a video and not as something you would perform live?
LJ: I have visions only in video editing.
EC: This is something I’ve learned about Leah—one of her art departments is purely from an editing mind.
You mean like an internal art department?
EC: Yeah, internal department. She’s got a few different departments. Some of them have escalators that cross-pollinate a little bit. But one is just editing. It’s all about how she can imagine putting something together in a video. For this you came with these ideas about, I think the phrase is ‘match cut’.
LJ: I wanted it to almost feel like you couldn’t always tell . . . one woman cut into the next woman and . . . We were all representing the same kind of ferocity . . .
How much did you work with Emma and Laura before you started filming?
LJ: The prompt I gave them was to make a minute long sequence and it doesn’t really matter what it is.
EC: And I didn’t do that. I just improvised the whole time.
LJ: To Celine Dion.
On purpose?
EC: I did. Yes. She inspires a lot of really solid movement out of me. It’s true. And Laura came in with a pretty fierce sequence.
Did you have the actual song in advance?
EC: We definitely did. You’d think I’d improv to the song but Celine really brings it for me.
How many times did you repeat a sequence? Or were you improvising the whole time?
EC: There were a few things I repeated because I was hoping we would get them [on film] but so much of what I assumed we would take to use in editing, we didn’t. Leah is really looking for these very humanistic moments that I don’t know how to describe.
LJ: It’s like a charcuterie board. I know I want this cheese, and I know I want this other thing, but I don’t know the specifics. In making the board, that’s when I realize—oh, this cheese is actually slightly too salty. As it’s happening, I have really strong opinions about what I want and don’t want. It’s totally intuition, and it just comes out through the process.
Leah, do you feel like what you know about circus skills and apparatus plays into your instincts about what will work on camera?
LJ: For me, it doesn’t feel so much about apparatus as knowing the artists’ work. Knowing how Emma moves, knowing how Laura moves . . .
And knowing what [videographer] Danny can do.
LJ: Which is limitless! Danny and I always have conversations ahead of time. I’ll rarely use technical terms. In this case, the only one I used was match cut. Other than that, I just say I want it to feel like this and he can always do it.
Leah, I know that you and Danny are married. How does everybody else know each other?
EC: I met Laura through Leah very recently. I knew she was a circus person around. I’ve met her up at the [Bellingham Circus] Guild. I really dig her style and dig her tissu. Leah and I really got to know each other when we were at 12[th Avenue Arts], a year and a half ago for [Acrobatic Conundrum’s] Volume 9 show that we were in together.
LJ: One fact that I want to get in is that Emma was Laura’s tissu idol. I think that’s a really sweet connection. Laura and I met because she came to my straps class at [Versatile Arts, now called New Moon Movement Arts] seven years ago or something like that.
EC: And now you’re part of like this core group of people, four women. The pride of lions.
Leah, Laura, Dream [Frohe] and PJ [Perry]. The lionesses.
LJ: There’s a crew, there’s a strong crew up there [in Bellingham].
So then why’d you guys come [to SANCA] to film this?
EC: I really like the floor here. The floor is really good and familiar. Also, I’ve done projects at SANCA in the past, but not in a really long time. So it was an interesting experiment to see how the AIR Program was going to work out for us.
LJ: And also the black backdrop. If we wanted to do more circular roaming stuff, we couldn’t have done that at the Guild without having a totally chaotic background.
So let’s talk about the residency program. How did the program support your project?
EC: It was amazing. It was super supportive.
LJ: There weren’t too many hurdles. It was nice to have the green light.
EC: It felt effortless to make the idea happen. The issue isn’t coming up with an idea. It’s beginning to move forward and have momentum with that idea. It’s crucial to keep that momentum. Sometimes just collaborating with other artists can be a problem, just scheduling or you just lose steam . . . let alone figuring out a space and what kind of red tape could exist and all that. So it was really wonderful to come in exactly the way we wanted and the way that Leah envisioned and execute the vision without feeling impinged in any way. It was really awesome.
I want to ask you both, with this project—what are you most happy with/proud of/excited about that happened on purpose? And what are you most happy with/proud of/excited about that happened on accident?
LJ: I guess the obvious answer is that the match cuts were so effective. I love the idea of taking three artists who each have their own style and then uniting them through the editing. I think it worked. It was a total through line and it wasn’t jarring to watch. It just felt fluid. Something that happened spontaneously was when Laura threw the fabric. Danny thought it was cool, and said let’s do it again. So she did it over and over again. It was perhaps, sorry Emma, but perhaps my favorite visual.
EC: That’s ok! I was the one filming it! In video, what’s really special is that you take these moments that we all can experience in live performance that are over so quickly—just the way that someone moves their head or the way someone tosses their apparatus. It’s something small. By playing with time and the angle of the camera, it’s almost like you get to suspend yourself in that really delicious place and luxuriate.
LJ: You can see all the frames. In real life it would happen too fast.
EC: In real life, we’d still be struck by this feeling and we’d enjoy it but we wouldn’t be able to feather it out into a fine detail like under a microscope. That’s what’s so cool about videos. You get to really indulge in things that light you up about circus.
LJ: You also get to play outside the realm of physics. Like with the throws, I got to rewind them and punctuate them in the middle—which would never happen. You get to change the laws of movement.
It’s interesting because often people think circus artists can already resist physics. But as a circus artist you truly are very beholden to it. You’re trying to understand: how can I work with physics?
LJ: You’re completely in a partnership with physics and to be liberated from that—but you still get to have this beautiful movement—it is just incredible.
One weekend a year SANCA presents a showcase of four unique circus performances featuring students, alumni, staff, and friends. Each show features a different line up of spectacular local and internationally renowned circus performers alongside SANCA’s tremendously talented student performers. Our students and staff spend months developing skills and acts in preparation for the showcase. Audiences will be treated to daring displays of acrobatics, high-flying aerials, juggling, and much, much more!
All ages are welcome!
Hurry! Tickets sell very fast for SASS!
DATES & TIMES
Friday, November 17th at 7pm, Doors at 6pm Saturday, November 18th at 3pm & 7pm, Doors at 2:30pm & 6pm Sunday, November 19th at 3pm, Doors at 2:30pm
LOCATION
Emerald City Trapeze Arts
2702 6th Ave South, Seattle, WA 98134
TICKETS
General Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door Youth Admission: (17 and under) $15 in advance, $18 at the door
The ECTA Summer Camp Head Coach is a seasonal position that leads the coaching staff for all of SANCA’s summer camp programs at Emerald City Trapeze Arts. The SC head coach adapts SANCA’s general circus curriculum for ECTA camp needs, trains the coaches, and creates the rotation schedule for each camp cohort. Each day during camps the Head Coach is present to support the program and the staff.
COMPENSATION:
Compensation is $22.00 – $27.50 hourly, with full time hours expected for approximately 12-14 weeks of work, June through September. Benefits: Benefits include free circus classes for staff, free use of SANCA’s gym for training and fitness, and free and/or discounted circus classes for direct family of staff.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following representative duties, knowledge, and skills. The list is illustrative only, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by incumbents of this class. Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:
Trains all camp coaches at the start of summer and on an ongoing basis as needed
Adapts SANCA’s general circus curriculum for camp needs
Creates a rotating schedule of activities for campers in collaboration with Camp Administrator
Assigns coaches to appropriate teaching positions in collaboration with Camp Administrator
Is present each camp day to problem solve, provide support, and fill in as needed
Works with and communicates effectively with other SANCA staff to support a positive environment.
Handles other camp related duties as assigned by the Program Advisor.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of experience in coaching youth circus and/or camp program leadership. Excellent communication skills with coaches, parents, and campers are a must, as well as a positive attitude and willingness to be a part of a team.
PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING CONDITIONS:
This position requires prolonged sitting, standing, walking, kneeling, and bending in the performance of daily activities. The position also requires grasping and repetitive hand movement using a computer keyboard. The position requires near and far vision in reading correspondence, using a computer, and in the safe supervision of staff and students. The ability to communicate is required when providing phone and personal service.
Some of these requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations.
TO APPLY:
Please email your cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Position is open until filled. Questions may be asked by email only to [email protected].
The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts is excited to announce the acquisition of Emerald City Trapeze Arts (ECTA) and the return of Flying Trapeze!
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. This important acquisition is an opportunity to extend SANCA’s mission by bringing Seattle’s circus community together and revitalizing the Flying Trapeze community at ECTA. SANCA will ensure current and existing programming at ECTA will continue during this exciting new transition. SANCA couldn’t have done this alone and extends an enormous amount of gratitude and appreciation to those who donated to make this happen – thank you, supporters!
To continue the effort to sustain Flying Trapeze and all circus arts at ECTA for many years to come, SANCA is hosting “The Sky’s the Limit: Supporting Seattle’s Flying Trapeze Community” on the evening of May 4th in connection with Give Big, at Emerald City. It will be quite the show! Save the date and be on the lookout for ticket information soon. Until then, anyone who feels moved to support bringing back Flying Trapeze and the future of Seattle Circus led by SANCA may do so by donating at https://sancaseattle.org/give/
For future circus programming information and announcements, make sure to join our Weekly Newsletter.
Again, a warm thank you to all who helped make this acquisition happen!”
About the show: Looking to showcase their hometown through the sparkling lens of acrobatics, aerial artistry, and juggling, SANCA’s youth performance troupe Cirrus Circus presents Seattle Unfrozen: Seeing Our City Through Circus. The eleven members of Cirrus Circus, aged 14 to 18, take a family of out-of-towners on a heartfelt drive through the emerald city, inviting the audience to take a fresh look at the streets they know by heart. While flipping, twisting, and contorting through landmarks such as the Fremont Troll and Pike Place Market, after sharing a cup of coffee and complaining about the rain, the Seattle freeze might just melt away, bringing everyone in the theater into a truly spectacular celebration of community, joy, and the city we call home.
Appropriate for all ages. Approximately 60 minutes.
Adult tickets: $20 in advance and $25 at the door
Youth tickets: (17 and under) $15 in advance and $18 at the door
Performers: Cirrus Circus, SANCA’s teen performance troupe. Learn about Cirrus here.
Show dates
Friday, April 21, 7 pm
Saturday, April 22, 7 pm
Sunday, April 23, 3 pm (Masked seating section available)
Friday, April 28, 7 pm
Saturday, April 29, 7 pm (Masked seating section available)
Sunday, April 30, 3 pm
Masks For our community members who want to see Cirrus’ latest show but have health concerns that could prevent them from attending safely, we will have reserved mask-required seating at the Sunday, 4/23 3 pm and Saturday, 4/29 7 pm shows.
Hello! My name is Angela, I am SANCA’s newest Board Member. I am very happy to be a part of SANCA and excited to serve as a Board Member and Treasurer. I have over ten years of financial management experience spanning a wide variety of industries and growth phases. My professional career has been heavily focused on implementing finance operations, preparing budgets/forecasts, and constructing executive-level presentations and board slides. I have been studying aerial in my free time for four years and have been a lifelong appreciator of the circus, dance, and theater arts. I have been a member of the SANCA training community taking classes, private lessons, and self-training here for the last two years. I am a single parent of two lovely humans, Adia & Daschiell, who also train and take classes at SANCA. I am excited to combine my personal life experience and understanding of diverse family structures with my ten-plus years of corporate business management knowledge to make SANCA the best circus training environment for all!
