With a mix of deep gratitude and heartfelt appreciation, Circus Center announces that Barry Kendall is stepping down from his position as Executive Director to pursue the next phase of his career. For over 10 years, Barry has been the driving force behind our organization, bringing professionalism, stability, and a vision that has truly shaped our journey.

It was 11 years ago when Master Lu Yi told Barry he was hired because he was "good at business." And it's a good thing he was; Barry took the reins and led the organization out of a challenging era, transforming the school into the vibrant hub of diverse activities we know today. His leadership has been instrumental in helping us achieve our mission and build a thriving community.

Over the course of his tenure, he has worn many hats—literally and figuratively—taking on almost every job in the back office. Barry championed the Clown Conservatory, reinstated outreach programs now serving over 200 students in the Tenderloin, and spearheaded major events like our gala and homecoming. He also introduced new initiatives like the Circus Center Cabaret and $5 Fridays, opening our doors to even more members of our local community.

Barry bravely led Circus Center through the unknowns of the 2020 lockdown, ensuring that we could safely reopen our doors to teachers, performers, and students once again. His efforts during this pivotal time were nothing short of heroic, adapting our historically in-person environment to meet the challenges of a new world.

Perhaps most importantly, Barry has shown unwavering dedication to supporting the school’s people and its health. While many of his battles were fought behind the scenes, his commitment to the well-being of Circus Center and its community is undeniable. We could not have been more fortunate to have someone with such steadfast dedication. His impact has been profound, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

As we celebrate Barry and all the hats he wore during his time with us, we invite everyone who has worked with him to take a moment to send a thank-you note and join us in wishing him the very best in his next chapter.

Thank you, Barry, on behalf of everyone at Circus Center. We are deeply grateful for everything you have contributed over the years. 

This is not goodbye; it's "see you down the road."

For continuity of leadership, the Circus Center is welcoming an Interim Executive Director while we find the right person to fill Barry's (very big clown) shoes. Stay tuned for updates. 

As a circus school, we have maintained an extra-cautious stance on COVID throughout this pandemic. We've done this for the protection of our entire community, especially the most vulnerable. We also continue to modify our policies to reflect government policy and community standards.

The COVID public health emergency, first declared by the federal government in 2020, ends today. This means that COVID-19 is now being treated like any other respiratory illness.

As of today, we have sold services to patrons through the summer (e.g., summer camp) with a vaccination requirement in place. Since customers made their purchases with that understanding, we will keep our vaccination requirement in place through the summer session, which ends on September 3, 2023.

When we open for the fall session on September 5, COVID vaccinations will continue to be strongly recommended, but they will no longer be required.

This doesn't mean, however, that we are just giving up on fighting disease. All of our other risk mitigation measures will remain in place:

• Masks will continue to be encouraged, and accepted at any time for any reason.
• We will use a combination of open doors/windows and air filters to maximize ventilation and fresh air.
• We will continue to encourage handwashing, which decreases the spread of all kinds of communicable diseases.
• We ask that community members inform us when they test positive for COVID, and we will continue to inform other potentially exposed community members through our rapid-response email system.
• PLUS, the California state government has supplied us with a BUNCH of free COVID tests, so if acquiring one through your insurance or government program isn't working for you, just ask at the Front Desk – we'd be happy to help.

If you have questions about our policies, please contact us. Thank you in advance for working with us to continue to ensure the health and safety of our community!

We are excited to host a reception before TRYBE’s Saturday matinee performance to celebrate the new book “Training is Bitter: Reflections on Life, Effort, and Acrobatics With Master Trainer Lu Yi'' written by Lu Yi with Devin Holt.  Join us in Circus Center’s Theater on March 11 from 12:30-1:45pm for a book reading and opportunities to get signed copies. Lu Yi will be there as well if he is feeling up for it.  Stay for TRYBE afterwards to see the evolution of what Lu Yi started when he formed the Youth Circus 30 years ago.

Training is Bitter: Reflections on Life, Effort, and Acrobatics With Master Trainer Lu Yi

by Lu Yi with Devin Holt

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hailed as everything from “the father of modern acrobatics” to the “rabble-rouser of Chinese circus,” Master Trainer Lu Yi brings his trademark humor and acrobatic philosophy to his own life story in Training is Bitter.

He recalls a nearly seven-decade career of incredible feats and bitter challenges. At just eleven years old, Lu Yi faced cruel methods and harsh beatings from the coach of his first acrobatic troupe. He went on to become a celebrated performer known for acrobatic creativity who invented a number of tricks—including one that, as far as he knows, has never been replicated. He toured the world as a star acrobat, served as artistic director of both the Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe and the San Francisco Circus Center, and established the first Chinese Acrobatics training program in the United States.

Through engaging first-hand accounts and detailed historical essays, Training is Bitter, written with former student Devin Holt, offers a picture of a man who inspired generations of students to endure the hard, bitter training necessary to perform on the world’s biggest circus stages. 

“If you’ve watched a circus in the last twenty years, you’ve seen Master Lu Yi’s work. He changed circus in North America and Australia in profound and beautiful ways. He was also my teacher and a dear friend. Training is Bitter gives you a taste of Lu Yi’s philosophy and why he is beloved by performers around the world.” —Jeff Raz, former Cirque du Soleil star and author of The Secret Life of Clowns

ABOUT DEVIN HOLT

Devin Holt has been a lot of things: A wayward street-corner youth, a circus performer, and a farm boy loading firewood into the family pick up truck. He has hitchhiked across the United States more than once; lived in the rafters of a communal artist warehouse in San Francisco; and studied kung fu in a quiet academy on top of a hill in rural China. Now, he writes. 

GET THE BOOK

GREEN APPLE BOOKS

AMAZON

GET TICKETS TO THE SHOW

Today, the Board of Directors of Circus Center—the West Coast’s premier circus school—announced the appointment of Juliana Neves (she/her) as the institution’s first-ever Head of School. With an extensive 30-year history working in the circus arts, Neves will collaborate with Executive Director Barry Kendall and the school's staff and leadership team to build and implement an innovative vision for Circus Center’s training programs and performances, further securing the institution’s position as a leader in American circus arts training. Neves will begin her tenure as Head of School on February 15, 2023. 

"I have dedicated my life to performing, training, creating and teaching, so to have all my work converge into this new role at Circus Center feels serendipitous,” said Neves. “I can't wait to share my years of professional experience and training with the San Francisco Bay Area arts community and contribute to the growth of the circus arts in California and beyond."

Neves brings to Circus Center a 30-year track record of working with the biggest global names in arts and entertainment, from Cirque du Soleil to the FIFA World Cup. Born and raised in Brazil, she started her international performing career in 1998, when she became the first artist from São Paulo to join Cirque du Soleil. Neves was an original cast member of Dralion, where she was a featured performer alongside other emerging stars like Viktor Kee, the Ukrainian juggler and America’s Got Talent finalist. 

“From the very first days sharing the stage with Juliana [in Dralion], I realized I was about to work with a unique and true performer,” said Kee. “Her artistry and internal energy filled the show with an emotional vibe elevating the show and its artistic expression to new levels. For Juliana, the world of movement is not only external, but also a physical manifestation of the internal emotional world.”

After her time with Cirque du Soleil, Neves made her home in Belgium, where she worked as a professional dancer and choreographer in the Belgian dance collective ‘les ballets C de la B,' working with the renowned director Alain Platel. She also started building her philosophy and approach to teaching circus to the next generation. In addition to offering workshops around the world, Neves taught aerial technique and dance at ESAC in Belgium, a top professional circus school. More recently, she was part of the artistic and creative leadership at Circus Juventas (St Paul, MN), one of the top youth circus schools in the United States. 

"I'm so excited to partner with Juliana to take Circus Center forward into a new era,” adds Kendall. “Her personal experiences as an elite performer and creator are an inspiration to our staff, students, and community. With her skills as an educator and arts leader, she will help transform their inspiration into a passion for excellence in the circus arts."

Juliana has created, directed, and produced circus, dance, and live entertainment on a grand scale and at a world-class level. In 2014, she was the Artistic Coordinator/Casting Director and Acrobatic Choreographer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA World Cup Brazil. She has created and co-created a broad range of shows around the world, from award winning dance performances such as WOLF at the Paris Opera and the professional circus-dance production Jump or Fall in Belgium to the student show B-orders at the Palestinian Circus School.

"Circus Center emerged from the pandemic with a renewed focus on providing equitable access to the highest quality in circus arts education to all of San Francisco, especially its children,” said Sophie Turrell, Circus Center Board Chair. “To this, Juliana Neves brings proven leadership and a track record of international excellence in performing, creating, and teaching the artform of circus. She is exactly the leader Circus Center needs to realize our vision and take our place as one of the City's preeminent cultural institutions.”

Adds Tim Roberts, Director of The Ecole de Cirque de Québec: “Juliana is well-versed in circus arts education and the Circus Center will benefit from the perspective she has gained from her various experiences from around the world.” 

Neves holds an MA in Cultural Anthropology from KU Leuven in Belgium. In addition to her native language of Portuguese, Juliana speaks English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Dutch.

A committee of Board members, staff leadership, and instructors—chaired by noted circus historian Dominique Jando—conducted the search over several months, fielding and recruiting candidates from around the world.

Dear Circus Center Community,

As we begin this new year of 2023, I enjoy reminiscing about the fabulous shows we did in 2022.  

• We kicked off 2022 by highlighting the beautiful art of Mongolian contortion in Delkhii, our co-production with the Mongolian Contortion Center.
• We brought in Jeff Raz of Cirque du Soleil and the Pickle Family Circus to direct our San Francisco Youth Circus show, Circus at the End of the World.
• We had two Sideshow Cabarets for students to create and present new acts: San Francisco’s Got Talent and My Body My Circus, which was also a fundraiser for reproductive justice.  
• We said a joyous hello and a fond "see you down the road" to the Circus Center Cabaret, with Steve Smith, Leanne Borghesi, and the Roger Glenn Trio reuniting for music, circus, and revelry with Déjà Vu.
• We produced the world premiere of The Secret Garden, presenting an innovative style of circus-theater.  
• We reignited Circus Center’s Artists in Residence program, leading to great shows like Dark Side of the Circus and The Rainbow is Enuf.  
• We had our very first Human Animation showcase with the hilariously wild UNHING’D.  
• Our elegant Trailblazers Gala celebrated the achievements of women in circus and honored our founders Judy Finelli and Wendy Parkman.  
• We finished out 2022 with Alice! A Holiday Circus Spectacular, which brought together adult and youth students, seasoned professionals, and performers making their stage debut.  

Wow!  What a year! Now it’s a new year, and I am excited to share what we have in store for Circus Center in 2023.  

We begin the year by highlighting another circus discipline, the magical art of juggling and object manipulation, with our January show Dropping the Ball.

We are providing a pathway for advanced students and emerging professionals to buckle down and create an act they’ve been dreaming of. It starts with a Works in Progress showing in February, followed a few months later by a swanky Sideshow Cabaret in May.  

In addition to these individualized development events, I am also making opportunities for our community to work with a variety of renowned circus artists in professionally supported productions.  For example, the San Francisco Youth Circus is currently in rehearsal with internationally recognized circus artist Veronica Blair to develop their Spring Show TRY/BE.  

Not only are we creating artistic development opportunities that can’t be matched, but I am also committed to making Circus Center a fertile space for artists to work. Our Artist in Residence program is growing!  Watch this year for new work from local artists such as Genie Cartier, Kristine Cannon, Sara Toby Moore, Circus of the Moon, and Mystic Ventures.  

Last but certainly not least, we are excited to leverage our shows to help bring Circus Center more fully into the Bay Area arts scene.  We have been invited to remount The Secret Garden, last year’s hit show, in a summer residency at the Children’s Creativity Museum.  I am thrilled to reunite with Acrobatic Designer Evan Tomlinson Weintraub of Cirque du Soleil to bring this unique production to a wider audience.

I invite you to learn more about our upcoming shows and events on our website.  You can also watch for audition and submission postings!

As Circus Center’s Artistic Director, I am devoted to pushing circus as an artform forward through the diversity of artistic development opportunities we are producing.  I am grateful to our creative community of artists and athletes that join us in making exciting work.  And I am looking forward to collaborating with all of you to bring San Francisco audiences more innovative, quality circus in 2023!

Happy New Year!

Felicity

SIGN UP FOR WINTER

Full Session Enrollment in adult classes for the Winter 2023 session starts on November 11! The Winter term begins January 3 and ends on March 26. 

Full session enrollment means you pay upfront and are guaranteed a spot in the same class each week of the session. Session enrollment has been a part of Circus Center's culture and approach to circus training for many years, because we know that a regular, consistent training regimen is the best way to learn. So we don't just offer session enrollment – we make it our best, most attractive deal for you!

Session Enrollment takes place in two rounds. Here are the key dates and all the info about how to sign up:

ROUND 1

• Round 1 starts when we release the Winter Schedule on November 11 – which is also when we will open a Winter Session Enrollment Request form for submissions. Students can take the next few days to review our class offerings, decide what you want, and submit a session enrollment request form. The deadline for Round 1 requests will be Monday, November 14 at 8pm.
• On Monday night, we will review the request pool. Many classes will have enough room for all of the Round 1 enrollment requests – so that's easy.We'll email those students on Tuesday to say, "Hey, cool, you got your class, we'll process your payment this week, huzzah!"
• For those popular classes where we get more requests than we have spots, our first move will be to loop in the class's instructor. The instructor will have the *option* to select which students to admit. This can be based on factors like grouping similarly-skilled students together, or a history of absenteeism. It can NOT be based on an instructor's personal like or dislike for a student. It's not fair to play favorites.
• If the instructor does not want to have a hand in the decision... then it's a good ol' lottery. No fair way of getting away from it. At least it'll be truly random, and not based on something dumb like internet speed.
• We will then sort through students' backup choices, etc., and email everyone no later than Wednesday, November 16.

ROUND 2

• Round 2 begins at 8:01pm on Monday, November 14. (The Session Enrollment Request form will never close.)
• All requests in Round 2 will be taken on a first come, first served basis.
• We will start notifying students who make requests in Round 2 on Thursday, November 17, and within 48 hours thereafter.
   

Check your inbox on Friday, November 11 for the Winter schedule AND the enrollment request form.

In Memoriam.

Patrick Lee Osbon, May 1st 1951-July 26th 2022.
by Sara Toby Moore.

Patrick Osbon was a visionary leader, a true renaissance man and the greatest friend imaginable. During his years as Circus Center’s Executive Director he built what was then known as the San Francisco School of Circus Arts into a world-class performing arts training center, yet that was only one part of a beautifully lived life. He’s had many interesting careers, including leadership of the San Francisco Mime Troupe and the New Pickle Circus and as a lauded executive recruiter with Bay Area entrepreneur Richard Tuck’s Lander International. In recent years he was known to students throughout the Sacramento and Amador County school districts as beloved teacher “Mr. O.” He taught mainly Special Ed all the way from K-12 and his innate compassion and empathy made huge impacts on the lives of children with both difficult home lives and immense challenges. He loved teaching and his students and fellow teachers adored him. But it was his work in politics as a young adult that primed him for a life in circus and education. Patrick was an aid and advisor to Senators Alan Cranston (D-CA) and Frank Church (D-ID) and he has the courageous distinction of being the first gay man to publicly represent a very famous Senator: his coming-out was announced in Newsweek Magazine when Senator Church introduced legislation to protect LGBTQ people. 

As lucky chosen family members we knew Patrick as the picture of graciousness. He was a charming host, phenomenal conversationalist and brilliant chef, and was even a professional caterer for a time. We were often treated to his wonderful cooking and his infamously spectacular pies. He also had impeccable taste and his apartments were always packed with fine art and crystal and his book shelves were filled with the likes of Gore Vidal, Christopher Isherwood and a stunning range of poetry; Rainier Maria Rilke was his heart’s centerpiece.

The term larger-than-life was invented for gentlemen like Patrick. He was super intelligent, generous, adventurous, boisterous, with the biggest laugh in the room. Like his dear Circus Center compadres Peggy Ford, Paoli Lacy, Caroline Jones and Joan Mankin, who all preceded him to the other side, Patrick was a refuge. All great humans are. We will miss him with fury. 
Thank you, sir, and a happy flight.

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” - Rilke

Circus Center is changing our policies around risk mitigation measures against COVID-19. These changes will take place in two phases.

Phase One: Partial Lifting of Mask Mandate

Starting on Monday, August 8, 2022, masks will be optional, but strongly recommended, during the following times:

• Monday-Friday, 6pm-close
• Saturday and Sunday, all day

Masks will still be required from open-6pm, Monday-Friday. We reserve the right to fully reimpose a mask mandate if 1) SFDPH or SFUSD requires masks again, or 2) Circus Center experiences significant community spread, especially among our staff.

Phase Two: Full Lifting of Mask Mandate, plus Stronger Vaccine/Testing Requirements for Youth under age 12

Starting on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, masks will be optional, but strongly recommended, at ALL times. Again, we reserve the right to reimpose a mask mandate if 1) SFDPH or SFUSD requires masks again, or 2) Circus Center experiences significant community spread, especially among our staff.

Also, for students under age 12, we will begin requiring proof of either a) full vaccination (initial series), or b) negative test results at least weekly, taken no more than 48 hours before the start of class. For young students taking more than one class/week, one test weekly, taken in advance of the child's first class each week, will suffice. 

We will continue to require full vaccination (initial series) for ALL students age 12 and older.

If you have questions about our policies, please contact us. Thank you in advance for working with us to continue to ensure the health and safety of our community!