WE ASKED, YOU ANSWERED.
 
Would you change your training practices if people around you (vax-verified) were unmasked?

• Yes, I would train more. - 117 (42%)
• Yes, I would train less. - 14 (5%)
• Yes, I would not train at all. - 12 (4.3%)
• No, it wouldn't change my training practices. - 133 (48%)

TOTAL: 276

Would you change your training practices if required to continue wearing a mask?

• Yes, I would train more. - 16 (7.5%)
• Yes, I would train less. - 58 (27%)
• Yes, I would not train at all. - 27 (12.7%)
• No, it wouldn't change my training practices. - 111 (52%) 

TOTAL: 212
 

OUR NEW MASK POLICY
 
The results are clear: the vast majority of our students would prefer not to wear masks inside our facilities. Based on this, and the current San Francisco health guidelines, we have decided to lift the mask requirement effective immediately, with the following restrictions:

• For the safety of our young students attending camp, everyone is required to wear a mask on weekdays from 9am to 3pm
• The same applies to anyone going to the downstairs studio on weekdays, from 3pm to 5pm, where after-care for campers is taking place
• In order to train without a mask, you must show proof of vaccinationto our Front Desk Team upon entering the building
• Should there not be anyone at the front desk when you come in, you must train with a mask until someone who can check your vaccination status is back at the desk
• To our young students who are still not eligible for the vaccine and attend afternoon, evening or weekend classes: please be aware that you may be training next to vaccinated students who will not be wearing masks

Please note that we are currently working on offering students the option of updating their MindBody accounts with their vaccination status. We will let you know about this option in the coming days.

A Special Announcement from Executive Director Barry Kendall:

It’s been almost 15 months since Circus Center first closed its doors due to the pandemic. We all feared for our survival – and we all pulled together to make sure we made it, AND to keep serving as much of our community as we could during this awful time. We showed up for you, you showed up for us, and together, we are emerging from this pandemic smaller (for now), but stronger than ever. THANK YOU.

In our vision for the future, we are laser focused on our core mission as a circus school and training center. Circus Center is a cornerstone for the preservation and advancement of the circus arts in North America, and we will continue to strive for excellence in training, artistic development, and community engagement. 

With our eyes set on that vision, a new team is forming. It starts with the program directors, teachers, and staff members who have worked so heroically alongside me throughout this pandemic. We are busy hiring – and in many cases, rehiring – teachers and administrators. And we are building the leadership team that we need for the long-term.

In order to achieve our vision, we have identified two key roles to add to our leadership team: one focused on training, and another focused on performance and artistic development. In the next year, we will be conducting an international search for a new Head of School – a Master-level Instructor with a demonstrated ability to bring vision and coherence to circus training with a high level of excellence. We do not have to look far, however, to find an ideal leader for our performance and artistic development work – which leads me (finally!) to my announcement: it is my joy and privilege to announce here that Felicity Hesed is our new Artistic Director!

As Artistic Director, Felicity has broad leadership opportunities throughout the organization, with special emphasis on creating productions and other artistic development opportunities that directly feed our mission. She is an essential partner to me and the program directors in articulating our shared vision, building programs that realize that vision, and representing us in the community.  

Felicity is well known to many of us, so I’m sure you share my delight around this announcement. Please read her message and impressive bio below, and reach out to her to join me in saying, “Welcome, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!” I also encourage you to join Felicity and me for a special "Ask Me Anything" session and happy hour on Friday, July 9. Exact time and details to come – mark your calendar!

Now more than ever, onwards and upwards –

Barry

Dear Circus Center Community,

I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of Artistic Director at Circus Center.  I still remember the first day I came to Circus Center.  I was visiting from Chicago to see if I wanted to attend the Clown Conservatory.  I walked into the big gym and saw a variety of youth and adults training at levels I had never even imagined.  I was captivated!  To this day, I still walk into the gym and am blown away about the skill, passion, and joy of the people who teach and train at our Center.

I have done a little bit of everything at Circus Center.  I came here first to train at the Clown Conservatory.  I have tried nearly every class at Circus Center and continue to take trapeze with Elena.  I have taught youth and adults, parties and camps, privates and preschoolers.  I have performed in student showcases, cabarets, and even developed my solo show as an artist in residence at Circus Center.  I have had the true joy of directing both youth and adult showcases as well as professional productions.  I was Director of the Youth Program for 4 years and am now the proud parent of a Rising Star.  

I have seen Circus Center go through the best of times and the worst of times.  We all feared that the Pandemic might mean the end of Circus Center.  But in fact, it was much the opposite!  The staff, leadership, and board led Circus Center through an incredibly difficult year and a half with the devotion and support of our students and community.  We may be smaller, but I believe we are stronger than ever!  As Dominique Jando predicted, “Circus Center is a phoenix — it knows how to resurrect itself. Its staff and its community have done it before, and they will do it again.”

I am honored to collaborate with the staff, students, and community as we enter this exciting phase.  This coming year, we will bring back much of what we love and miss at Circus Center.  We will take this opportunity to improve Circus Center and to bring in fresh ideas and opportunities.  I am looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with all of you and learning what Circus Center means to you.  Please feel free to reach out to me directly at felicity@circuscenter.org.  

With Joy,

Felicity

ABOUT FELICITY HESED

Felicity Hesed is a San Francisco-based performer, director, and educator.  Hesed received a BA in Theatre Arts from Kalamazoo College.  Following college, she moved to Chicago to work as an actor and improvisor with renowned companies including Redmoon Theatre and the Free Associates.  It was in Chicago that Hesed discovered circus when she stumbled upon the Actor’s Gymnasium.  She trained circus arts at the Actor’s Gymnasium and flying trapeze with the Flying Gaonas.  Hesed began creating and directing shows that combined theater and circus including The Tempest: A Magical Circus, The Tangerine Family Circus, and Ottavio Canestrelli’s A Clown Without a Circus.  Meanwhile, Hesed was also working as a full-time theatre teacher for middle schoolers and pursuing her Masters in Teaching from DePaul University.

In 2007, Hesed moved to San Francisco to attend the Clown Conservatory and deepen her circus training.  In addition to studying clowning, Hesed trained trapeze with Elena Panova and Helene Turcotte and Acrobatics with Xiaohong Weng and Master Lu Yi.  Hesed continued directing circus and physical theater productions in the Bay Area, including The Monkey King: A Circus Journey, Circus Addiction, Emil of Lonneberga, Lyle the Crocodile, and Circus of Light.  Hesed also continued performing in the Bay Area and abroad including the 10th National Chrysanthemum Festival in Kaifeng-China, Seattle’s Moisture Festival, the New Pickle Circus, Teatro ZinZanni, Children’s Fairyland, and the San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival.

Hesed served as the Director of the Youth Program at Circus Center from 2014-2018.  She stepped down at the end of 2018 in order to focus on creating and performing her solo show, Cara Vita: A Clown Concerto.  Cara Vita premiered at the San Francisco International Arts Festival in May 2019.  Hesed remounted Cara Vita at Circus Center in early 2020 before taking it on tour to the Asheville Arts Festival and London’s VAULT Festival.  Hesed had just returned to the US when the pandemic hit.  

During the pandemic, Hesed continued to find innovative ways to create theatre and circus.  Hesed led a group of professionals and advanced students in creating a COVID-safe, online, sing-along, dance-along circus version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Hesed began studying video production at Bay Area Video Coalition.  She directed and edited a short documentary entitled Women of America which combined circus and history as a celebration of the 19th Amendment Centennial and a call to action before the 2020 election.  Women of America was chosen as an Official Selection in the Circus International Film Festival.  Hesed’s most recent project has been Circus Pop Ups, site-specific pop up shows that combine live musicians, circus artists, and interactive performers.  To learn more visit felicityhesed.com.

We are SO EXCITED to announce our Summer 2021 Adult Class Schedule!

By The Numbers

Our in-person class schedule is expanding...

• From 19 to 45 in-person classes
• From 79 to 279 in-person spots
• Double the number of in-person teachers!

Key Dates

• Monday, 5/17, 10:00am: Pack Sale begins (for both online and in-person classes)
• Tuesday 5/18, 10:00am: Adult Online Classes open for registration
• Thursday 5/20, 10:00am: Adult In-Person Classes open for registration
• Monday 5/24, 10:00pm: Pack Sale ENDS

Notes on Class Levels

We've reorganized the names of some of our classes, check it out:

• AERIAL: If you used to be in Level 1 aerial classes, you should now sign up for Beginner level. Level 2 = Intermediate level. Your old pre-reqs will work, like magic (that took a lot of work behind the scenes).
• ACRO: Beginner classes are open to anyone. If you had level 1 pre-reqs, then come to Intermediate.

COVID Rules

Until further notice...

• Everyone must remain masked at all times
• Everyone must maintain at least 6 feet of social distance
• Equipment will be shared between students
• Board assistance will be part of Flying Trapeze classes
• Handspotting will be available for students who want it

Questions?

We are lightly staffed over the weekend, so if you reach out with questions, we thank you in advance for your patience. We will get back to you as quickly as we can.

IN-PERSON CLASS SCHEDULE - Opens for registration on 5/20 at 10:00am PDT (UTC -7)

ONLINE CLASS SCHEDULE - opens for registration on 5/18 at 10:00am PDT (UTC -7)

Finally, at long long last, adult classes are meeting again in person at Circus Center! We are excited to welcome you back to Circus Center. Here are a few important house rules and procedures to know about:

ON ARRIVAL – OUTSIDE THE BUILDING

The first adult classes begin at 7:00pm, and no training space will be open before 6:45pm, so please time your arrival accordingly.

When you get to Circus Center, the first thing you will do is fill out our COVID Screening Questionnaire. There are two ways to do this:

1. PAPER: There will be clipboards and pens lying around outside the main entrance. Fill out the form, leave the clipboard and pen, and take the form to your teacher.
2. PHONE: Go to circuscenter.org/adultscreening (or scan the QR code onsite). Fill out the form, then show your teacher the screen on your phone that indicates that your response has been approved.

If you don't pass the screening – that is, if you answer YES to any of the questions – GO HOME. If you pass the screening, then go inside the lobby.

IN THE LOBBY

1. Remove your shoes.
2. Sanitize your hands.
3. Find your class location on the white board.
4. Take your shoes and the rest of your stuff to your classroom. You will use the cubbies there.

IN CLASS/AROUND THE BUILDING

• Masks must be worn at all times while in the building, except when drinking.
• Eating is not allowed in the building. Should you need a snack please go outside.
• All beverages must be in a non-spill bottle. Only the bottle dispenser on the main level water fountain can be used at this time. Please do not drink directly from any of the water fountains.
• Social distancing must be practiced at all times – 6' at all times, 12' if your heart/breathing rate is elevated.
• Only one person in a bathroom at a time. Please ask if there is anyone in the bathroom before you enter.
• Please cooperate with your teacher and Circus Center staff in helping keep the equipment and facility as clean as possible.

Circus Center is excited to announce a new digital show in celebration of LGBT Pride Month. We are honored to use our digital stage to highlight the excellence and authenticity of LGBTQ+ circus artists and allies in our community. This June, we will be launching a Circus Center Pride showcase!

Want to perform? Submit your digital performance application here! 

Applications due Friday 4/23/21. QTGNC & BIPOC performers strongly encouraged to apply. We are open to circus acts, including those that intersect with any other performance art - dance, spoken word, music, drag, sideshow, etc. A limited number of performers will have the opportunity to record their performances with our videographer in the Circus Center Theater.

Digital acts will be presented as part of a live streamed showcase the week of June 21-27. Performers' tipping information will be visible during their performances.

Any questions - please contact Ali (they/them) at execadmin@circuscenter.org.

Dear friends – Circus Center is lifting up the voice of our staff member Ali, who is yonsei Japanese American. Ali offers here a response that is both personal and communal to the recent spike in anti-Asian racist crimes and activities. The Board and staff stand in solidarity with this statement, and with all of the APISA community both here and across the country. – Barry Kendall, Executive Director

Hello Circus Center community,

If you’ve walked through the front doors or emailed in a question in the past few years, it’s likely we’ve met. My name is Ali and I am a Front Desk Administrator. I’ve been a team member of the unstoppable force that is the fingers clacking away behind info@circuscenter.org since 2018. I’ve taken your calls, filed your waivers, and booked your training sessions. I’ve signed your kids up for Afterschool or Summer Camp or Pre-Pro. I’ve celebrated with you when you’ve leveled up and cheered at your performances. I’ve laughed and cried with you in the lobby that I miss so dearly. 

I was originally drawn to work at Circus Center to be a part of a diverse staff, an organization with a clear mission, and a community with heart. Right now, I feel as if that heart may be broken. I know at the very least that my heart is broken.

Hate crimes targeting Asians, Pacific Islanders, and South Asians (APISA) have increased over 150% in major cities in the last year, including in our home of San Francisco. The latest major incidents of violence perpetrated against people of Asian descent culminated in the murder of 8 people in Atlanta and the injury of two elders in San Francisco this week alone. These events have been shocking and painful to process, but they are not random or unrelated. 

These events are symptoms of a system built on White Supremacy - self perpetuated by policies, politicians, and political movements that directly benefit from keeping racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and classism to the highest levels of our governing bodies. Anti-Asian policies and attitudes have made their home in the U.S. for generations, especially here in San Francisco. But this resurgence of violence was clearly bolstered by the repeated Sinophobic misinformation spread by the Trump administration throughout their mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the numerous warnings from APISA-led organizations and community leaders regarding increased incidents of discrimination. 

Our APISA circus community members have not been protected from the threat of racially-motivated attacks. As we grieve, care for ourselves, and support our loved ones, we still cannot guarantee our own safety or the safety of the most vulnerable members of our communities. We need everyone to channel their energy into confronting the systems we participate in that perpetuate White Supremacist violence. Below I’ve included a non-comprehensive list of resources for you where you can learn, volunteer, report violence, and donate. I’ve also included some mental health resources for our APISA community members who would like more support through this challenging time. 

It cannot be ignored that Chinese acrobatics is an essential element of Circus Center’s education programs. APISA community members are essential to the DNA of who we are and what we do. APISA circus artists are the foundation, leaders, and legacy of Circus Center. We are working to identify concrete ways we can move equity to the center of our organizational values. This is a priority that is being actively discussed at the highest levels of our organization. We want to honor our origins by structuring more equitable education programs as we move toward rebuilding and reopening. 

If you have the means, please consider donating to any of the following organizations listed below or an organization supporting the APISA community in your city! We understand that many still face unemployment and financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis, and we believe that fighting for justice is not optional. So in solidarity with our APISA community, Circus Center is proud to offer students who donate to any organization supporting the APISA community a matching dollar amount (up to $100) discount off of Online Adult Rec Classes, Solo Training, or Summer Camp enrollments. This promotion is valid for any donations made from 3/15/21-4/4/21. Please forward your donation receipt to execadmin@circuscenter.org and let us know what services you’d like your discount to be applied to. 

I look forward to the day when I get to welcome you, your friends, and your family again back home to Circus Center. Until then -

With Love and Perseverance,

Ali (they/them)

Signed in Solidarity by:

Circus Center Staff

Xiaohong Weng

Serchmaa Byamba

Elena Panova

Barry Kendall

Tracey Shababo

Fernando Gambaroni

Texas Holly

Jennings McCown

Felicity Hesed

Jives

Miriam Telles

Thuan Lieu

Ash Rexford

Zephaniah Bensaid

Nick Karsant

Kelsey Keitges

Ashe Giovanni

Jeremy Vik

Alex Baesen

Joey Moore

Chloe Axelrod

Dwoira Galilea

Board of Directors

Natalie Quan, Co-Chair

Sophie Turrell, Co-Chair

Lynn Freedman, Secretary/Treasurer

Bridgette Lin

Arthur Hong

Oliver Hack

Martina Rogers

Ceci Walken

Mental Health Resources for APISA

Racial Trauma Toolkit by Boston College

Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American (APISAA) Therapist Directory

Asian Mental Health Collective

@AsiansForMentalHealth

Subtle Asian Mental Health - offering 1:1 supportive listening sessions

Lai Chien Therapy - offering pay-as-you-wish group therapy for APA

Crisis Line (English): 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Line (Asian Languages): 1-877-990-8585

Crisis Line (Engling, text-based): Text "CONNECT" to 741741

CalHope Emotional Support Hotline: 1-833-317-HOPE

Samhsa National Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP

Learn

"You, Me + White Supremacy" webinar by Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Free Bystander Intervention Training from Hollaback! & Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Volunteer (SF Bay Area)

Oakland Chinatown Coalition

Compassion in Oakland

SF Peace Collective

Report

@StopAAPIHate / stopaapihate.org

standagainsthatred.org

Donate / Support

Red Canary Song - distributing donations to families and survivors of ATL shootings

National: Asian American Community Resources/Donations

Stop Asian Hate: Together, We Can Make a Difference

Hate Is A Virus by Philanthropic Ventures Foundation

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Asian Pacific Fund: COVID-19 Recovery

Asian Mental Health Collective

18 Million Rising

Asian American Journalist Association

Asian Pacific Environmental Network

Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce

Asian Health Services

Asian Women’s Shelter (SF)

Cameron House (SF)

Save Our Chinatowns (SF Bay Area)

Chinese Progressive Association

SF Filipino Community Center

Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay

They Can't Burn Us All

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Asian Prisoner Support Committee

Asian American Feminist Collective

AAPI Women Lead

Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

The Center for Asian Pacific American Women

National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum

NQAPIA

APIENC

CAAAV

Apex for Youth

APIA Vote

Read (Buy Local or Buy from an Asian-Owned Independent Bookstore!)

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

If They Come for Us: Poems by Fatimah Asghar

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Arrival by Shaun Tan

Dear Girls by Ali Wong

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

In the Country by Mia Alvar

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (personal recommendation by Ali)

GET A CLASS-PACK & SAVE

Sale ends on 3/9

60 & 90 MINUTE CLASSES 

Online 3-Pack: $54 ($18/class)
Online 5-Pack: $85 ($17/class)
Online 8-Pack: $128 ($16/class)
Online 10-Pack: $150 ($15/class)
Online 15-Pack: $210 ($14/class)

BUY 60-90 CLASS PACKS
 

2 HOUR CLASSES

Online 3-Pack: $81 ($27/class)
Online 5-Pack: $125 ($25/class)
Online 8-Pack: $176 ($22/class)
Online 10-Pack: $200 ($20/class)

BUY 60-90 CLASS PACKS

Spring class rollout starts tomorrow. Sign up for our newsletters to get advanced access to classes:

http://circuscenter.org/online