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ABOUT NECCA

NECCA is people. Our founders, coaches, board, staff, students and community all shape NECCA in as many different ways as there are talented individuals who walk through these doors. NECCA is also an internationally recognized circus school known for outstanding creative and physical programming. Here, we are committed to providing access to circus arts instruction to anyone who is interested in what circus has to offer them—from the absolute beginner to the industry professional. We pride ourselves in providing this instruction in a welcoming and non-competitive atmosphere with a staff of coaches who make this art form as approachable as it is entertaining. Simply said, we love what we do and we welcome you to find out what NECCA can offer you!

We’d like to take a moment to share our gratitude both to the generous supporters who made this possible and to the Abenaki Tribe, whose traditional land we stand on and who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.

Many Thanks To

The New England Center for Circus Arts is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts through the New England Arts Resilience Fund, part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with major funding from the federal CARES Act from the National Endowment for the Arts.

About NEFA Support NECCA

OUR HISTORY

  • 2007

    Founding of NECCA

    NECCA is founded by Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion and receives its 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit circus arts education facility. For several years previous to this, circus arts instruction was provided under the name of Nimble Arts. Elsie and Serenity felt it was vital for the students and the community for NECCA to take this next step and grow into a nonprofit. Classes were taught with a staff of approximately 10 coaches at the Cotton Mill and the New England Youth Theater in Brattleboro, VT. The original Professional Track or “ProTrack” program began in 2007 as well, beginning NECCA’s reputation of successfully preparing professional circus artists for careers in circus.

  • 2010

    NECCA Expands

    NECCA expands into 3 studios at the Cotton Mill and establishes an additional professional program, the Intensive Program, designed to meet the growing needs of the industry. This year also brought the first annual Flying Nut holiday show as well as the Circus In The Neighborhood outreach program established to bring circus to those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to NECCA programming. This was also the first year of the Circus Spectacular: an annual fundraising event at the Latchis Theater aimed at raising funds specifically for outreach and scholarships.

    2010

  • 2013

    Building Committee Established

    NECCA received its 501(c)(3) not for profit status in December 2007 and can accept tax deductible donations. The incorporation of NECCA and the filing of not for profit papers was the culmination of much work from a supportive community, school members and a Board of Directors who believed that it was an important next step in the building of an internationally recognized yet locally vital circus center.

  • 2014

    NECCA Expands Again

    NECCA grows into 4 studios at the Cotton Mill as well as the Winston-Prouty gymnasium and has a staff of around 35. Land was purchased at Town Crier Dr, which would be the future home of NECCA’s custom trapezium. The outdoor Flying Trapeze rig moved to this site to take advantage of the amazing space and location.

    2014

  • 2016

    Ground Breaking at Town Crier Drive

    NECCA officially breaks ground for construction at the 10 Town Crier Drive location.

  • 2017

    NECCA Moves to Town Crier Drive

    In June, NECCA officially moved to its new and permanent home in a custom built Trapezium. This moved allowed NECCA to expand its ProTrack program to a full-time 3-year professional training program to better prepare students for the careers ahead. By this time, NECCA’s staff grew to 50 employees.

    2017

  • 2018

    FlyTeam Is Created

    FlyTeam, professional Flying Trapeze program begins.

  • 2019

    Three Years of ProTrack

    First graduates and tour of the 3-year ProTrack program.

    2019

LET’S CONNECT!

FIND US ON INSTAGRAM

📅Save the date for Gently Unhinged, the final s 📅Save the date for Gently Unhinged, the final showcase of the Year Two students in NECCA’s Professional Track training program. Embrace the journey, the imperfections, the beauty. 🐛 This show explores what it is to be broken and then mended into new whole that is stronger than the original, embracing every flaw and imperfection. 🦋 ‼️There are two different casts with different acts resulting in Show A and Show B versions as follows: 🅰️Show A: Friday, June 3 @ 7:30 pm & Saturday, June 4 @ 3:30 pm ➡️Show A Cast: @thealasan Thea, @dabucci3 Colleen , @fearlessflyer.joelle Joelle, @shirwonder Shir, @sshmabigail Abigail, @jesguilmain Jessica, @briannathompson29 Bri 🅱️Show B: Saturday, June 4 @ 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 5 @ 1 pm ➡️Show B Cast: Darian, @chanty.aguirre Chanty, @marine_doing_circus Marine, @layton.m.h Layton, @cheyaudi1 Cheyenne, @megan_gimnig Megan, @josephinecircus Josephine 🎟️Get tickets at our bio link! 📽️Video of ProTrack Year 2 student Joelle on bungee #accessibility [Joelle wearing a blue unitard drops from a bar and is caught by a long loop of bungees. She bounces up and moves around in the bungee sling.] . . . . . #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #Bungee #Aerial #Aerialist #AerialistsOfIg #CircusArts #CircusLife #CirqueWay #AerialTricks #AerialTraining #AerialBeauty #ILoveBrattleboro #LoveBrattleboroVt
❕NECCA is Hiring! Are you an Aerial Rope/Vertic ❕NECCA is Hiring! Are you an Aerial Rope/Vertical coach? Come work with our amazing students! 👀We are searching for a high level rope / vertical aerial coach who wants to establish their career and their life here in beautiful Southern Vermont within a few hours drive from Boston, New York City, and Montreal. 🎪At the New England Center for Circus Arts, we are more than a place to land between gigs. We are a place to grow your career. NECCA is a growing and vibrant organization vital to the regional community and believes in staff development, internal promotion, staff support, and community. 💫We are currently looking for a coach with experience teaching both professional and recreational levels of Aerial Rope; coaching other vertical disciplines (fabric, sling, etc) is a plus. The ideal candidate will also have additional circus or fitness coaching experience. For ProTrack, core coaches must be available to teach September thru June 5, have skills sets around mentoring pre-professional students, active engagement in student assessments and meetings, conducting student liaison meetings and helping the ProTrack Governance Panel with curriculum and planning when needed. ‼️We are hiring for positions starting Sept 2022, with an expectation to arrive in Brattleboro in late August for preliminary meetings and a commitment for a 9-12 month period. Interview are underway and applications are still open. Must be able to legally work in the US. ✅Please send a resume & cover letter to employment@necenterforcircusarts.org. ➡️Find the full job description at our bio link! #accessibility [Description: Shir is posed mid air doing a cartwheel on aerial rope.] . . . . . 📸Photo by Elsie Smith of ProTrack Year 2 student @shirwonder #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #WereHiring #Aerial #Aerialists #AerialRope #CordeLisse #AerialSilks #AerialSilksTricks #AerialBeauty #AerialTraining #AerialTricks #ILoveBrattleboro #CircusArtist
⭐Congratulations to Bailey Scherer (she/her), gr ⭐Congratulations to Bailey Scherer (she/her), graduating from ProTrack as a Baton Twirling Major and a Dance Trapeze minor! Originally from ☀️Los Angeles, CA, Bailey's near future goals include performing at circus festivals. In the long-term, she looks forward to participating in work with a heavy focus on physical storytelling. She says, "I would also love to build circus programs for young children to help instill a healthy, holistic perspective on fitness, personal identity, and community building in our next generations." 🧁When not twirling a baton or spinning on the trapeze, you can find Bailey baking multitudes of muffins. ➡️Follow her journey at @bailey.scherer.circus #accessibility [Photo 1: Bailey spins two batons, one overhead and the other extended down. She wears a scaly purple unitard and has a big smile on her face. Photo 2: Bailey sits in a squat on the dance trapeze, leaning on a rope with one arm extended up. She wears an orange pajama set.] . . . . . 📸Photos by Elsie Smith #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #CircusArtist #BatonTwirling #JugglersOfInstagram #juggle #aerialist #DanceTrapeze #AerialTrapeze #trapeze #CircusInspiration #CircusAroundTheWorld
🎉Michelle Mazzarella (she/her) graduates from P 🎉Michelle Mazzarella (she/her) graduates from ProTrack with an Invented Apparatus major which combines aerial sling and single point trapeze, and a minor in Cyr Wheel. 🎪Michelle's professional goals are to perform first, then dive into production, direction, and choreography for circus. Calling San Juan island home, a fun fact about Michelle is that she was a dockhand at a marina resort for five years and can tie off a boat without bending over! ➰ As she dives into her career, Michelle will continue to cherish her time spent at NECCA, especially working with coaches Elsie Smith and Zeb Galipeau who are both in her words, the bomb.com. ➡️Follow Michelle at @michellejmazz #accessibility [Photo 1: Michelle dangles on a bar from one arm while wrapped in her blue aerial sling. She wears a purple unitard. Photo 2: Michelle stands on the Cyr wheel mid spin, arms and legs extended. She wears a blue dress that billows out in front of her.] . . . . . 📸Photos by Elsie Smith #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #aerialist #AerialistsOfIg #AerialSilks #AerialSilk #AerialSling #DanceTrapeze #RoueCyr #CyrWheel #cyr #CircusArtist #AerialBeauty
✨Congratulations to 2022 ProTrack Grad Carina Ki ✨Congratulations to 2022 ProTrack Grad Carina Kivela (she/they), graduating as an Aerial Straps major and a Partner Acrobatics minor! Originally from Livingston, Montana, Carina was struck by the community and environment at NECCA when they began their training in ProTrack. 🧡 About what's next and their circus goals Carina says, "I love performing, but really love creating with people I vibe with where ever that takes me. The goal is to meet people and to make some meaningful circus mischief," which they will be doing this summer in Bozeman, MT with 406 Cirque and Mountain Air Dance! ➡️Carina loves connecting the world with circus and performing arts, so stay connected and follow them at @carina.gillet #accessibility [Photo 1: Carina hangs by one arm on the aerial straps with one foot flexed above their hand. They are wearing a lacy black long sleeved top and black denim shorts. Photo 2: Carina lies in a straddle on Elly's back, a pair of shorts on their foot. They are both wearing tan top and shorts.] . . . . . 📸Photos by Elsie Smith #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #Aerialist #AerialStraps #straps #sangles #SanglesAeriennes #acro #PartnerAcro #PartnerAcrobatics #MainAMain #CircusArtist #CircusInspiration

📅Save the date for Gently Unhinged, the final s 📅Save the date for Gently Unhinged, the final showcase of the Year Two students in NECCA’s Professional Track training program. Embrace the journey, the imperfections, the beauty. 🐛 This show explores what it is to be broken and then mended into new whole that is stronger than the original, embracing every flaw and imperfection. 🦋 ‼️There are two different casts with different acts resulting in Show A and Show B versions as follows: 🅰️Show A: Friday, June 3 @ 7:30 pm & Saturday, June 4 @ 3:30 pm ➡️Show A Cast: @thealasan Thea, @dabucci3 Colleen , @fearlessflyer.joelle Joelle, @shirwonder Shir, @sshmabigail Abigail, @jesguilmain Jessica, @briannathompson29 Bri 🅱️Show B: Saturday, June 4 @ 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 5 @ 1 pm ➡️Show B Cast: Darian, @chanty.aguirre Chanty, @marine_doing_circus Marine, @layton.m.h Layton, @cheyaudi1 Cheyenne, @megan_gimnig Megan, @josephinecircus Josephine 🎟️Get tickets at our bio link! 📽️Video of ProTrack Year 2 student Joelle on bungee #accessibility [Joelle wearing a blue unitard drops from a bar and is caught by a long loop of bungees. She bounces up and moves around in the bungee sling.] . . . . . #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #Bungee #Aerial #Aerialist #AerialistsOfIg #CircusArts #CircusLife #CirqueWay #AerialTricks #AerialTraining #AerialBeauty #ILoveBrattleboro #LoveBrattleboroVt
❕NECCA is Hiring! Are you an Aerial Rope/Vertic ❕NECCA is Hiring! Are you an Aerial Rope/Vertical coach? Come work with our amazing students! 👀We are searching for a high level rope / vertical aerial coach who wants to establish their career and their life here in beautiful Southern Vermont within a few hours drive from Boston, New York City, and Montreal. 🎪At the New England Center for Circus Arts, we are more than a place to land between gigs. We are a place to grow your career. NECCA is a growing and vibrant organization vital to the regional community and believes in staff development, internal promotion, staff support, and community. 💫We are currently looking for a coach with experience teaching both professional and recreational levels of Aerial Rope; coaching other vertical disciplines (fabric, sling, etc) is a plus. The ideal candidate will also have additional circus or fitness coaching experience. For ProTrack, core coaches must be available to teach September thru June 5, have skills sets around mentoring pre-professional students, active engagement in student assessments and meetings, conducting student liaison meetings and helping the ProTrack Governance Panel with curriculum and planning when needed. ‼️We are hiring for positions starting Sept 2022, with an expectation to arrive in Brattleboro in late August for preliminary meetings and a commitment for a 9-12 month period. Interview are underway and applications are still open. Must be able to legally work in the US. ✅Please send a resume & cover letter to employment@necenterforcircusarts.org. ➡️Find the full job description at our bio link! #accessibility [Description: Shir is posed mid air doing a cartwheel on aerial rope.] . . . . . 📸Photo by Elsie Smith of ProTrack Year 2 student @shirwonder #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #WereHiring #Aerial #Aerialists #AerialRope #CordeLisse #AerialSilks #AerialSilksTricks #AerialBeauty #AerialTraining #AerialTricks #ILoveBrattleboro #CircusArtist
⭐Congratulations to Bailey Scherer (she/her), gr ⭐Congratulations to Bailey Scherer (she/her), graduating from ProTrack as a Baton Twirling Major and a Dance Trapeze minor! Originally from ☀️Los Angeles, CA, Bailey's near future goals include performing at circus festivals. In the long-term, she looks forward to participating in work with a heavy focus on physical storytelling. She says, "I would also love to build circus programs for young children to help instill a healthy, holistic perspective on fitness, personal identity, and community building in our next generations." 🧁When not twirling a baton or spinning on the trapeze, you can find Bailey baking multitudes of muffins. ➡️Follow her journey at @bailey.scherer.circus #accessibility [Photo 1: Bailey spins two batons, one overhead and the other extended down. She wears a scaly purple unitard and has a big smile on her face. Photo 2: Bailey sits in a squat on the dance trapeze, leaning on a rope with one arm extended up. She wears an orange pajama set.] . . . . . 📸Photos by Elsie Smith #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #CircusArtist #BatonTwirling #JugglersOfInstagram #juggle #aerialist #DanceTrapeze #AerialTrapeze #trapeze #CircusInspiration #CircusAroundTheWorld
🎉Michelle Mazzarella (she/her) graduates from P 🎉Michelle Mazzarella (she/her) graduates from ProTrack with an Invented Apparatus major which combines aerial sling and single point trapeze, and a minor in Cyr Wheel. 🎪Michelle's professional goals are to perform first, then dive into production, direction, and choreography for circus. Calling San Juan island home, a fun fact about Michelle is that she was a dockhand at a marina resort for five years and can tie off a boat without bending over! ➰ As she dives into her career, Michelle will continue to cherish her time spent at NECCA, especially working with coaches Elsie Smith and Zeb Galipeau who are both in her words, the bomb.com. ➡️Follow Michelle at @michellejmazz #accessibility [Photo 1: Michelle dangles on a bar from one arm while wrapped in her blue aerial sling. She wears a purple unitard. Photo 2: Michelle stands on the Cyr wheel mid spin, arms and legs extended. She wears a blue dress that billows out in front of her.] . . . . . 📸Photos by Elsie Smith #necca #NeccaCircus #CircusSchool #CircusZone #aerialist #AerialistsOfIg #AerialSilks #AerialSilk #AerialSling #DanceTrapeze #RoueCyr #CyrWheel #cyr #CircusArtist #AerialBeauty

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DONATE TO NECCA!

NECCA is a nonprofit that’s committed to the people it serves and the community within which it thrives. We rely on our many generous donors to continue to be a place that’s accessible to everyone, where creativity and artistry soar, and where the seemingly impossible becomes possible—every single day. Please consider joining others in supporting our work. Thank you!

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CONTACT

10 Town Crier Dr
Brattleboro VT 05301
802-254-9780
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