Author Archives: Circus Smirkus
Maedya Kojis
Maedya Kojis, Big Top Tour trouper 2013-2017 Born into a circus family, Maedya has been training at Xelias Aerial Arts since the age of five. After touring with Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour for five summers, she began coaching at Xelias and is passionate about promoting confidence, courage, and strength through the Circus Arts. Articles about Maedya: 2017 First Night Anchor Act 2017 Trouper Close-Up 2015 Trouper Close-Up 2014 Trouper Close-Up 2013 Trouper Close-Up
Patrick Tobin
Patrick Tobin, Big Top Tour trouper 2004-2005 Patrick Tobin is a circus performer, Smirkus alumnus and graduate of the National Circus School in Montréal. He specializes in tightwire, aerials and acrobatics. Patrick is currently based in New York City and coaching at the Circus Warehouse. He works with the Midnight Circus in Chicago while also pursuing acting and modeling. Ernest Hemingway likened the circus to a “truly happy dream” and Patrick is thrilled to share his dedication to this art form with future generations at Smirkus.
Nemo Mass
Nemo Mass, Big Top Tour trouper 2017-2018 Nemo Mass is an award-winning circus artist from Chicago IL who specializes in aerials and acrobatics. He began his journey as a competitive gymnast, joining the circus at age 11 with CircEsteem. He came to Smirkus Camp shortly thereafter, and has been back to Smirkus every summer since. For the past decade Nemo has trained and performed across the country as an acrobat, aerialist, and juggler with multiple circus companies, including CircEsteem, MSA & Circus Arts, Aloft, NECCA, Viva Fest, and for 2 summers on the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour. Nemo is currently in…
Glenna Broderick
Glenna Broderick Aerials Coach All Sessions Glenna Broderick didn’t start out this way. As a shy college freshman they fell in with the school’s circus club, the Surrealist Training Circus, where they discovered a knack for clowning, learned to dance on stilts and all manner of other absurdities. Craving athleticism and humor in performative movement, Glenna went to circus school at NECCA in 2009 knowing very little about what they were getting into. The world now has an accidental clown and purposeful aerialist who’s just trying to make art sometimes. Glenna loves trapeze, rope and partner acro the most, but delights in being…
Jordan Reinwald
Jordan Reinwald, Senior Aerials Coach Sessions: Intermediate Camp, Advanced Camp Jordan Reinwald is a dancer, aerialist, and choreographer originally from Lincoln, NE. She has performed professionally, nationally, and internationally with Winifred Haun and Dancers, Khecari, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater, The Catskills Ballet Theatre, The Civic Ballet at the Ruth Page Center for the Performing Arts, Aerial Dance Chicago, C5 Create With No Limits, and as a promotional performer for Theater Mama with Cirque Du Soleil, among others. She was recently a featured aerialist in Christmas Spectacular at Silver Hawk Theatre, and with Q Productions Las Vegas. She currently creates work…
Sierra Camille
Sierra Camille, Senior Aerials Coach & Multi-tent Coach Sessions: Beginner Camp, All Levels Camp Sierra grew up talking too loud and taking up as much space as possible in Santa Rosa, California. After wading in the worlds of dance and theater, she found circus to be a place that embraced her poignant skills as a physical theater artist, aerialist, and clown. An avid collaborator, Sierra is co-founder of Levity Aerial Troupe and Skytopia Aerial Arts where she shares her love of aerial art with kids and adults. Specializing in silks and physical theater, Sierra takes characters up into the air. Audiences…
Nina Gershy
Nina Gershy, Advanced Camp Aerials Coach A native New Yorker, Nina graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations, and a double minor in International Relations and Law and Society. She abandoned her plans for law school, and instead went to circus school at the New England Center for the Arts (NECCA), where she specialized in Aerial Rope. Nina has since performed with Hijinx Music Festival, New York Fashion Week, ABCirque, and Cirque Us. She also loves teaching circus arts, and some of her credits include: Circus Culture (Ithaca, NY), Circus Smirkus (Greensboro, VT), Aerial Arts NYC (New…
Emilie Arbaugh
Emilie Arbaugh, Lead Balance Coach Sessions: Adult Camp, College Age Camp, Smirkling Camp, Intro to Smirkus, Beginner Camp, All Levels Camp Emilie started her training in Tucson under the direction of coach Stormy Hudelson specializing in aerial rope. After attending the New England Center for Circus Arts Intensive Program, she spend five years touring with the Kelly Miller Circus doing acts such as traditional Spanish web, incline motorcycle and low wire. She currently resides in Tucson, AZ coaching locally and touring periodically.
Sophia Martel
Sophia Martel, Aerials Coach Sessions: Adult Camp, College Age Camp, Smirkling Camp, Intro to Smirkus, Beginner Camp, All Levels Camp, Intermediate Camp Sophia Martel is a 19 year old circus artist, performer, and coach. Hailing from the rural woods of Vermont she learned how to make her own fun exploring, swinging, and climbing everything she could. At the ripe age of 4 her parents signed her up for circus classes and Sophia has stuck with circus ever since. Sophia Martel has been practicing and performing circus arts for the past 15 years and has been coaching circus for the past 6 years. She graduated from both…
Austin Smith
Austin Smith, Juggling Coach Austin is one of those rare second generation jugglers, having learned from his dad at the age of 7. Now, standing 193cm tall with a wingspan of 198cm, he’s hard to miss on Burlington, Vermont’s iconic Church Street where he frequently can be found busking. In the past 12 months, he helped form the Circus Arts, Movement and Play collective to unite the jugglers, acrobats, and other circus friends in northern Vermont. He brought home a silver metal in the International Jugglers Association Numbers Competitions. And he performed at 3 juggling festival in the Northeast.