Circus Arts Graduates of 2022 Spotlight – Igniting Careers
Graduation is a time for celebration, but in this industry, we know the real work is just beginning for these artists! Not only did they dedicate themselves to years of studying, but they did it all during a pandemic that forced them to adapt to the rapidly changing expectations of the circus industry. A huge congratulations to these circus arts graduates who are now embarking on the next stage of their careers: the professional market.
Kicking off your circus career is no simple feat, but after years of hard work and historic challenges, the class of 2022 is ready to enter the next stage of their journey—and to appear on many more stages to come!
Presenting the Graduates of 2022 Spotlight! We’re proud to highlight a few circus school graduates who have not only already accomplished one amazing feat, but who are also setting themselves up for career success by making themselves accessible to talent seekers on their CircusTalk profiles: Michelle Mazzarella (NECCA), Juan Luisangel Gongora Jaramillo (ÉCQ), and Will Aaron (Circadium).
In the casting process, Talent Seekers will search specific criteria, which might include everything from your main skill set to your exact height to where you are located. They’ll want to see your demo video, your resume and photos, and your Act and Show pages. In the case of our featured graduates, they’ve provided Talent Seekers with answers before they even have to ask the questions.
Michelle Mazzarella
Michelle Mazzarella is an ‘artistic chameleon’ who thrives in roles both on stage and offstage. She is a choreographer, aerialist, dancer, producer, director, and educator. After finding her feet on the ground as a dancer and choreographer, she turned her focus to the air, and was accepted to the ProTrack training program at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). At NECCA, Michelle focuses primarily on aerial fabric, cyr wheel, and flying trapeze. Her latest project includes creating acts on her own invented aerial apparatus, combining static trapeze and aerial sling (living by the name, “TrapSling”). Michelle lives to tell stories and pull audiences into her world through musicality, texture, presence, and human connection.
Talent Seeker Tip – The Profile
This is where it all begins – with you! Filling out all the important details that Talent Seekers consider in their casting process will help you stand out in our talent search database. From basic info and education to disciplines and contract preferences, these new, detailed information fields are designed to connect you with Talent Seekers who are searching for talent like you!
Juan Luisangel Gongora Jaramillo
A Mexican circus artist based in Quebec, Canada, Juan Luisangel Gongora Jaramillo has a diverse skill set that includes silks, Chinese pole, straps, dance, and handstands. His style varies from “underground” acts performed to rock music, to artistic dance and movement. In aerial, Juan’s execution is equally diverse. His movements range from dynamic, to very flexible, to powerful strength elements. Juan has a dance background that allows him to work both on the floor and in the air. Note from Juan: He’s open for work! 🙂.
Talent Seeker Tip – Self-tape video
Upload your self-tape to your CircusTalk profile. What better way to practice your presentation to camera than by just doing it? Tell us—and Talent Seekers—about yourself. A self-tape offers you the chance to tell your story. Keep it short and clear, and infuse your intro with tons of personality. Get to know Juan in the self-tape video on his profile!
Will Aaron
Will Aaron is a circus performer with over 15 years of experience. He first mounted a unicycle when he was five years old, and has barely dismounted since! His practices include duo unicycle, unicycle, freestanding ladder, cyr wheel, juggling, and acrobatics. He and his flyer and fellow Circadium graduate, Cassie Caldwell, performed duo unicycle for their graduating thesis act.
Talent Seeker Tip – Act Demo
Upload your most recent demo or footage of your graduation act to your CircusTalk profile. You can also link it to the Acts page if your act is ready to be on stage! Will and his partner have included all the info about their Circadium thesis on their event page. Look into it on Will’s profile.
So how do these 2022 Circus Arts graduates feel about the road ahead? As a general consensus, excitement abounds! Whether the goal after graduation is to collaborate on new projects, tour, or bring personal and wild ideas to life, these grads are on the right track.
We’re releasing Talent Seeker profiles soon, so it will be easier than ever to connect Talent to Talent Seekers on CircusTalk. We’re counting on you to make CircusTalk THE industry marketplace for circus and performing arts. Ignite your career by filling out your CircusTalk profile!
Thank you to all the graduating artists who shared their thoughts and post-graduation plans with us. Best of luck as you head out into the performance world!
Michelle Mazzarella (Silks, Hammock, Cyr wheel, New England Center for Circus Arts) Juan Luisangel Gongora Jaramillo (Silks, Chinese pole, Ecole de cirque de Québec) Will Aaron (Duo unicycle, Juggling, Circadium School of Contemporary Circus) Cassie Caldwell (Clown, Duo unicycle, Circadium School of Contemporary Circus) Yvon Fragnière (Juggling, Hand to Hand, Die Etage, Berlin) Monique Schroeder (Clown, Handbalancing, Staatliche Artistenschule Berlin) Elisa Bitschnau (Static trapeze, Stockholm University of the Arts Department of Circus) Domenyk La Terra (Juggling, Stockholm University of the Arts Department of Circus) Meghan McClure (Static trapeze, juggling, The Circus Project, Portland, Oregon) Gaëtan Fournier (Rope, Chinese pole, Ecole de cirque de Québec) Jenny Kinzel (Lyra, Circadium School of Contemporary Circus) Guillaume Fontaine (Slack wire, Ecole de cirque de Québec) Carina Kivela (Hoop, Straps, Adagio, New England Center for Circus Arts)
These days, Em independently travels and tours the US as burlesque and circus bombshell, Karma Carnelian. Karma's performance style seamlessly blends classic and neo burlesque choreography with dynamic acrobatic chair and floor work. Karma has performed coast to coast, from the Hubba Hubba Revue in San Francisco, CA, to the House of Blues in Chicago, IL, to countless productions in their home state.
Em received their BA in Advertising in 2019 and MS in Integrated Marketing in 2021 from Florida State University, where they also performed teeterboard, flying, swinging and double trapeze in The FSU Flying High Circus from 2016-2020. Em first joined CircusTalk first as a journalism intern in 2020, and currently serves as the team's Community Manager, creating written and digital content for the site, and managing the companies' social media channels.
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