New England Center for Circus Arts hosts Performance Boot Camp every summer, offering three weeks of act creation mentorship and training for circus artists. The students perform their work on the final evening of the camp at a show open to the public, which will be on August 4, 2023, at 7:30 pm. This year’s show is titled “All Our Faces.” More information and tickets can be found here.

Performance Boot Camp is one of many summer offerings geared towards aspiring circus professionals and high-level students who are seeking a multi-week training experience. Students are pushed hard physically and mentally for 3 weeks, putting in 7-8 hours a day, much like NECCA’s ProTrack program, a 3-year program that runs from September through May, but over a short period of time.

This year, Leah Leor, NECCA ProTrack Coach and ProTrack grad, is the Creative Director and Head Coach for Performance Boot Camp. Leor explains, “Some come to Performance Boot Camp with professional work they want to rework or add to. Some come in with no idea what they want to do, other than the apparatus, and end up with a masterpiece! Come see the show! It will be entertaining and inspiring!”

There are 12 students in Performance Boot Camp this summer, ranging in age, experience, discipline, and home base.

Cellista, a performer based in Los Angeles, explains why she came to NECCA: “I am extracting one movement from my stage poem ‘Élégie’ to develop. My composition includes elements of tango, ensemble work, live performance, and of course, static trapeze.”

Cellista then reflects on the quality of the Performance Boot Camp program, “NECCA has offered me the tools to develop my work in a manner I could have never anticipated. The state-of-the-art facilities, paired with the mentorship and guidance of its brilliant instructors is unlike any other circus organization.”

In addition to training, Cellista shares that she has found a home here. “NECCA and Brattleboro are decidedly quirky, inclusive, and beautiful.”

NECCA invites the community to witness the magic of act creation and storytelling at the Performance Boot Camp Show on August 4. To learn more about the program, visit www.circusschool.org.