General Manager

Abbi Wilson, LCSW, is excited to be working with Circus Up! She grew up in social circus and is happiest when coaching, practicing, and performing. She holds an MSW from Boston College School of Social Work, upon graduation receiving a Certificate for Equity and Justice in the Workplace and the Dean's Award for Equity, Justice, and Inclusion. She graduated from Hampshire College studying public health and performing arts and completed an ethnographic research project with Circus Up as her thesis on the power of social circus to address social determinants of health. After undergrad, Abbi went on to serve a year with Americorps, working at an afterschool program in Lynn, MA. Abbi loves coaching youth, grant writing, developing and administering program evaluations, and working on the communications team. She is especially passionate about duo trapeze and partner acrobatics.

Team Member

Aidan Weinberg is a student at Northeastern University studying Computer Science and Math. In first grade after being called the class clown, his mom’s logical next step was to sign Aidan up for “clown school” with a local Chicago social circus called CircEsteem. Little did she know he would stay in the organization for 12 years practicing, performing, and teaching circus arts all around Chicago. Aidan’s passion for circus even followed him overseas, teaching kids circus classes at And Circus in London, England during his semester abroad last fall. Circus has been a big part of Aidan’s life for as long as he could remember and he can’t wait to continue to spread joy through circus with Circus Up.

Team Member

With a strong desire to collaborate artistically and return to a physical practice she discovered the New England Center for Circus Arts where she fell in love with aerials, theatrical expression, and the circus community. In 2011, Alissa graduated from the Professional training program with a focus on Trapeze and Handbalance. Since then she has been performing in street shows, festivals, theaters, and teaching across the globe.

In addition to circus arts, Alissa has experience in modern dance, Ashtanga yoga, and capoiera. Alissa moved to Boston in 2018 after living in Konstanz, Germany for 4 years. She is excited to join the exuberant circus community here in Boston. When Alissa is not teaching or preforming she is hiding in the woods or being a mama to her baby boy!

Team Member

Bee Cox is a Massachusetts artist who grew up loving gymnastics and martial arts, thus deciding to join the circus was a no-brainer. They have a BFA in film from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and would gladly talk about the Lord of the Rings for hours.

Team Member

Ivy Jackson is a Boston-based circus artist, coach, and actor. After studying acting and film at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, Ivy has gone on to do multiple plays, films, community events, fundraisers, and work for theater companies across New England. They currently work with the companies Murder Mystery Company and TaleWise and as a healthcare clown with Laughter League at Boston Children’s Hospital. Working as a clown and coach with Circus Up has shown Ivy there’s something bigger than themselves and that the circus world is pretty cool! An all around performer (and then some!), they are proud to use their improv expertise to help children and adults alike smile.

Julia Marcelis is a clown, aerialist, and jack of all trades. After being blown away by circus performers at 7 years old, Julia has been training circus skills ever since. They are a graduate of San Francisco Circus Center’s Youth Circus and have trained with coaches from Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Bros. With a passion for telling inclusive stories, Julia has performed silks and sling across the United States. When not clowning around, they are an accounting student at Babson College and Treasurer of Students Against Gravity Improv Troupe.

Founder, Executive Director, Co-Chair of the Board

Leah Abel is Founder, Executive Director, and Head Coach of Circus Up, a Boston-based social circus organization. She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Simmons College and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). Leah additionally holds a master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy.

Leah performs and teaches with Clowns Without Borders, which has sent her to Haiti, Palestine, Myanmar, Lebanon, and Texas. She has worked as a hospital clown for many years, both with the Big Apple Circus and currently with Laughter League, bringing smiles to children and their families at Boston Children’s Hospital. Leah also stilts at various events and locations, including Fenway Park, and performs aerials all over New England at corporate, community, and college events both solo and with her doubles partner, Molly Baechtold - as Baechtold and Abel. Leah believes passionately in equity, access, and social justice for all, and in using the arts for social change. She is a strong supporter and practitioner of both the Liberation Health Model and restorative justice practice; all of these principles and practices are interwoven throughout the work of Circus Up. Leah loves to promote circus for social change, including using expressions of joy as a form of resistance.

Team Member

Lucia Cassan has always been active. She began with sports and dance, yet discovered in high school that circus was her true passion. Aerial rope, silks, wire and partner acro are her most loved circus disciplines. Lucia is a recent college graduate from Umass Boston where she studied sociology and criminal justice. She would love to combine her knowledge of criminal justice and circus arts to create programs in prisons, where circus arts is a form of rehabilitation and reform. Currently, Lucia is a professional aerialist and belly dancer and full time circus instructor. She is excited to use her degree to help circus arts become a vessel for social change. She has seen in her own life how important movement and creativity is for a kid, and is passionate about bringing this exciting art to kids of all backgrounds, ages, races and abilities. Lucia loves teaching circus and is extremely excited to be part of the Circus Up team!Description goes here

Oliver Burns IV has been dancing since a child and choreographing since attending Regis College. Although he performs many styles from contemporary to Latin, his main focus is Hip Hop. When he is not dancing, Oliver is building a media and event production company, Trend Stream, with a full array of audio/visual event services. He also co-founded the Hip Hop troupe, Trend N Motion who hosts interactive performances for local schools, concerts and community events. He joined beheard.world in 2017 as a cinematographer and choreographer to continue using the art platform to address social issues our neighborhoods face.

Communications and Engagement Manager

Olivia is a performing artist, dancer, model, actress, meditation guide and yoga instructor born, raised, and practicing on Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, Massachusett, Pawtucket land. Trained in traditional indigenous Afro-Brazilian, Ayisyen, and Guinean rhythms and movements by Kera Washington, Isaura Oliveira, Peniel Guerrier, and Toussaint the Liberator, has been trained in contemporary indigenous, intuition and environment led movement on Apache and Tewa land by Dancing Earth’s Rulan Tangen, gratefully. Formal dance training also includes jazz, ballet, modern, house & hip-hop. I am grateful to my nonhuman teachers, the Wind, the Water, the Sun, the Moon, our Mother Earth. Many more with inaudible names. My dance and embodiment work is a testimony of my ancestors prayers and preparation, as it is my own prayer and preparation for my descendants to continue this work.

In addition to my study of dance I also teach African dance at Roxbury Roots Montessori and study and teach yoga at the Jackson Youth Program.

Through this work I also reckon and encourage others to reckon with the trauma, self and other inflicted, that has manifested in and around us. I am offering joy, surprise, knowledge, unfamiliar comfort and love. Receiving acceptance, wisdom, power, nourishment, and love. Thank you. Let’s Go Together.

Website and Graphic Designer

Snghyun (Sng) is a California native that moved to Boston in 2023. She started her circus journey in South Korea in 2019, and has loved it ever since!

She attended Dartmouth College, where she performed in Dartmouth Aerial Arts. In school and in her professional career, Sng has been passionate about DEI and volunteer work. After taking classes at 3C, she looked for opportunities to tie together her love of circus and volunteering, leading her to Circus Up!

Sng has a background in UI/UX Design and fine arts, and handles various projects for Circus Up!, including the webpage and various graphics for Circus Up!

Team Member

Stephen Spencer grew up in Boston and has engaged in a variety of sports growing up such as karate, swimming, and track. He is an actor, visual and performing artist who graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Youth-Centric, community-based, and non-profit work is no stranger to him!

Yariel is Latino and grew up in Boston. He is currently in 10th grade and does circus as his main extracurricular activity. Yariel is one of the founding members of Circus Up’s very own Kirkos. He is an assistant coach with Circus Up at the Hernandez School and for youth classes at the Commonwealth Circus Center. For work-study at school, he is a part of Math Works as an Inside Sales Rep Assistant.