A woman with reddish-brown hair and makeup, wearing a black blazer, looks into the camera while holding a metal ring in both hands, with a neutral background.

  • Elena Brocade has parlayed her career in circus and varieté theater as a performing artist, rigger, coach/choreographer and costume designer.

    In 2002 Elena Brocade became part of the Chicago circus community training in a broad range of aerial acrobatics. She developed and refined her skills with Shayna Swanson (Aloft Circus Arts), Elsie Smith (Gemini Twins), Nourbol Miermanov (MSA Circus Arts) and Helene Turcotte (Duo Mouvance, SF Circus Center). Elena soon became a key member of the performing company, Aloft Circus Arts, founded by Shayna Swanson and helped the growth of the associated training facility, the Aloft Loft, as the Studio Manager and part of the coaching staff. Now in Los Angeles, Elena Brocade is one of the head coaches working predominantly out of Cirque School LA.  

    Elena Brocade’s interest in the expansion of the circus community has motivated her work as a coach, where her students were seen in the recent VIVA Fest in Las Vegas and Seattle’s Moisture Festival, as well as, making her a part of the ACE safety consultant program. Her skills as a choreographer has expanded over the last few years to music videos (Alex Charm, Bria and Chrissy) and full productions (Oscillation Arts).

  • Zoë is abundantly proficient in both the creative, performance side of circus arts as well as the technical and management skills of operating in the circus business. She specializes in Cyr wheel, aerial silks, and aerial rope.

    Zoë began her circus training at Aloft Circus Arts in 2008, predominantly under the instruction of Shayna Swanson. In 2010, Zoë joined the teaching staff at Aloft and quickly became one of the most beloved and trusted instructors. Two years later she was invited to become a senior company member of the Aloft performance ensemble. Simultaneously, she was promoted to studio manager and head rigger at Aloft Circus Arts in Chicago. 

    She has performed at numerous events and in ensemble shows throughout the United States. Most recently she performed, toured, and was the head rigging and costume designer for Aloft’s newest immersive circus show, Brave Space. 

    She successfully combines her athleticism, artistic voice, and enterprising business savvy into an excellent representative of the new circus world.

A young man with short red hair, light skin, and a nose piercing, smiling in front of a wooden wall.

  • Doug has developed a unique career path both as a performer and arts administrator. From touring internationally to producing award-winning shows, Doug approaches each project with a strong passion for the arts and desire to create positive impact.

    Doug graduated from the New England Center for Circus Arts, the longest running professional training program in the United States. As a performer he has worked for Circus Smirkus, Chicago’s Midnight Circus, Diamond Family Circus, AIDA Cruises, Live305Entertainment, The Vampire Circus, Westchester Circus Arts, Cirque Dreams and has performed in 6 of the 9 Cirque Us tours. Doug holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business of Live and Performing Arts with a concentration in Touring Productions from Columbia College Chicago. At age 20, Doug founded Cirque Us.