July 13 – August 2, 2025

PERFORMANCE BOOT CAMP

Live out your passion all day every day in NECCA’s most intensive performance-centered program! You’ll spend your days developing your individual act with guidance in circus, theater and dance technique with additional professional development classes, movement research, ensemble work, performance refinement, and holistic exercise sessions to round out a full body training and creation experience. Train and create in our incredible custom built facility including an in-ground foam pit, trampoline, 40′ and 24′ rigging points, and air conditioning. All this while surrounded by the natural beauty of a Vermont summer.

Program Details Applications

ABOUT The Performance Boot Camp

PROGRAM DETAILS

The program is overseen by an internationally recognized artistic team of directors and coaches and culminates with a show including acts and devised vignettes, specifically created for (pre) professional circus students.

Each day includes group training, private focus time with a coach in your skill area, and open training times for you to practice and rehearse. You’ll be pushing to gain the specific skills you’ve been reaching for and building a performance-ready act at a higher level. Skill areas include German wheel, cyr wheel, trampoline/tramp wall, solo and duo trapeze, dance trapeze, lyra/aerial hoop, cloud swing, hand balancing, tumbling, partner acrobatics, and more. If you don’t see your focus area listed, please ask!

Click here to download all the information.

Contact us for more information.

When is the Program?

Performance Boot Camp will run July 13 – August 2, 2025.

Who is the Performance Boot Camp for?

This program is for pre-professional circus students age 16 & up who want to strengthen their performance skills and make an act that will be performed at the end of the program.

Age 14 and 15, please inquire about participation in this adult-focused workshop by emailing us here.

How much does the program cost?

The program costs $2400.

A deposit of $1200 will secure your spot, and we can set up flexible installments with the final payment being due July 1st.

There is a 10% discount off the Performance Boot Camp Program if folks also sign up for the Summer Intensive Program!
We also have some scholarships available for these programs. Please contact us for more info!

We have a few 25% off scholarships available. Please check here under “adults’ for the application form.

What is included?

Your days include group training, private focus time with a coach in your skill area, and open training times for you to practice and rehearse. Group classes will focus on movement qualities and research, stage presence, act composition, ensemble work, career guidance classes, flexibility and conditioning, dance choreography and technique, and restorative exercise sessions to refine movement patterns and create clean lines. Each student will have four hours of one-on-one coaching time per week to train skills and devise and act in their chosen focus area, bringing the total hours of training to 30 plus per week. There will also be open training time included every day.

The program culminates in a performance that showcases individual acts as well as fully devised vignettes and transitions. Photos and video of the show are included.

Circus focus areas include:

Hand Balancing
Partner Acrobatics
Trampoline, Mini Tramp & Tramp Wall
Trapeze (single point, double point, duo, swinging)
Fabric
Rope
Chinese Pole
Straps
Lyra & Tippy Lyra
German & Cyr wheels
Wire
Juggling & Manipulation
Aerial Sling or Hammock
Cloud Swing
Bungee
Aerial Pole
Invented Apparatus

What is the program schedule?

Classes are scheduled Mondays – Fridays, 9 am – 4:30 pm or 5 pm, with a final performance on Saturday, August 2 at 7 pm. A typical day may look like this:

9:00 – 10:00 am | Group warm up
10:00 – 11:00 am | Group creation time
11:30 am – 1:30 pm | One-on-one lessons & open training
1:30 – 2:30 pm | Lunch
2:30 – 4:00 pm | Group class including partner acrobatics, dance, etc
4:00 -4:30 or 5:00 pm | Group physical preparation & cool down

The exact schedule will be shared by June 15.

There will be a virtual meeting approximately 1 month before the start of the program. Time/date TBD.

Who are the coaches?

The program is directed by Leah Lear, and assisted by Levi Helton. A variety of other coaches from the NECCA team also coach, and you can see their details here.

How do I apply?

Please fill out the online application with your video submission of your most recent work or performance on the discipline that you will use in Boot Camp. Some exceptions can be made for experienced performers wishing to use Boot Camp as a place to create on a new discipline. Applicants are selected based on technical development and creativity. There is a limited amount of space for each discipline/apparatus.

Please also demonstrate as many of these core skills as possible:
1. Forward roll and dive roll
2. Cartwheel: (both sides)
3. Handstand: against a wall or free-standing
4. Back bridge: push up from laying on ground
5. Splits: left, to straddle (center), to right
6. Pull-ups: please show that your feet are not on the ground at the start/end of the skill

There is no deadline for applying – we have rolling admissions until the program is full. However, we have limited spots for each apparatus so applying early will assure you the spot you are dreaming of and we highly recommend completing your application before March 1.

Learn About Brattleboro

Get the best out of your circus training while enjoying the fun and beauty that a summer in Vermont can offer. Enjoy swimming, hiking, biking, and kayaking—practically from NECCA’s front door. The West River is just steps away and includes water access for boats and swimmers, miles of trails along the water, and a waterfront restaurant to end your day with good food and company. Just one mile away is the vibrant downtown with cafes, restaurants, galleries, movie theaters, and performance venues for music and entertainment.

There are many summer sublets and homestay options in Brattleboro. Click here for general information. More details will be available before the program begins.

Apply Today

APPLICATIONS

Please also demonstrate as many of these core skills as possible:

Forward roll and dive roll
Cartwheel: (both sides)
Handstand: against a wall or free-standing
Back bridge: push up from laying on ground
Splits: left, to straddle (center), to right
Pull-ups: please show that your feet are not on the ground at the start/end of the skill

Apply Here

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NECCA is a nonprofit that’s committed to the people it serves and the community within which it thrives. We rely on our many generous donors to continue to be a place that’s accessible to everyone, where creativity and artistry soar, and where the seemingly impossible becomes possible—every single day. Please consider joining others in supporting our work.

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