Meet A Few Camp Coaches!
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli
This summer at Smirkus Camp, we have an amazing coaching staff filled with experienced circus artists from around the world. Our Head Coach, Tyler Jacobson, regularly tours around the country with Cirque Dreams Holidaze and can also be seen alongside our Activities Coordinator, Mariah Fraker, performing with Cirque Us. Tyler is a true multidisciplinary master, performing contortion, hand balancing, aerial hoop, hula hoops, aerial silks, and diabolo, while also teaching the campers all of those same skills! As Head Coach, Tyler oversees the progress of the camp session and helps to plan out the end-of-session shows. Tyler is also the Program Coordinator for the Skills Intensive session, directly helping them to hone their skills for their upcoming show this Friday! This is Tyler’s third year working with Smirkus, and we are so happy to have him back this year!
Taking a peek into our clown tent, you’ll find the fantastic Collin Miclon who is the Head Clown Coach this summer. They heard about Circus Smirkus from their older brother who went to camp in 2007, and then was a trouper in the Big Top Tour, performing clowning, partner acrobatics and stilt walking in Wilderness Wonders (2010) and Front Page Follies (2011)! During the year, they live in New York City as a performer and coach. They are now preparing our camper’s clown acts for the showcase this coming Friday, filled with a variety of clowning styles including slapstick – a camper favorite.
Up in the aerials tent you’ll find Lucy Pickering, a first year Smirkus Camp coach from Oregon, who is having a blast working under the big tops this summer. Lucy started her adventures with Circus Smirkus in 2021 at Advanced Camp and then was a trouper with the Big Top Tour for two years, performing lyra, contortion, handstands, and partner acrobatics in On the Road Again (2022) and A Midsummer Night’s Circus (2023). She’s been enjoying sharing knowledge of her specialties (lyra and contortion) as well as helping out in the other tents with preparation for the end of session show! Lucy will be starting her first year at circus college at Ecole Nationale de Cirque in Montreal, Canada this August!
We have many other excellent coaches this summer and we hope to feature more of them next week!