Coach (and Founder) Jens
Jens spent 19 years performing in circuses in the USA and around the world. He spent 14 years as a high school educator. He created PYCA in 2015 and became a circus educator!
Read more about Jens here and his journey to founding PYCA here
Coaches Dave and Athena
Athena is a former gymnast, and Dave is an all-around juggling geek! This husband and wife team have been attending and teaching workshops at juggling conventions nationally and internationally for years. They have been coaching PYCA classes and camps for the last 4 years (they can do pretty much everything we teach!) and have been the backbone of the Aerial Mirage juggling club for over 30 years.
Coach Kendra
For over 10 years, Kendra has been developing as a multi-disciplinary performing artist. She is a second-generation fire artist with specialties in fire eating and fire props such as poi, and rope dart. She performs with staff and double staff, she is a master stilt-walker, and she incorporates everything from song and dance to martial arts into her performances. Kendra joined the PYCA coaching staff and is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her love and passion for these arts with the students of Desert Marigold School.
Coach Stevie
The amazing Stevie Smith has been performing all over the country as juggler, clown, and acrobat for almost 20 years. His specialty is his 4ft diameter rolling globe named “Lucille” on which he set a world record by walking and balancing for 25 hours straight! Stevie loves it when students challenge themselves and end up doing things they didn’t think they would be able to do (like walk on Lucille)!
Coach Katherine
Katherine Coleman joins us once again as our aerial specialist. She has been training aerial arts since 2019. Her current disciplines include trapeze, lyra (solo and duo), and silks. She frequently performs around the Phoenix area and recently competed in Aerialympics in Oregon. For six years Katherine taught in preschool and swim school settings. In 2022 she began to combine her passion for circus with her love of teaching children.
Coach Melanie
Melanie taught herself to juggle in 2006, and never stopped. Since then, she has thrown things at hundreds of people in the US and abroad, and developed her own flow style with clubs. In the summer of 2024 she performed at the European Juggling Convention in Portugal. She enjoys numbers juggling, passing club patterns, and the art of practicing to get better. Melanie uses positive reinforcement to help others believe in themselves, encouraging students to push past what they think is possible.