About Us
Cynthia Bae - Owner and Coach
Cynthia founded San Juan Circus in the spring of 2021. She felt that true strength training and correct flexibility technique for aerialists was desperately needed in Durango’s circus community. Using her experience as a dancer and competitive gymnast for 16 years, Cynthia has different insight on what it takes to achieve the level of strength and flexibility needed for advanced skills. She is a certified USA Gymnastics coach with over 15 years of coaching experience, and a certified NSCA personal trainer. Cynthia has worked with, performed, and taught workshops for several circus companies, yoga studios, and traveling circus shows in Colorado and around the country, and you can see her perform acrobatics, aerial silks, lyra, and hand-balancing canes. She also coaches the competitive gymnastics team at Durango Gymnastics Academy. Instagram @cynthialyn_
Emma Boone - Coach
Emma grew up in Philadelphia as a gymnast and a dancer. She began her aerial training at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts in 2008 and since then has trained in a variety of studios including the Boulder Circus Center and Secret Circus Philly. Emma’s main circus disciplines include trapeze, aerial silks, lyra, hand-balancing, and partner acrobatics. She has been teaching aerial since 2018, and she also holds a 200 hour yoga teacher training certification. Emma is passionate about building inclusive and creative communities through circus education and performance art and brings over a decade of aerial and acrobatics training to San Juan Circus. Instagram @circusgeek
Desiree Trujillo - Pole Teacher
A long time resident of Southwest Colorado, Des began her movement journey in 2015 completing a 200 hr RYT certification. She discovered aerial in 2017 and found her love for pole dancing shortly after moving to Denver in 2019. Des trained with world class pole dancers and attended a 9 month pole teacher apprenticeship, and taught at Denver’s Tease Studio. Student safety, correct form to avoid injury, appropriate level progression, anatomy, & safe spotting were highlighted in her training. Des moved back to the Southwest in 2022 where she formed the Dolores River Collective to offer movement-based classes to Montezuma County. Des now teaches high quality pole classes at San Juan Circus through her company High Desert Pole. Instagram @high.desert.pole
Why choose San Juan Circus?
What makes us different? Every aerial class includes strength training and flexibility work specific to aerial and acrobatics. Static stretching on the floor will not be a big part of class; your aerial classes will be spent in the air or working on active mobility on the ground. Students will be given strength and flexibility drills specific to their goals. Safety is the number one priority at San Juan Circus, and students will be taught correct, safe progressions toward more advanced skills. Our mission is to provide safe aerial and acrobatics education for all ages, in order to provide lifelong confidence and strength.