More about the Performers:

Collective of Geniuses: Acrobats

CoG performs their enthusiastic partner acro-drag act at events all over Portland! CoG's exuberance and athleticism have stunned audiences at such events as the E-room Pride event, Siren Nation at Plan B, the Gender (free) for all March, and coming soon at SuperQueer with Jennifer Lanier. The CoG Acrobats train with Sports Acrobatics guru Stefan Furst, and is currently choreographed by Smitty Amabilis and Jack StockLynn but moving into more ensemble based choreography.  
 

Jack StockLynn: Clown/ Acrobat/ Aerialist/ Actor

Jack is a Portland based Clown, Acrobat, Aerialist, and Actor. Jack performs as the forlorn clown spaceman jack and with the Collective of Geniuses Acrobats. With CoG, Jack also co-wrote and co-produced Denial of Self at the IFCC. Jack was a mafioso in Imago's Apis, and will be performing with them again for the Cuban Missile Tango. Ze also played a stilt-walking bad guy in Suicide Note from a Cockroach. Jack trains and teaches at DoJump! Extremely Physical Theatre and holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts.

 
 Smitty Amabilis: Acrobat/ Puppeteer 
Smitty first performed in High School Drama Club but focused on visual arts in college and beyond until the love of all things puppet, circus and acrobatic overpowered Smitty's life. Smitty was awarded a RACC Professional Grant to travel to Atlanta Georgia and attend the National Puppetry Convention. Smitty loves to throw people around in the air and be silly. Smitty is also currently working a a costume puppet animated short filmed in the Pacific Northwest Old Growth and an ongoing documentary about Queer Arts in Portland.

Tera Nova Zarra: Acrobat/ Aerialist/ Soprano 
Tera Nova Zarra is an Imago Theatre Associate Company Member, and has performed with Do Jump, Circus Artemis, Teatro Milagro, Clowns Without Borders, Wanderlust Circus, and Troma. Tera is a trained opera singer, the front woman for ninja band Fist of Dishonor, and a teacher at The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. Tera Nova Zarra co-created and performed as Missy Jitsu in Fist of Dishonor. She appeared in La Carpa del Maestro at The Miracle Theatre, Do Jump's 30th Anniversary, Clowns Without Borders benefits (2007-2008,) Anneyong as The Revenger, and a live presentation of Troma's Make Your Own Damn Movie as a wrestling Toxie. Tera studies singing at Eugene Lewis Studio, tracks vocals for Dig Recording, and teaches at Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls.

Kyoko Uchida: Acrobat/ Aerialist/ Hand Balancer 
Kyoko is naturally born to be pretty short from Japan. She studied dance with Darryl Thomas and Valerie Baughman directors of Rainbow Dance Theatre. She studied circus skills specializing in aerial fabric, partner acrobatics with Jacob Skeffington from Cirque du Soleil. Currently she is trying to be an extremely funny hand balancer. She also trained with hard core Russian coach Yuri Bozyan as well as performed with el Viento y la Tierra and el Dia de Sol in Barcelona Spain, Sala Roja in Montreal Canada and Wonderbolt Circus in Newfoundland Canada.  Her performances have been numerous in the Northwest including: Wanderlust Circus, the Clowns without Borders Benefit and in A Suicide Note from a Cockroach.

Carlos Alexis Cruz: Clown/ Acrobat/ Aerial Straps

Carlos is a professional actor performing in Puerto Rico, Northern California and Portland, and touring shows from New York City to Los Angeles and beyond. Locally he has performed with Do Jump! Theatre, Imago, and Teatro Milagro. As a theatre director, he did the Miracle’s last touring production, El Ultimo and most recently he did a one-act version of his own show A Suicide Note from a Cockroach… at Imago. In 2004 his work was highlighted by the Theatre Critics of Puerto Rico for his performance in ĺconos de Vellonera, pointing him out as the only contender for the Best Young Actor recognition. Carlos Alexis has an MFA degree in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from the Dell’Arte International School in California. He has a BA degree in film studies from the School of Communication at the University of Puerto Rico. He has trained Circus Arts at the San Francisco Circus Center.

Johnny O: Drag 
Johnny O was a member of the San Diego Kings Club Review from 2000 to 2004. He's a Portland Ember's Hall of Famer, and he is San Diego's Mr. Closet Ball 2001. He has performed with troupes including DKPDX, the Denver Alter Boys, & the Vancouver Lips Cabaret. From Palm Springs Pride, San Diego Pride and up the coast to the Pacific Northwest, Johnny O has his Pride on. Additionally, Johnny has been a drummer for 18 years and is in a current project with the working name- Jim Strange with the Proud and the Damned. This offers some depth for Johnny O, giving him the opportunity to drum in drag for Pride Northwest and for Portland's Egyptian Room.

Charity McKee: Singer/Aerial silks  
Charity competed in state operatic solo competitions and performed in Oregon Oktoberfests. Her first large stage productions were Saturday’s Warrior and a production of Handel’s Messiah. She is now a west coast regional musician including the Portland Opera’s Carmina Burana and Pagliacci, Oregon Cable Access with Obby Addy in Kukrudu and Okrapong, The Crystal Ball Room, the African Arts Foundations Homowo Festival and Mississippi Studios. Her first album Table Mirrors featuring the rock opera Persephone was released May 2005 and The Red Cabinet Confessionals released June 3rd, 2006. She can be heard on local radio FM broadcasts such as 90.7 FM KBOO in Portland, Oregon and has appeared on KMUN 91.9 FM in Astoria, Oregon. In July and August 2007 she was featured in full spreads in editions of JCT Magazine and featured on their radio station 92.G in Connecticut.  She currently attends Marylhurst University. Previously singing with St. Ignatious in their quartet in Portland, Oregon, she has sung irregularly with Hurricane Hole and shared the stage with artists such as Mel Watson of Fruit and also is continuing her classic studies in the acrobatic and cirque arts with her focus in trapeze and the aerial tissue. Her first combined recital was this past March singing opera and jazz while dancing on the aerial chiffon. This summer after having a successful debut on the aerial silks she taught and performed opera, musical theatre and cirque in New York at the French Woods Festival.