Jeff Raz is the director of the Clown Conservatory at Circus Center, San Francisco, and the father of two boys. In 2007, he will play the lead role in Cirque du Soleil's Corteo.

Allen and Tavis Beem are both graduates of the Clown Conservatory Advanced Program. Both have worked with the Pickle Circus (at different times) and Ben is also a veteran of Make*A*Circus. Their duet material was featured in the 2006 Circus Center Showcase at Theater Artaud and with Circus Chimera in their last Bay Area appearance. Allen and Beem will starring in Circus Chimera in 2007.

Alameda's own middle school drummers will get our 2pm show off to a rocking start.

Luz, Verka, Molly and Z met in 2004 at the Clown Conservatory and began performing at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco in the fall of 2005. In February of 2006, Circus Finelli was invited to perform at the Brno Theatre Festival, Setkani (Encounter) 2006 and throughout the Czech Republic, including sold out shows in Prague. Circus Finelli has since been featured in many shows and events in the Bay Area, toured the East Coast and will perform at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts in Berkeley December 20 - 24, 2006. The name Circus Finelli, is a tribute to Judy Finelli, the renowned juggler, New Circus pioneer and co-founder of Circus Center.

Sophie and Sarah are 10-year old identical twins. They have been members of the Trapeze Arts Children's Performance Company for about a year now. They will be performing a double trapeze act called SHADOW PLAY.

Jeni Johnson has been creating and performing physical theater for over ten years. She graduated from the San Francisco Clown Conservatory in 2003 and has been teaching and performing all over the Bay Area ever since.

The juggling club at Lincoln Middle School joins Circus for the Arts for the first time this year.

Caroline Orrick is a graduate of Circus Center San Francisco's Clown Conservatory headed by Paden's very own special Clown and Dad, Jeff Raz. Her performance credits include Circus Center's Student Showcase 2005, the Circus Center Tribute to Judy Finelli and the Pickle Circus production of High Water Radio.

The Prescott Circus Theatre is an after school performing arts education program for fourth and fifth graders at Prescott Elementary School, a public school in West Oakland. Led by Director Aileen Moffitt and Resident Artist Derique McGee, the Prescott Circus has been thrilling audiences for over 20 years. For more information, please call (510) 482-1674 or visit www.prescottcircus.org.

Janet began her Taiko career as an artistic staff member of San Jose Taiko, composing for SJT and touring with them all the way to Carnegie Hall. She was also a founder of Rhythmix world percussion ensemble. Believing that Art gives us the opportunity to dream and create better lives for ourselves and our communities, Janet is working to open Rhythmix Cultural Works (RCW), a community art center, in Alameda next year. Maze is a new taiko ensemble to be based at RCW.

The San Francisco Circus, one of several projects at Circus Center San Francisco, was created in 1997 by Master Trainer Lu Yi to provide pre-professional training and performing opportunities to gifted young circus students at the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. The company tours the greater Bay Area during the summer months and performs at special events throughout the year. Four alumni of The San Francisco Circus will perform in Traces, this year's holiday Pickle Circus show at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Jeff Sensabaugh is a full-time science teacher in Oakland and a sometime acrobat with Circus Center San Francisco. He is, as he puts it, the less colorful half of the Chinese lion.

Texas and Mike have been performing as stilt walkers and walk around entertainers for the past two years for various companies and events including Yahoo, Macy's and Santa Rosa Symphony. Both are students in the Clown Conservatory. They are currently working on an act together so neither can accuse the other of ever being jobless again.

Xiao Hong Weng was a member of the famed Nanjing Acrobatics Troupe in Nanjing, China, specializing in chair-balancing, Chinese poles, and hoop diving, among other acrobatic forms. He has performed extensively in China and internationally. For the last 8 years, Xiao Hong has been a principle teacher at the Circus Center San Francisco. He is a regular member of the New Pickle Circus.

Zaccho Youth Company (ZYC) presents work that is content driven and integrates aerial flight and suspension as a way of expanding the dancers' spatial and dynamic range. Under the direction of choreographer Joanna Haigood, the company members collaborate in the creative process by contributing important conceptual and choreographic material. Since its inception in 2002, ZYC has performed at various venues and festivals throughout the Bay Area including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Project Artaud Theater, Dance Palace in Point Reyes, the Discovery Museum, ODC Theater, Dance Mission, The Luggage Store Gallery's In the Streets Festival, the Black Choreographers Festival, SOMArts, and Teatro ZinZanni. Currently the company consists of 10 members ranging in age from 9 to 15. Zaccho Youth Company is part of a larger arts education program conducted by Zaccho Dance Theatre in Bayview Hunters Point. www.zaccho.org. 415-822-6744. (Artistic Director: Joanna Haigood. Company Manager: Lizzy Spicuzza.)