Flying Gravity Circus Artistic Director and Head Coach Jonathon Roitman is a professional circus performer and coach. He grew up in Wilton New Hampshire, and his performing career began at Andy's Summer Playhouse in Wilton Center, where he performed for six years. His first taste of circus was as a 7th grader in the Hilltop Circus at the Pine Hill Waldorf School. During Jonathon's high school years at High Mowing School, his interest in circus, especially juggling and partner acrobatics, continued to grow. He attended Circus Smirkus’ advanced camp for three summers, and was a founding member of the Flying Gravity Circus. While studying at McGill University in Montreal, Jonathon attended a three-year pre-professional training program at the Verdun Circus School. After obtaining his B.A. in French translation and literature from McGill, he studied for four years at the National Circus School in Montreal, majoring in juggling. After graduating, he toured internationally, performing in over 17 countries. Highlights of his performance career to date include touring with Cirque Éloize (Rain), performing at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia (Carousel and Clothesline), and working for the GOP Variety Theater in Germany (Karussell.)

      As well as performing, Jonathon loves to share his passion for circus arts. He has worked as tour coach on the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and coached for Smirkus Advanced Camp. He has also coached for the Silver Lining Circus Camp for eight summers, and is currently the Artistic Director and Head Coach of the Flying Gravity Circus, a position he has held since 2012. He has also coached for the circus program at the Independent Lake Camp in Orson PA, the recreational children's program at the National Circus School in Montreal, SHOW Circus Studio in Easthampton MA, the New England Center for Circus Arts in Brattleboro VT, and has worked as a temporary movement and circus arts teacher at the Monadnock Waldorf School in Keene NH. He has also taught circus classes at Hummingbird Farm in Wilton NH and the Mosaic Explore Homeschool Enrichment Program in Manchester NH.

       Jonathon is currently employed teaching Circus Arts at High Mowing School.

       Jonathon believes that circus is accessible to everyone, and delights in helping students reach their full potential. Included in his teaching philosophy is the strong belief that learning circus arts imparts many valuable life lessons along the way. 

Ted Lawrence is a passionate teacher who loves to teach anything he knows to anyone who wants to learn it.  He’s a proud graduate of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College who toured with the Greatest Show on Earth for two years. Before attending Clown College Ted was a member of the Silent Company at UVM (where he also got a BS in Secondary Ed to teach Math and Physical Sciences), and he also studied Physical Comedy and Circus Skills with John Towsen.  He taught juggling and slapstick for the Clown College in ’94, and has been introducing newbies to circus arts all over the Northeast for over three decades with the Van Lodostov Family Circus. He spent 2 months in Afghanistan in 2006 teaching for the Mobile MiniCircus for Children and another couple of months with Circus Zambia in 2016.  Ted has performed as an American-style clown at festivals in Russia (’90) and China (2007 & 2010), and has made audiences laugh on the streets of Europe and Singapore and all over the US.   Nothing makes him more proud than seeing former students excelling at something they learned in one of his classes, be it clowning or unicycling or teeterboard or physics….  For the last 30 years Ted’s primary enterprise has been writing, producing, and presenting school shows for Slapstick Science (www.slapstickscience.com).