ALPHABET

Meet the Director!

Joseph Pinzon (he/they)

Joseph Pinzon is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of the contemporary circus company Short Round Productions and its award-winning show Filament. He is currently an Artistic Director for Cirque du Soleil, most recently on their production of Bazzar. With over 25 years of international performing experience, he also holds an MS in Arts Leadership from USC, a BA in Psychology from UCLA, and is a graduate of the National Circus School in Montreal where he specialized in aerial techniques. He has worked with renowned companies such as Cirque Éloize, Compagnia Finzi Pasca, Cirque du Soleil, The 7 Fingers, and Chämaleon Productions. He served as the Casting & Resident Director for CAA’s experiential affiliate Constellation Immersive and was the Casting Director & Artistic Associate at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. He was a speaker in the historic first Circus Arts Industry Roundtable at the White House in 2024. You can see him causing chaos on season 6 of Nailed It! on Netflix, where (spoiler alert) he is a part of the series’ first three-way tie.

josephpinzon.com @joe_pinzon

Meet the Choreographer!

Leah Misano

Leah Misano has a passion for creation and has served in many creation processes in different roles including as a dance artist, dance captain, and choreographic assistant. Leah also serves as an assistant professor at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Her performance credits include Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit, Emilie Leriche, Nicole von Arx, Dolly Sefir, and several others. Her recent projects include a commissioned site-specific work for the inaugural Cotuit Dance Festival in September 2024 and RAMBLIN’ for Boston Moving Arts’ show in October 2024. Misano was the recipient of the 2025 Boston Moving Arts’ Creative Residency during which she cultivated her creative practice and research into an evening-length solo that premiered in May 2026 under the title the body I gave it.

leahmisano.com @leah.misano

Meet the Coach!

Jacob Skeffington

Jacob Skeffington is a circus artist, educator, and original cast member of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA. He is Assistant Professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he teaches tumbling and juggling and supports the development of an accredited circus arts minor. Trained at École nationale de cirque (Montreal) and Beijing International Arts School, he also studied under legendary ENC coach Alexander Arnoutov of the renowned Arnoutov circus family, associated with the Russian (Korean) cradle tradition. Jacob is co-founder and head coach of Eastern Acrobatics and Circus, with specialties in partner acrobatics, hand balancing, aerial straps, and tumbling.