company, the Flying Gravity Circus which, through performances and community workshops, helped schools in the United States and Canada launch their own developmental circus arts programs. Flying Gravity is now a non-profit organization with Jon Roitman at the helm. Jackie also created the Silver Lining Circus Camp which she ran for many years with Rick Davis. The Silver Lining programs are now under the direction of Jon Roitman and Ellie Davis, under Jackie's supervision and guidance.
Jackie is a founding member of the American Youth Circus Organization (AYCO) which advocates the participation of youth in circus arts through biennial national festivals. She also teaches and contributes to the American Circus Educators (ACE) biennial conferences. The focus of Jackie’s advocacy work has been to draft and operationalize a set of core competencies for youth circus practitioners to inform best practices and program evaluation. Jackie represented AYCO at the First International Congress of Children and Youth Circus Organizations in Berlin, Germany, and she was the keynote speaker at the First Annual New England Regional Youth Circus Instructor’s Round Table.
Jackie has presented circus workshops as a member of the Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) as well as its New Hampshire chapter (NHAHPERD) which, in 2007, named her the Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Jackie has taught circus arts to adult students and teachers at the Spacial Dynamics Institute in Saratoga County, NY.
Jackie received her B.A. from the University of New Hampshire, and prior to her academic career she trained as a classical mime with Marcel Marceau and performed for several years at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center.
