Donna Wood-Babcock – Inclusive Circus Instructor
Ms. Wood-Babcock began her career in the arts when she attended Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College in 1981.After working as a performer for several years she discovered the world of arts education by teaching children how to juggle and perform as clowns. Recognizing the appeal of circus arts to all youth, she began focusing her attention on teaching children at risk.This led her to the world of Social Circus, teaching life skills through circus arts.
Her experience as a Circus Arts teacher includes working as a trainer for Cirque du Monde, Cirque du Soleil’s social outreach program, creating the Circus Arts program for City Hearts, Kids Say Yes to the Arts, working as a Director of Clown College at Ocean Park, Hong Kong, and teaching thousands of students and directing dozens of youth circuses at schools and community centers throughout Los Angeles. Donna also created the Hope St. Youth Circus in downtown Los Angeles and was the director of that program for 15 years. She served as a national board member of the American Youth Circus Organization for 5 years.
During the past several years Donna has been focusing on making juggling and circus skills accessible to all. She is currently studying the work of Craig Quat and the practice of “functional juggling” to expand her understanding of different ways to bring the sensations of flow and discovery to all types of learners.
Ms. Wood-Babcock is the former Executive Director of Enrichment Works, a position she held from 2010-2022.
Wood-Babcock holds a BA in Human Development with a specialization in Arts Education from Pacific Oaks University.
