FOUNDERS
ALOYSIA GAVRE - FOUNDing Artistic Director
Aloysia Gavre, started her circus career touring internationally with San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus at the age of 18 after spending her youth training under Master Lu-Yi {Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe}, Shana Carrol -7 Fingers and at Montreal’s Ecole Nationale de Cirque. At 23 she joined Cirque du Soleil as an aerialist performing in both Quidam in over 2,000 shows across 10 countries and O in Las Vegas. Aloysia’s aerial hoop act with Quidam was asked to represent Cirque du Soleil at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo leading her to receive special honors. Other performing highlights include appearances in the film Water for Elephants and on stage with Teatro Zinzanni, Cirque Mechanics on Broadway, and touring the globe performing with symphonies including appearances at the Sydney Opera House and the Kennedy Center.
After 20 years of performing across the globe Aloysia choose to share her skills both as an Educator by creating Cirque School and as a Circus Creative Director with Troupe Vertigo Circus-Dance-Theater , both with her partner Rex Camphuis.
Aloysia began her circus choreography and directing career in 2004 starting with a co-production with the Pickle Family Circus and Cirque Mechanics show Birdhouse Factory which included a run on Broadway. Since that time she has remained a collaborative partner as Choreographer and Co-Director with Cirque Mechanics working on Boomtown, Pedal Punk, Cirque Orchestra, 42 Feet & Zephyr.
Other highlights include circus coaching and stunt preparation for films including Water For Elephants with Reese Witherspoon, Pitch Perfect 2 with Rebel Wilson and most recently Black Adam with Quintessa Swindell. Aloysia is co-founder of Eclipse an acrobatic and dance-based performance group that blends motion graphics with silhouette imagery of bodies for corporate events. Aloysia has additionally given numerous lectures & demonstrations on the art of Circus Creation at TED-X, Directors Lab West, Center Theater Group, Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival and AYCO. She was quoted in the book The Ordinary Acrobat and is the feature cover story in the August 2016 issue of Dance Teacher Magazine.
Her own creative endeavors with Troupe Vertigo Circus-Dance-Theater has led to continued collaborations with both national and international symphonies creating a variety of shows to fit the grandeur of the concert hall. Aloysia is a founding board member of the American Circus Alliance a service and advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to circus performance and production in the United States.
Rex Camphius - FOUNDing Executive Director
Rex Camphuis has been working in Theater, Film, Television or Circus Production since 1986. Rex attended The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts and is a graduate of San Diego Jr. Theater Training Program. After a 3 season apprenticeship at San Diego’s Starlight Opera Rex went to Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz where he studied Acting and Direction for the stage and was the stage manager for the Tandy Beal Dance Company . Those opportunities gifted him the chance to run away with San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus’ where he became the stage manager from '92-'95 for both national and international tours.
In '96 he moved to Los Angeles to begin work in film and television production where he was the Production Coordinator for WB’s “Felicity” and ABC’s “Alias”. During that time Rex served as the Board President for Pasadena Jr. Theater, a youth theater school, for 4 years.
In '04 Rex Co-directed and was the Musical Director of the Pickle Circus Production Birdhouse Factory. His directing work along with partner Aloysia Gavre continued with the Pickle Circus including productions of High Water Radio with the Tin Hat Trio at the Palace of Fine Arts , Elevation 63 and E63:Vertigo at Theater Artaud. Rex spent the '07/’08 season as San Francisco's Traveling Jewish Theatre’s Associate Producer and Sound Designer in Residence whose credits include their productions of Rose and Death of a Salesman.
Rex and Aloysia co-founded TROUPE VERTIGO in 2009 a Circus-Dance -Theater company bringing the thrill of the circus and the art of the theater to their 3 creations Big Top for a New Generation with the live band Nightmare and the Cat , Nighthawks- A Film Noir Circus and most recently Tableaux.
Rex keeps his hand in film production every year producing and directing five short documentaries for the Children’s Defense Fund/Beat The Odds which are co-producers JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath. The Beat The Odds scholarship is awarded to students across the country that are working hard to overcome tremendous obstacles in their personal lives, demonstrating academic excellence and giving back to their communities.
Other film work includes working with Lorenzo Pisoni on his documentary Humor Abuse about life in The Pickle Family Circus and is the Associate Producer on the award winning Horton Foote short film ONE ARMED MAN directed by Tim Guinee.