Founded in 2024 by aerialist and fire artist Emily Garber, Central Coast Circus (CCC) is a roaming collective of local Monterey and Santa Cruz county circus performers who turn every stage, tent, and open sky into something electric. What makes CCC unforgettable isn’t just their technical skill—though that alone is enough to leave audiences stunned. It’s the way they move together, like a single living organism made of light, sound, and motion.
Their aerialists twist through the air with a kind of gravity-defying grace that feels less like performance and more like flight. Their fire artists treat flames as both partner and instrument, shaping them into arcs and spirals that pulse in time with the music. Their dancers and flow artists bend reality—quite literally—turning the limits of the human body into something surreal and hypnotic. Together, they create true magic!
Their shows are immersive experiences, not just performances, as they love to interact with the crowd. Lanterns flicker to life as dusk falls, shadows dance across canvas walls, and the air hums with anticipation. By the time CCC takes the stage, the crowd is already part of the story. Each act builds on the last, weaving danger, beauty, and raw emotion into a narrative that doesn’t need words.
Offstage, they are just as compelling—a tight-knit, fiercely loyal group who love chasing new horizons and fresh inspiration. They train relentlessly, live passionately, and laugh loudly. Their art is their language, and their bond is what makes it resonate.
To see CCC is to be reminded that wonder still exists—that humans can still astonish, still risk, still create something breathtaking out of nothing but skill, trust, and a little bit of fire.