John Connell
Founder, U.S. Board President and Executive Director
John Connell went to Bolivia in the summer of 2003, when he was 16, to visit a classmate for several months after graduating from Scattergood Friends School. He stayed until spring of 2005, during which time he made his living by juggling on the streets of Cochabamba. When he was 18, he came back to the US to incorporate Performing Life as a nonprofit organization and raise funds for the project he envisioned. He returned to Cochabamba in February 2006 and began to organize the Performing Life project, starting the first official classes in March 2006. Since founding the organization in 2006 John has served as Executive Director of Performing Life. He is also the one of the founding members and current President of the US Board of Directors of Performing Life.
Adalid Coca
Circus Program Instructor
Adalid, the young Circus Arts instructor in our Quillacollo office, joined the first Performing Life classes with founder John Connell in 2006. Since then Adalid has grown into a performing arts professional, and his work in the role of instructor has also been truly commendable. Knowing first hand the realities street children face allows him to effectively manage youth participants and help them grow in the program with great success.
Tania Coca Ardaya, Circus Instructor
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