Ellen Waylonis

Ellen Waylonis is a Boston-based multi-disciplinary circus artist, choreographer, producer, and theatrical intimacy director who is inspired by the immense power of storytelling through movement. Ellen is a founding member and frequent performer with Boston Circus Guild and a co-founder of the contemporary circus collective Circus 617. She has toured nationally with the BCG, Circus 617, Cirque Productions, and Nimble Arts. In her hometown, she has performed for organizations including the Trustees of Reservations, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. In her off-stage roles, Ellen has collaborated with organizations throughout New England including North Shore Music Theater, Moonbox Productions, and Harvard University. She was a 2021 Live Arts Boston grantee with Circus 617.

Ellen is a graduate of the professional program at the New England Center of Circus Arts, where she focused on aerial rope and hand-to-hand. While finishing the program at NECCA, Ellen helped to launch Esh Circus Arts in Somerville, MA in 2010. In 2017 she was a member of the founding team for Commonwealth Circus Center in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. As a circus educator, Ellen is dedicated to fostering inclusive and consent-forward spaces that celebrate the joyful exploration of movement.