San Francisco Circus Center’s first-ever Head of School, Juliana Neves is a dancer, aerial acrobat, choreographer and teacher. She has a masters in Cultural Anthropology. Until 2020, she was a teacher/coach and part of the artistic direction and creative team of Circus Juventas in Saint Paul – MN – USA. In 2016, she was the invited director guest artist of the “Panama Area” – Aerial Dance Festival.
In 2014, She was the Artistic Coordinator/Casting Director and Acrobatic Choreographer for the opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA World Cup Brazil. Between 2003 – 2015, she was part of Belgium dance collective ‘les ballets C de la B,’ under direction of the renowned director Alain Platel. In 2013, Juliana directs her contemporary circus/dance creation ‘Jump or Fall’ under the company she co-found with Felipe Mafasoli in Belgium: Are you in Town Productions.
In 2006 she represents Cirque du Soleil to launch their first Brazilian tour and in 2003, Juliana represents Cirque du Soleil at the International Circus Festival in Recife in Brazil.
Juliana was the first artist from São Paulo to join Cirque du Soleil in 1998. She was in the original cast of the show “Dralion” where she was a soloist and one of the main characters. Juliana has taught her workshops and Master Classes in several countries such as Brazil, China, Italy, Holland, Belgium Germany,, Slovenia, Austria, France, USA, Panama and Costa Rica. During the pandemic Juliana lived in Brazil and founded a Circus School in the city of Tibau do Sul – RN