Director
Ellen Stone Benson (she/her)
Ellen Stone Benson has been involved with the Gym Dandies since 2014, when her son first joined the program. Her daughter followed two years later, and both participated for ten years each. Over the years, Ellen and her husband Scott have traveled to Orlando, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and New York City to participate in national parades alongside the Gym Dandies performance group. Ellen is a Speech-Language Pathologist for Scarborough, Maine Schools, and began serving as Executive Director of the Gym Dandies Children’s Circus in 2024.
Artistic Director
Janoah Bailin (zey/zem)
Janoah Bailin learned unicycling in the empty after-hours corridors of middle school. Janoah toured New England with Circus Smirkus and has taught circus arts across the region, including at the Payomet Circus (MA) and the Children’s Circus of Middletown (CT). Janoah tours original shows—SpinS (“Best Variety,” London Fringe 2019), meSSeS (“Spirit of the Fringe,” Elgin 2022), and rOng (touring from Halifax and Orlando—“Pick of the Kids Fringe 2023”—to Vancouver and San Diego). Performing as “Janoah the Jester,” this versatile artist brings juggling, unicycling, and physical comedy to festivals, stages, and parades across the country. Janoah has been coaching with the Gym Dandies Children’s Circus since 2017.
