About 406Cirque

Our mission is to spark enthusiasm for circus arts through performance, training, and community outreach.

A Center for Movement, Performance, and Creative Research

A person in a green jacket stands in a colorful gym with a vibrant mural, holding an aerial silk. The room has large windows, hanging lights, and natural light coming in.

Where Curiosity Leads

406Cirque is a contemporary circus and movement organization based in Bozeman, Montana.

We create space for sustained practice, original live performance, and thoughtfully curated experimentation—bringing together circus, dance, theater, music, and embodied research across ages and experience levels.

More than a school or a venue, 406Cirque is a home for movement, live performance, and creative risk. A place where curiosity leads, collaboration is essential, and the work is taken seriously without taking itself too seriously.

See Our Impact

Explore Our Space

Circus as Contemporary Art

At 406Cirque, circus is not tricks detached from meaning, not spectacle for spectacle’s sake. Here, circus is physical thinking.

It is storytelling. It is presence, timing, trust, and ensemble. It lives in bodies, relationships, and shared attention.

This work is for adults as much as for youth. Technique matters—but it is never the endpoint. Culture matters more. We care about how people train, how space is shared, and how creative work takes root in a community.

Why Circus Arts Matter

Six dancers pose intensely on stage, facing forward with dramatic expressions under warm lighting. The group appears dynamic and energetic, with one dancer in front crouched low and the others standing closely behind.

Move With Us

Explore ongoing classes, open practice, and programs for youth and adults across circus and movement disciplines.

Circus for Youth

Circus for Adults

The People Who Move Here

406Cirque attracts people across ages, backgrounds, and experience levels—but what they share is a way of showing up.

They are curious.
They are open.
They value presence over performance.

Some arrive to train with intention. Others come to re-enter their bodies, rediscover rhythm, or be in a room where attention matters.

Many are drawn by the absence of pressure—by the chance to move, explore, and take creative risks without needing a résumé or a role.

Three young girls perform aerial silk acrobatics on stage, each hanging and posing on colored fabric. The background is a white curtain with blue stage lighting from above. Two children watch from below.

There is no required identity, no fixed path, and no expectation of virtuosity. Belonging here comes from participation—being in the practice, together.

An aerial performer hangs upside down on silks from a tall structure at night, entertaining a large crowd seated outdoors in an urban area under streetlights.

From Training to Performance

Performance is central to our work—not as spectacle alone, but as a container for growth.

406Cirque produces original circus shows, experimental works, student showcases, and community collaborations throughout the year. These range from fully staged productions to works-in-progress and site-specific pieces.

Naomi Shafer and Paúl Gomez met while performing in refugee camps and conflict zones. Those experiences continue to shape the work here, grounding it in the belief that performance is a civic practice—an act of gathering, witnessing, and sustained attention.

Our Story

Join us in the audience

Discover live performances that bring circus, movement, and community together.

Upcoming Performances

How We Work

We resist shortcuts and empty spectacle. Progress here is not rushed. People are encouraged to listen, adapt, and build skills that last.

This creates an environment where beginners feel welcome, advanced practitioners stay challenged, and everyone is treated with respect.

Our teaching philosophy balances discipline with imagination. We value:

Clear technique and strong foundations
Safety rooted in trust and communication
Attention to bodies, boundaries, and context

Five people pose outdoors in the rain; one stands elevated in a dress made of green leaves and colorful flowers. The others wear tie-dye or rain gear and smile, with flowers and greenery around them. Cars are visible in the background.

How We Show Up

At 406Cirque, we keep things simple:

Safety first. We look out for our own bodies and for each other.
Encourage yourself—and encourage others. Progress looks different for everyone.
Have fun. Play, curiosity, and joy are part of the work.

These shared values help create a space where people feel supported, challenged, and welcome.

Meet the Team

Grounded in Community

406Cirque is part of a larger creative and civic ecosystem. We work alongside schools, organizations, and public institutions to bring circus beyond our studio walls—through school residencies, workshops, community events, and collaborative performances that meet people where they already are.

You are just as likely to see 406Cirque supporting another organization’s fundraiser or event as hosting our own. Working in community means showing up consistently, sharing space and resources, and contributing to a cultural landscape that is collective rather than competitive—strengthening not only our work, but the community as a whole.

Partner With 406Cirque

Collaborate with us on performances, residencies, events, or creative projects that serve the wider community.

Become a Partner