Founder & Artistic Director

Born in Oakland, CA, Xochitl Sosa grew up sandwiched between the bay area's urban culture and the redwoods' fertile soils. Growing up with a Mexican father and a white mother, duality has been a constant in Xochitl’s life. Exposure to circus arts at a young age gave Xochitl a purpose. Opening opportunities, circus arts taught her how to balance life and direct her duality into art. These experiences that shaped her upbringing construct the narrative of her choreography. Specializing in aerial dance, she has been a highlighted artist and coach in the circus community since 2007. Her original work has won such praise as an Isadora Duncan Award. She has worked as an artist, most notably with Cirque du Soleil, Acrobatic Conundrum, and Zaccho Dance Theater.

Xochitl recognizes circus arts as a limitless vehicle for storytelling. Its intensity and risk call for trust, communication, vulnerability, and presence. As Founder and Artistic Director of Cirque Vida, a new contemporary circus company, Xochitl innovatively merges disciplines to highlight human experiences. Recognizing the need for diverse narratives, Xochitl is committed to collaborating and creating space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists to bring their stories to the stage.

Managing Director

Celeste Bliss is an aerialist, mother, massage therapist, and arts manager originally from Austin, Texas. She received her circus training at the New England Center for Circus Arts and the Québec Circus School, specializing in duo trapeze. Celeste is intrigued by the intersection of varying artistic disciplines and mediums. Her circus practice is focused on exploring pathways and transitions on her apparatus.

During the pandemic, Celeste studied arts management at the University of Massachusetts. She has worked for multiple arts organizations in the North East as an administrator and producer (she is currently working for Machine de Cirque in Québec City).

As the managing director of Cirque Vida, Celeste is motivated and inspired to help realize the company's artistic vision, always prioritizing the quality and integrity of the art.

Cirque Vida offers unique and original shows to the Austin area. Each show brings a different cast of artists and skills. To see artists who have appeared in our shows click here.