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THE ORIGIN OF A DIFFERENT SPIN! A Different Spin is an offshoot of the Vassar College Barefoot Monkeys, the circus arts club at Vassar College in New York. The Barefoot Monkeys was a group originally dedicated to juggling, but in the fall of 2002 the Barefoot Monkeys expanded into fire arts as well as more varied circus arts (Unicycling, Acrobatics, Partner Balancing, Diabolo, and Magic) * * *
Thus was A Different Spin born!
A Different Plan After choosing our course after college, we set out turning our dream into a reality. All of our efforts were spent practicing shows, training in the gym, and formulating our plans. We came out to the Bay Area during spring break to decide for ourselves that here is where we wanted to be. After graduation, we said a tearful good-bye to the folks, packed up our Honda Accord with our modest possessions, and hit the road, living the great American dream of moving away from friends and family to join the circus. After a week on the road and an eternity in West Texas, we arrived in the East Bay (well, everyone except Elias who stayed in Canada for the first month). In 2008, Michael "Mooch" Mucciolo moved back to the Hudson Valley in New York and began teaching new performers Jeremy Warren, Tim Ellis and Ricky Hawkins the routines the Bay Area-contingent had created as a foundation for East Coast endeavors! So here we are, ready to perform for YOUR party, event, get-together, carnival, festival, or anything else (we even do shindigs). * * *
Previous Members of A Different Spin Jordan Campbell
Jordan has also dedicated a large amount of time to work in theater. Since high school when he began, Jordan has worked on nearly every technical aspect of a theatrical performance. He has been lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, artistic designer, set designer, props master, master electrician, master carpenter, technical director, production manager, fly crew, stage crew, light and sound board operator, spot light operator, light hang crew, and build crew. Jordan spent 3 years as Assistant Technical Director followed by one year as Technical Director of the Vassar College Susan Stein Shiva Theater, a fully student run theater.
Alex Corby
Alex has also devoted much of his life to performing. Along with acting in many different stage productions (Dario Fo, Cabaret, Chehkov, etc) Alex has street performed across New England as well as Europe and Australia. Alex has also been in several student films. While performing with a Different Spin, Alex takes the lead with acrobatics as well as diabolo. His offbeat sense of humor tends to have the group laughing until they cry, or just have them crying at any rate.
Bri Crabtree Bri has been juggling since the year 2000 and has now
visited over 50 juggling and circus festivals all over the world.
She is a native Californian and travels as often as she can
to share her circus and juggling skills with others. Bri has
performed in Ireland, Scotland, and at various cities all over
California. She is inspired by jugglers such as Peapot and
the Gandini Project.
Elias Repka Elias loves circus and performing; at this point, it's all he wants to do with his life! He has been one of the most involved members of the Vassar College Barefoot Monkeys Circus Troupe for four and a half years. As the Grand Monkey (head of the club) in his second last year, he helped the club grow from being seven friends who juggled into a forty person circus and fire troupe hired for many events such as a Boy Scout celebration and two Haverford College festivals.
Until going to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie NY, Elias was homeschooled in Ontario. He spent much of his time designing and building projects, working in a local theatre, coaching gymnastics, and competing at the provincial level in trampoline. To earn money for college, Elias became a street performer, working at festivals in Orangeville, Parry Sound, and Toronto. Elias does everything he can think of that is safe to do with fire, from braiding his own fire whip to spinning a huge ball of fire on an eight foot chain. But his specialty is spinning two short fire staffs in many amazing patterns. Elias takes whatever he learns and uses it to help him increase the circus in his life. For example, he saw a Cirque du Soleil performance with a German wheel and then used his Physics degree knowledge to build his own wheel, which really draws attention in his shows. For Elias, circus -- and sharing it with others -- is happiness!
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Flash forward three years to Fall 2005. Four college students sit on colorful
couches in the student union sipping on milkshakes. They are college
seniors Jordan Campbell, Alex Corby, former Grand Monkey Elias Repka,
current Grand Monkey Michael "Mooch" Mucciolo. One tri-hawked head
places down the milkshake and asks the fateful question "What are we
going to do after college?!" 
Jordan
Campbell is a Vassar College Graduate with a degree in Mathematics. His
interest in the circus arts began at the age of 8 when he learned to
juggle. Through his highschool years and beyond he has grown as a
juggler and expanded his repertoire to include acrobatics, partner
balancing, contact juggling, fire twirling (poi, staff, juggling,
etc.), magic (specializing in card magic), diabolo and more. Jordan's
specialty and favorite act to perform is fire poi in which he moves and
dances gracefully while large balls of flame orbit around him at high
speeds. Jordan loves performing for children and adults alike. 
Alex
originally comes from Long Island, NY and majored in Drama and Physics
at Vassar College. Alex started out as a high school gymnast and joined
the circus troupe at Vassar college as an acrobat, eventually learning
the art of fire performance, juggling, and almost every other circus
skill on the planet. 
