THE CONDUCTOR OF A LEADING American symphony turns toward the audience. They are mostly school-age, with many attending their first classical concert. He takes the time to introduce the youngsters to the orchestra.

"We have woodwinds," he says, cueing the oboes and bassoons to a short solo. "We have percussion," and the bass drum thumps out a flurry of notes. Introductions continue, with strings, brass, and others offering the audience a short musical handshake. The conductor then concludes with the unlikely words, "And, of course, no orchestra would be complete without the clown section!"

Kids squeal as the members of the No Elephant Circus dash on stage to begin their "Circus and Symphonies" show. For the next hour, they join musicians in presentations of popular classical pieces such as Stravinsky's "Petruchka," Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Espagnol," and Rossini's "William Tell Overture."

While the musicians play, the circus stars juggle, unicycle, eat fire, walk on ropes, and do comedy and gymnastics.

THE CREATIVITY OF DIRECTOR BOB Daraio which spawned this music and manipulation show has earned the No Elephant Circus a reputation as one of the leading non-profit arts organizations in the nation.

Not only is their skill enlightened and entertaining, the entire artistic concept of the New York City-based No Elephant Circus is unique as well. Consider some of Daraio's statements:

"We're a union shop; the only circus in America that's equity." That allows members to participate in a year-round health plan and gain unemployment and pension benefits. "Why shouldn't performers be able to have the same kind of protection in their lives as anyone else who has a job?" Daraio asks rhetorically.  "We do more charity work that any other theatre company in New York." Last year, 50,000 children saw the show for free, and many more got in for reduced prices. But it's no financial burden on the performers, because they set aside 20 percent of the receipts from their fully paid shows to pay themselves for the charity shows! "Performers aren't in a financial position to give anything away," Daraio stated. "But being tax-exempt means that the public at large supports us by paying the taxes that we don't. So, we want to make damn sure that what we do is available to them. The charity program does that for us. "

"We're really an artists' cooperative. We make changes to accommodate people and their artistic growth." Recently the personnel felt themselves to be skills heavy, but weak at theatrical performance. To alleviate the discrepancy, they hired a director and performed a play, gaining theatrical experience.

"We want everyone to learn every part of our shows so that people can take time off without stopping the show. It's pooled skill and cross-training so we can sub in

and out."

FOR THESE REASONS, AND THE quality of their performance, the six member group has attracted a lot of business since its 1977 beginning. Last year they presented 150 performances of their three different shows in 15 states. The State of New Jersey has contracted them for four months of twice a day, five days a week performances in public schools throughout the state. The State of New York Arts Council has given them a $5,000 grant to hire a funding intern to raise more money. Daraio says the circus budget has doubled every year for the past three years to a current figure of $100,000.

Daraio founded the No Elephant Circus in 1977 when he graduated as a theatre major from the State University of New York at Purchase. Besides himself, the original cast included present and past IJA members Woody Davis, Jessica Hentoff, Marjorie Wood, George Northam, Joshua Silver, and Lenny Wright. Once Daraio recognized the effort as a long-term investment of his time, he attended New York University and studied arts management. Besides directing the circus, he holds down a full time job as a videotape editor with ABC television.

THE ROSTER OF NO ELEPHANT Circus performers has varied over the years. The only founders left are Daraio and Wright, a veteran soap opera actor, clown and fire eater. The current group also includes Barbara Nadel, an original cast member of the Broadway show "Barnum." William Shaw, a talented unicyclist, juggler, and piano player; John Grimaldi, an actor, writer, and computer engineer at Columbia University; and Greg Millstein, a recent graduate of the Ringling Brothers Clown College.

Tony Duncan, the reigning record holder of the IJA's seven-ball event, is on leave after three years with the cast to work on solo material, but sits in on performances occasionally. Duncan performs his new material, usually on weekends, at the Mostly Magic club in New York City's Greenwich Village.