SAINT PAUL, Minn. — What are circuses most known for? A big tent with a huge stage inside, the acrobatics, or tight rope act up high up in the sky?
At St. Paul's Circus Juventas, it's the sense of community and trust between the young performers.
"It has truly been the experience of a lifetime," said 18-year-old Finn Zwank.
Zwank attended public school growing up, and after school each day he went to Circus Juventas for training, practice and rehearsal.
“I started [performing] in kindergarten," Zwank said.
That's around the same time 17-year-old Elsie Newburg joined Circus Juventas.
"I have been training and performing at Circus for 11, almost 12 years," said Newburg, meaning she and Zwank have spent a majority of their lives in circus school together. All those years were also spent building trust and a strong bond with one another, and the other performers.
"It has provided me with another community outside my own school," Zwank said.
That sense of community is something co-founder Dan Butler says makes his circus school unique.
“The young people here support each other like I don’t see anywhere else,” Butler explained. He added that he has been inspired to create a new generation of artists.
But the balancing act between trust and risk takes years to develop.
"I think one of my favorite moments is always being up on web or straps and seeing my friends perform side by side and making eye contact with them. That is really special to me," Zwank said.
For Newburg, there's no place she'd rather be than with her friends onstage.
“When you hear people clapping and you make eye contact with a little kid in the front row, and they’re just beaming up at you, it’s the most amazing feeling," she said.
Circus Juventas's 2022 summer show "Confetti" premieres Friday, July 29, and runs through August 14. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
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