In recent years, age-old circus arts have experienced a global renaissance, in practice and in popularity. Today’s circus is profoundly inspired by the past, but bursts forth with an artistry and vibrancy drawn purely from our modern world.

Circus arts are rooted in many diverse cultures: ancient Chinese acrobats, the Roman Circus Maximus, the Medieval Commedia Dell Arte, the American Ringling Brothers Circus, and many more. Many of the props used by today’s artists – from aerial hoops to juggling balls -- are simply modern takes on the common household goods and tools used inventively by Chinese peasants to entertain and show off at annual harvest festivals 2,500 years ago.

Circus arts evolved from the daring experimentation of those ancient farmers, peasants and craftsmen.
In fact, Confucius’s father was an acrobat!

The group eschewed the three rings and animal acts typical of circuses of that time, and replaced them instead with stunning theatricality and athletic artistry with a global flair. It is against that backdrop that Circus Juventas was founded in 1994.

Circus Juventas, then known as Circus of the Star, began as an after-school program in a neighborhood recreation center. The initial offerings were limited and
could accommodate only 30 students, training on hand-made equipment with founders and former circus performers Dan and Betty Butler. From the start, classes were filled to capacity, and after enthralling audiences at their first performance during St. Paul’s Highland Fest in 1995, interest in the program only increased. Before long, the waiting list was over 300 names long.

Seeing this widespread appeal, and realizing the local needs a youth circus arts program could fill, Circus Juventas began a capital campaign in 1996 to build a permanent home. By that time, Circus Juventas was serving 120 students, and more than 400 were on the waiting list. A board of directors was established, a long-term lease was secured from the City of St. Paul, and initial designs for the 21,000-square-foot Big Top were commissioned and completed. Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of contributors of all sizes, from middle class families to charitable foundations, the campaign goal of $2.1 million was reached, and the Big Top was built in 2001.

We opened our doors that summer with a greatly-expanded curricula accommodating toddlers, youth and adults.

Since that time, our enrollment has doubled, then doubled again.

And the showcase performances for our beginning and intermediate students each May have proven to be as popular as our August shows. We also have captivated hundreds of thousands of audience members in other venues throughout the Twin Cities in performances in partnership with other arts and civic organizations, including the prestigious Ordway Theater.

The response to our programming and performances has been gratifying and invigorating, and allows all our students to bask in the spotlight. We continue to make a unique contribution to the Twin Cities arts scene, collaborating with more established arts organizations and reaching out to our community.

Investing in the Community

Circus Juventas has worked with many diverse organizations over the past seven years to strengthen the development of its students and audience, and to broaden its impact within the community:

• St. Paul Winter Carnival, a 110-year tradition celebrating winter (Jan 96 & 97)
• Highland Fest, a celebration of arts in the Highland Park neighborhood (Aug 95-99)
• St. Thomas Academy "Circus Jamboree" fundraiser (April 1995)
• Capital New Year, St. Paul's New Year's Eve celebration at the Science Museum, RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium (Dec 96-02)
• Women of Nations, benefit for battered women's shelter (Apr 97)
• American Girl Magazine, girl's activities across the country (Jul 97)
• St. Paul Companies, benefit performance for United Way (Aug 97)
• Mall of America Fifth Anniversary Celebration (Aug 97)
• Planet Ordway, performances at World Party for Cirque Ingenieux (Sep 97) and Cirque Eloize (Oct 98)
• Performances with 80th Annual Minneapolis Shrine Circus at the Target Center (May 98)
• Minnesota Adoption/Foster Care Celebration (Nov 98)
• Ordway Performance with Theatre de la Juene Lune in "Pulcinella" (Oct 99)
• Star Wars Traveling Smithsonian Exhibit Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mar 00)
• Children's Museum "Juggle Fest" Celebration with the Big Apple Circus (Apr 00)
• Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Annual Fundraiser - River Centre (May 00)
• Ecolab Unveiling of Plaza statue (Jun 00)
• Mayor R.T. Rybak's inauguration (Jan 02)
• Cambodian New Year celebration (Apr 02)
• RiverCentre annual benefit
• St. Thomas Acedemy, Breck Academy and Blake School fundraising benefits
• 80th Annual Minneapolis Shrine Circus
• Flint Hills Children's Festival at the Ordway (2004)
• St. Paul Winter Carnival, a 110-year tradition celebrating winter (January 2005)
• Minnesota Orchestra (March 2005)
• 1st annual American Youth Circus Festival, participants -Sarasota Florida (2001)
• Minnesota Orchestra 100th Anniversary Gala RiverCentre, St. Paul MN (2003)
• Minnesota Orchestra Youth Concert Series Mpls, MN (2005 and 2007)
• Flint Hills (2005, 2006 and 2007)
• American Cancer Society – Circus Juventas (2006, 2007, 2008)
• Smile International Network – Moroccan themed-Gala – Circus Juventas (2005)
• Festivale Circo Internazionale- -  Latina, Italy (2006, 2007, 2008)
• Goldie Hawn Foundation Gala -The Depot,  Minneapolis MN - (2007)
• Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Guild 150th Anniversary, Chattanooga, TN (2007)
• Sanford Medical Hospital opening Gala- Sioux Falls, SD (2008)
• Republican National Convention – Circus Juventas (2008)
• Children Theatre Company/Circus Juventas collaboration – Minneapolis, MN Madeline and the Gypsies (2008)
• Bullfrog Ball RiverCentre , St. Paul, MN (2008)

More information on Circus Juventas history is available.
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