Back when I was a kid I remember we would occasionally get a postcard from the circus with information about circus classes. To me, this was basically junk mail. Not because I wouldn’t be interested in such a thing, but it was just too good to be true. And besides, it was for a place called “Circus Juventas” and in St. Paul. As a kid in Bloomington, I assumed St. Paul must be at least a few hours away. So I never, ever, thought twice about it before discarding it.
Well, now as an adult and parent, I am thrilled to get invites from CJ. For those that don’t know, Circus Juventas is a circus arts school in Highland Park Saint Paul. They have a permanent big top tent building tucked into the wooded hillside of Highland Park on Montreal Ave, and inside there is a large arena. Within, they offer classes for preschoolers up through high school, with an additional professional program that goes to about 25 years old. The classes follow typical school semesters, and culminate in winter and summer shows as well as a few student showcase events particularly in the spring.
I signed up for their newsletter a couple of years ago, which is a great way to find out when there is an upcoming show and, even more importantly, when the tickets go on sale. The summer and winter shows are their big events for the year at $25-55 a seat, but they also have the showcases and a Community Day where the tickets are very cheap or even free.
The above video happened at a Community Day, which I believe was free, and it was my first show time in the big tent at CJ. This particular performer was a guest from another circus. He is twirling something like a telephone pole with flames on both ends on his back, and then tossing in the air with one arm near the end. To finish, he dropped it onto the ground and you can hear the weight of it smack the ground. Later, he would hang suspended upside down, with a mouth grip linked by chain to a similar pole, further linked by chain to a woman dangling below with her own mouth grip. Shortly after they, they added two more women at the ends of the pole and he twirled them 15 feet in the air, holding them all up via his mouth.
Anyway, I don’t come to the circus for the freaks but for the pure audacity of the whole thing. Every time, I am so moved by the dedication you see in the kids performing. The athleticism tied with the performance and bravery. The amount of practice they can be doing is staggering. I’ve talked with performers and parents alike, and many of these kids are doing circus 4 to 6 nights a week after regular school gets out, and have been for 12 years. Some of them will pursue circus or other performing arts into college or hope to join Cirque de Soleil, but many will not.
One thing I heard from some parents is that they never intended to get this deep into circus when they first signed up for a class. At first, it is likely you sign up for a summer camp or a single class, one evening a week. The problem is that everyone trains in the same tent, so your child sees the other classes and says “I also want to do that”. One thing leads to another and suddenly you are at the tent multiple times a week. As a parent there is some expectation that you volunteer time, whether that is at the concessions or as an usher, or more technically in places like the scene shop, doing lighting or rigging. Suddenly it’s a family affair and it’s been 12 years.
I also heard that the greatest expense besides time is the costumes, which students are expected to order at their expense. It’s not totally clear to me what the total costs are, for the costumes or classes, but the parents I’ve spoken to defend it by comparing to other kid interests like hockey, football, lacrosse, etc. If you are really pursuing a sport to its fullest, you are going to be putting time, energy, and money into it at a level above something you only have a passing interest in. And I think the performers at CJ are certainly a cut above the rest.
One final thing I’ll say about taking my 5 year old to CJ:
Every time we leave that tent and walk to the car, my kid is doing twirls and leaps and “circus tricks” all the way to the car.