Circus Juventas

At first blush circus Juventus appears to be a very well run organization. The longer you stay with the organization the more you learn. It is a a family run organization, with very little administrative input from the outside. Kids are used to profit the Butler family, kids even pay for their own costumes for the summer show… which brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Butler coffers. Now they are asking for public money for a family club they themselves have made exclusive. It is child abuse and thieving. Support integrity. Do not support circus Juventus!

One of the best things about living in St. Paul with kids is this amazing place. So warm and inviting, and it really nurtures kids toward excellence (terrible sentence I know but CJ interferes with my grammar and style, it’s great).

I first enrolled my son as a 2.5yr old to work on his balance because he kept tripping over things and requiring stitches! I thought circus would help him build core strength and, perhaps, a little much needed coordination :-). Boy is that an understatement! Two years later, and he’s still loving «circus school» and — fingers crossed — no further trips to the ER for stitches. He is growing into a confident, athletic young man, in no small part due to his time in circus.
The coaches are talented, patient, and kind, and the kids are simply amazing. The parents are also very friendly, chatty, and welcoming — helpful for us since we drive an hour from WI and don’t know anyone in the cities. The summer show (about 19 performances in August) is expertly done and definitely worth your time. If you’re looking for something a little different for an after school or weekend activity for your child, definitely consider Circus Juventas. If you’re fond of volunteering, they’ll happily put you to work, too.
Come join us and have fun!
Note: Curious what circus is like for toddlers?
Age 2.5:
Age 4.5:

Circus Juventas should be FAR better known for what they do than having only a few reviews on Unilocal.Fantastic — Creative — Imaginative — Exhilarating are just some of the words I could use. They teach all types of circus gymnastics to all age groups and stage performances year-​round featuring their students.
Son #2 used to belong to another gymnastics group but we felt the organization was run poorly and was geared only towards making a profit for the owner. Seeing an article on Circus Juventas, we visited the website and then took a trip to their location and we were absolutely dazzled. It even ended up being cheaper than the gymnastics classes we were paying for!
From the outside it looks like a mini Metrodome but on the inside it’s just like you’re under the big top from the floor to the ceiling. They have safe lessons for small children in small groups where they introduce everything from tumbling to balancing and body positioning. All the while they are using all of the circus equipment you’d expect. Son #2 absolutely loves his classes and wants to keep practicing the trampoline so he can do the climbing up the wall trick he sees the older kids do. I love just watching him learn to do things even he never thought he could do.
You can find videos of their shows on YouTube but if you’re interested in introducing something your child will never forget learning and being a part of, you cannot go wrong with enrolling them in classes at Circus Juventas.

Loved it! It is so hard to find performance art in the Twin Cities. We took our 4 year old nephew and 2 year old niece. They loved it! We sat right behind the VIP seats, so close you could touch the performers.
A must do for all families /​couples.

So, in Sex and The City (the movie), the girls get together and sit front row at New York Fashion Week. Well, that’s me and my friends at Circus Juventas. Three years now that we’ve done VIP (meaning more comfortable seats in the front row). It’s one of the few times (and pretty much only time) I can hold my nose up high as I walk by the lowly, regs who sit in the normal people section.
The first year was some sort of creepy romance, which I didn’t fully understand until the last scene (aha moment). The second year was based on «Yulong» (or basically, Mulan). This past year was about two old dudes reminiscin’ the good olé days of their circus youths.
What amazes me is that every year, they’ve used the same circus tricks and routines, but seems to just have a different story line. I think this past year was the first time they added biking on a tight rope (über scary!!).
The show itself gets pretty long, so I don’t recommend bringing your little kiddies if you know they need to get to bed before eight. Also, you have to line up your cars in the grass lot… wait… VIPs should have VIP parking?! Yeah… no. Maybe not so VIP and classy afterall.

Admittedly a great circus to have kids involved in, and bring kids to see. My personal feelings, however, are that the the show finds it’s place somewhere between a real circus, a high school dance line, and a junior high talent show. Everything was just ok, but that’s about it. The length was a long three hours, presumably intended on including all the audience member’s children who sign up for the show. An abridged version of the production with more quality and less repeated mediocre content would have been much more appealing. My wife says I’m just negative. and she may be right in this case. I guess I was just hoping for more than the show had to offer. On the plus side… some of the children have some real talent, and the the two old geezers still know how to impress a crowd. I hope I didn’t offend any parents of the circus participants… Who are likely the only people that will ever see this review. If you do find yourself at Circus Juventas Sawdust… Keep your eyes on the guy risking his life as he climbs around in the rafters continuously making adjustments… That dude is certainly earning his paycheck… I give him 5 stars but only 2 for the show.

I am a fan of this joint for how well they work with kids. My daughter has taken a couple of sessions of classes there, and the teachers are fantastic, incredibly positive and patient. More patient then I could ever be doing similar work. Want to try something different for your kids than the regular sports or gymnastics… its worth it. They kids have a killer time. Now the shows… their fall show (if I recall correctly) is the one that is like run like a play… there is a story line and the acts are incorporated into it. Generally just the older «experienced» circus kids. The spring show is the all the kids from all the classes from toddlers on up. The spring show is like a kid’s dance recital./ Awesome for the precious few minutes your kid is out there, and a little on the boring side the rest of the time — with the exception of what the older kids do, which is usually something I would die even trying once. The staged fall show is usually quite good. Sometimes I think a bit on the long side for kids to watch, but always well done. Worth checking out — and buying advanced tickets — as they usually sell out. Overall a totally cool place I am glad to have in my neighborhood.

Last year we came to visit Minnesota and we went to our first show of Circus Juventas. Fantastic! Thrilling and exciting! As a first experience, it was great to see the wide range of ages of the stars, as well as the amazing performances.
This year’s theme is «Yulong.» We really enjoyed the story this year over last year’s theme. This year we were able to attend opening night, July 31. Although there seemed to be «opening night jitters» (clipping hoops that kept falling down) everything was spectacular.
If only we lived here! I would have my child attend this amazing performing arts circus! As a former gymnast, it sure would have been fun to do something like this! Building character, talent, friendships, and self-​confidence is just some of the reasons why!
Hooray for Circus Juventas!

If you like Cirque du Soleil, you’ll love Circus Juventas.
Circus Juventas is a youth performing arts circus with a permanent big top right in beautiful Highland Park, St. Paul. Not only do they have classes and camps for kids, but they have incredible performances which are just as amazing as Cirque du Soleil, but for a helluva lot less money per ticket.
Because of its close proximity to the park, it’s a great destination for a family or other group event. I organized a company outing here. We started at the park with food catered by Pizza Luce and then walked over to the big top for a breathtaking performance by the youths of Circus Juventas.
I cannot say enough positive things about it. You must check it out.