Circus training instills trust

ST. PAUL — Zach Morgan sits on the edge of a plank nearly 40 feet in the air, terrified by what he's about to do.

He has no safety net, just a specially rigged bungee rope looped around one wrist. But when he gets his cue, he'll count to three and step into space — free-falling more than 20 feet until the rope catches, leaving him hanging by one hand.

Morgan is among the advanced students at Circus Juventas, a performing arts circus school that teaches young people how to tumble and twist through the air, while also learning the self-confidence, discipline and teamwork required to do amazing high-flying tricks.

"It freaks you out," said Morgan, 18, of the free fall stunt. "You are sitting on the edge going, 'Why am I doing this? What am I doing? ... ' And then you jump, and you get to the ground, and you go, 'Oh, THAT'S why — 'cause it's awesome!"'

The stunts are performed under the "Big Top," a state-of-the-art facility in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. Each summer, the elite students put on a dazzling show that has been described as a youth version of Cirque du Soleil.

The stunt Morgan describes, which he calls "The Drop," is the opening scene in this year's summer production, "Atlanticus." Morgan plays one of two undersea explorers who stumble across a lost civilization while searching for treasure. As the plot unfolds, the students of Circus Juventas will use circus tricks, theater arts and elaborate costumes and sets to tell the story.

Circus Juventas, named for the Roman goddess of youth and rebirth, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by Betty Butler, the circus' artistic director and cofounder, and her husband, Dan, the circus' executive director.

The couple met as teenage performers in the Sailor Circus in Sarasota, Fla., and both went on to perform with the Flying High Circus at Florida State University. They eventually ended up in Minnesota after Dan Butler spent time at Hazelden, where he was treated for alcohol and drug abuse.

"We really wanted to do something to give back to the community and our newfound life," Dan said.

The circus school began as Circus of the Star, an after-school program for 30 children in a neighborhood recreation center.