Twin Cities / Metro
*This archived article was originally published in Spring 2004.
Under the Big Top
Attendees will flip for this unique event space.
BY PHOEBE LARSON
The circus came to town – and set up shop in St. Paul.
Neatly tucked long the bluffs of the Mississippi River near the Highland Park golf course, the 21,000-square-foot big top of Circus Juventas is hardly noticeable from the road. Yet, here, within this giant bubble, children ages 3 to 21 learn to tuck, tumble, contort, balance and fly through the air. While the practice of such physical feats by their kids generally makes most parents’ hearts skip a few beats, within the safety of this giant bubble, falling, twisting and toppling is applauded and encouraged.
Jumping Hoops
Circus Juventas is the inspiration of Dan and Betty Butler, who started a small youth acrobatics program at the Highland Park Recreation Center in 1994. It soon became apparent that the momentum of the program was moving too fast for the small center, and in 1996, the Butlers launched a capital campaign to build the current venue. "We had a lot of support from the city and the city council and the parents," said Betty Butler, cofounder and artistic director. "We raised $1.4 million and then added to that. Four hundred thousand dollars was raised from the community alone, and the additional $1 million was raised between the foundations and the City of St. Paul and private donors."
The result of their efforts came in 2001, when the big top was constructed. This prefabricated structure was made of a clear span of steel beams, over which a fire-resistant, vinyl-coated polyester fabric was placed in tension, thus creating a permanent "big top."
"A national manufacturer built the building," said Butler. "It’s wonderfully innovative and economical. The dome is an air-supported structure with a steel internal structure that has the ability to hang high wires and trapezes. And it’s a huge facility for rentals."
Within the structure, 12,000 square feet are available for rental. This includes the circus arena, an open lobby, a concessions area, restrooms, a management office, men’s and women’s locker rooms, student study areas and a prep kitchen. The facility is fully insulated and also includes a large parking lot. Circus Juventas also offers a sound booth and the use of its sound equipment, as well as theatrical lighting for events.
Past events held at Circus Juventas have included celebrations for the Cambodian and Chinese New Years, Calling of the Drums, bar mitzvahs and the Breck School’s annual auction among other events and corporate galas. Circus Juventas’ corporate consultants will aid in arranging interactive workshops, catering and performances for events. "We can have girls flying from trapezes and hoops above the floor. At the Chinese New Year, we did performances from a half-hour to six or seven hours," said Butler. Professional acts such as Cirque du Soleil and acts from Las Vegas can also be brought in for performances. Groups can even participate in activities such as the flying trapeze, aerial hoops, low wires, unicycles and trampolines.
Greatest of Ease
Ceil Gordon held her son’s bar mitzvah at Circus Juventas. "People are still talking about it. We had over 300 people and we had a wonderful time. It all ran very, very smoothly," said Gordon. Guests at the event watched performances by Circus Juventas students, including Gordon’s son, and then participated in activities. "The team is always ready to do a performance. They keep the costumes ready to go to do five or six acts," said Gordon. "If you’re doing a corporate event, you can have an elegant event and an incredible performance in the same building."
Circus Juventas’ corporate consultants will arrange interactive workshops, catering or a performance for events, from small, intimate gatherings to formal sit-down galas for 500 guests. Caterers are not on staff at Circus Juventas, so that people are free to bring in their own caterers that fit their budget, said Bulter. The facility has a spacious back room where caterers can set up, and trucks and vehicles can park directly behind the room in the 10 foot by 12 foot loading bay. "The staff meets with the caterer so they have a clear idea of who’s doing the setup and who will be cleaning up," said Gordon. "We set up a pop bar and we had a chocolate fountain later on [one] evening."
The big top facilities can be esthetically beneficial to certain events. The mesh fabric that hangs in the big top can serve as a screen for a video, and décor hung from the 40-foot ceilings has a stunning effect. Twenty Chinese lanterns lit the space for the Chinese New Year celebration and the Breck School showed videos from a large screen for their annual auction. Within the big top is a 40-foot-by-30-foot EuroTrus (a large beam system) that can hang 7,200 pounds of weight from any given point, while the skin of the building can withstand 110-mile-per-hour winds.
"I would recommend it for just about anything," said Gordon. "They can really dress the space up for a corporate event and the designs are really incredible."
In the future, Butler hopes to hold weddings in the space and have a bride and groom fly through the air to each other on the flying trapeze. Needless to say, anything goes here. "The space is great for anyone looking to spice up their evening," said Butler. "The whole point is to get people to want to come to these events. This is something where you could do anything you want with it."
