PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM | Circus Juventas

Training Opportunities

Our goal is to prepare our artists with high-level skills not just as an athlete, but as a performer.

Included in the custom program plan is daily training in specific disciplines, group classes in acrobatics, theater, dance, conditioning, flexibility, and injury prevention, and the opportunities to work with guest artists each session in our expansive Circus Juventas arena. The big top is climate controlled with 40+ foot ceilings, 12,000 SF arena matted floor, six points on track and center winch access, and private studio access for creative exploration. The arena also offers a kitchen and a weight training area.

Circus Juventas partners with TRIA to offer unparalleled access to injury prevention and movement pattern research, to teach our professional students to maintain their health and well-being while working as a professional circus performer.

Performance Opportunities

In the annual performance showcase, professional program students perform their act for an audience in our big top.

We partner with local and regional organizations for professional performance and event opportunities in the Twin Cities Metro.

Previous professional opportunities include Circus World in Baraboo, WI, PINK! announcement video for Xcel Energy Center, Minneapolis Downtown Council, and Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Department.

Tuition

2024-2025 Tuition: $8,100

Billing information will be sent in July.

For the 2023-2024 program year, please access your account HERE.

We offer work opportunities to reduce tuition for those who qualify. This includes assistant coaching, rigging, costuming assistance, and/or building maintenance. Please indicate your desire to participate in your interview with the directors.

Who Should Apply?

Applicants who are between ages 18-25 who have trained extensively in circus programs and are committed to making a career of their craft.
Applicants who have mastered training under their current instruction and would prefer a full-time, one-on-one approach to accelerate the level of their training.

Applications

Click HERE to apply!

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This is an application-only training program; all applicants may not be accepted into the program.

The first round of the application process requires the online application, video, a short written essay for you to detail your level of experience, past training programs, and what you hope to gain through our program. We also require written recommendations from coaches.

Videos may be uploaded to Vimeo or YouTube and should be titled: Your Name, Circus Juventas Professional Program Audition Tape. There is a tab within the application page for you to submit a link to your audition recording for our directors to view. Current Circus Juventas students do not need to submit a video application.

Pending first round application approvals, we will schedule a meeting with the directors, either virtual or in-person. After the meeting with the directors, we will schedule an audition time for you to join us at Circus Juventas for the final round of approval.

Auditions will be held in person pending first round application approvals. Once your application has been approved we will reach out to schedule a meeting with the directors. After the meeting with the directors, we will schedule an audition time for you to join us at Circus Juventas for the final round of approval.

Our Coaches

View our Professional Program coaches HERE.

Contact

If you have any questions for our Program Directors, please reach out to rob@circusjuventas.org, sun@circusjuventas.org.

APPLY HERE

Circus Juventas Professional Program

OVERVIEW

The Circus Juventas International Professional Program offers world-class customized training for young adults preparing for careers as working circus professionals. The two-year training program with our internationally-renowned coaching staff allows students to develop professional skills, prepare for auditions and festivals, build dynamic act routines, and network with professional organizations such as Cirque du Soleil and other notable professional circus companies.

In Circus Juventas’s 28-year history, many alumni of the advanced youth program have gone on to professional careers with Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, The Wallenda Family, Bello Nock, The Royal Hanneford Circus, Cirque Mechanics, Cirque Eloize, and many other professional circus organizations. Internationally recognized Director Sun Yanhong leads the professional program along with Rob Dawson, CJ’s Executive Director. They have built on the comprehensive foundations of CJ to create a custom experience with a singular goal: getting students out into the professional world of circus.

Professional program students focus on chosen disciplines and integrated cross-training within the five genres offered at CJ: aerial, acrobatics, balance, dance, and theater. Based on evaluations and experiences, classes and curriculum are designed for each student to fit individual talents, skills, and goals. CJIPP offers 20 hours of scheduled training per week, Monday-Friday 12:00-4:00 p.m., and five hours of open gym per week, Monday-Friday 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Scheduled training includes 1:1 coaching in specialized acts and small group classes for acrobatics, handstands, conditioning, flexibility, dance, theater, injury prevention, and career development. CJIPP runs September-May, with limited training space during summer months depending on potential CJIPP performances.

APPLICATIONS

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This is an application-only training program; all applicants may not be accepted into the program.

The first round of the application process requires the online application, video, and a short written essay detailing your level of experience, past training programs, and what you hope to gain through our program. We require written recommendations from coaches and an interview with the directors.

APPLY HERE

INJURY PREVENTION WITH TRIA ORTHOPEDICS

The most important asset to a professional athlete is their body. The medical team at TRIA Orthopedics partners with Circus Juventas to provide specialized care to participants in the Circus Juventas International Professional Program. Working with performers, TRIA Orthopedics and Health Partners focuses on injury prevention and education, helping athletes achieve peak performance goals while reducing the risk of injury.

OUR DIRECTORS

The Circus Juventas International Professional Program is led by Sun Yanhong and Rob Dawson. They build on the comprehensive foundations of CJ to create a custom experience with a singular goal: get our students out into the professional world of circus. 

Sun Yanhong, Professional Program Director and Head Coach

Sun Yanhong first joined the Circus Juventas’s coaching team from 2004-2015 following an illustrious circus career with such credits as China’s Flag Circus and Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion. After a decade at CJ, she returned to China to serve as the Artistic Director of Franco Dragone’s DAI SHOW, where she spent seven years garnering international recognition for her exceptional artistry, including being recognized as “Special Creative General” for her work.

Rob Dawson, Executive Director and Coach

Rob began his Circus career as a member of the Florida State University Flying High Circus. For sixteen years he performed with Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere and La Nouba as a flying trapeze catcher, Chinese poles acrobat, and aerial silks soloist. Rob then became the first manager for Club Med Creative by Cirque du Soleil, a circus-inspired training facility in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Most recently he held the positions of Head Coach for Cirque’s KA and MJ One in Las Vegas, NV. 