Ruby McNab, 9, dances through an exercise Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, during the Circus Club practice at the Millibo Art Theatre in Colorado Springs. The class is for children 9 to 16.
As a performance genre, the circus has undergone several changes in recent years, most notably the omission of animal acts due to cruelty concerns. But according to career performer Jim Jackson, the circus has continued to endure because its main attraction has always been “performances done by human beings.”
“As spectators, we want to see the human body do extraordinary things,” said Jackson, co-founder of the Millibo Art Theatre.
“We have a sense of wonder when we’re children, and the best circuses can bring that out in an adult, even a jaded adult who has seen everything and done everything.”
Each spring, the theater puts on its “Incredible Circus Millibo,” a showcase featuring young students and veteran performers side by side. The seeds of that performance are sown at Circus Club, which meets from 4-6 p.m. each Tuesday.
The club instructs students aged 9-16 in a broad range of circus disciplines, clown routines, acrobatics, juggling, trapeze, stilt walking and aerial silks.
But according to aerialist coach Elizabeth Fluharty, the club has a lot to offer even for introverted kids who would rather do almost anything than perform onstage.
“Circus has something for everyone,” said Fluharty, a veteran circus performer and instructor.
“Of course, the main things we teach are performance skills. But kids who don’t really want to be onstage can learn the tech side of things, or the backstage side of things. They can stage-manage. It’s really cool to watch the kids find their niche in the things that they like to do.”
Some students, like Owen Arzate, hope to become circus performers when they grow up.
“I’ve always been interested in the circus,” said Arzate, 14, who is in his fourth year of Circus Club. “I love juggling, and I love practicing for shows and working on my skills.”
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Elena Kurz, who can hula-hoop while walking on a 24-inch diameter rubber ball, would like to keep her skills sharp as a hobby, but she has her eyes on a different career path.
“(Circus performance) is a fun activity, and I’d like to keep doing it, maybe on weekends,” said Kurz, 12. “But I want to be a marine biologist.”
Coach Christopher Keller, who teaches juggling and acrobatics, said Circus Club students learn the value of practice.
“If you keep working at it, you can learn to do almost anything,” Keller said. “That’s something these kids can take with them wherever they go, whether they decide to join the circus or not.”
The club meets every Tuesday through Dec. 9 (except for Thanksgiving week). Students who attend regularly and develop their skills will have the chance to participate in the May performance.
Jackson said he loves hearing about former students who have gone on to perform professionally.
“For the kids who have stayed with it, a bunch of them are now working professionally, whether as a stilt walker at the Renaissance Fair, or a contortionist with Cirque du Soleil. They’re doing real work with the skills they learned at Circus Club many years before,” he said.
But he gets just as much joy from watching a student’s eyes light up as he or she learns a new trick.
“We want these kids to develop new skills, and keep getting better at the skills they have. But ultimately, we want them to have fun,” he said. “When learning is fun, it rewards itself.”
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