Two performers who grew up tumbling under Circus Juventas's big top in St. Paul are back in town this week, not just to fly across Grand Casino Arena with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, but to pass along what they've learned to the kids training in their old gym. Gabriel Lockhart and Danny Butler, both Circus Juventas alumni now working professional circus careers, spent time with current students, former teachers and family before their hometown shows.
Lockhart grew up in St. Paul and got his start in circus at Circus Juventas, according to broadwayworld.com. He joined the program at age 8 after seeing the school's 2010 show “Sawdust,” the outlet reports, noting he begged his mom to let him enroll. Nine years on the flying trapeze later, he now performs with Ringling Bros. and lives in Las Vegas. Butler, who attended Circus Juventas beginning at age 2, now lives in Florida; both men perform in multiple acts within Ringling's current touring show and will take the stage in their hometown of St. Paul.
The visit, hosted by Circus Juventas on Oct. 21, brought the two performers together with current students, former teachers and family, according to Pioneer Press. Rob Dawson led a question-and-answer session between the professionals and the students. Lockhart told students that sharing what he loves and seeing the world through his work is amazing, while he and Butler both said the traveling schedule and physical toll of circus work can be difficult — and Lockhart added that he's grateful to travel and perform, though he knows he can't do it forever.
Advice From Two Who Made It
Butler and Lockhart advised students to take risks and build relationships with experienced professionals, per the same Pioneer Press account. Butler said making a genuine connection with someone matters for talented students trying to break into the field. The two also performed in multiple acts together as part of Ringling's current production.
Among the students who heard that advice firsthand was Shayna Rutledge, 29, who was born and raised in St. Paul and has attended Circus Juventas since age 5. She's now enrolled in the school's two-year Professional Program, specializing in contortion and aerial work, and dreams of landing a resident contract with a major circus company such as Cirque du Soleil. Fellow student David Consuegra, 20, came from Florida and fell in love with circus at age 10 after seeing a live show on a cruise; he began pursuing aerial work at 18, specializes in aerial cube, and has lived in St. Paul for just over a month.
A Two-Year Bridge Into Professional Circus
That pipeline is by design. Circus Juventas describes its Professional Program as 20 hours of scheduled training and five hours of open gym each week, according to Circus Juventas, organized across five genres — aerial, acrobatics, balance, dance and theater. The school says the two-year track is meant to connect students with professional organizations such as Cirque du Soleil, and that many alumni of its advanced youth program have gone on to careers with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, Cirque du Soleil and other circus companies. The Twin Cities bridges the gap between youth training and pro careers, and Circus Juventas is one of just five schools worldwide, and two in the U.S., chosen for Cirque du Soleil's NexGen young-talent partnership.
The school's roots run through its own founding family. Rachel Butler Norris, Circus Juventas's artistic director, began learning circus skills at age 8 under the big top alongside her parents, Dan and Betty Butler. Dan Butler specialized as a flying trapeze catcher, while Betty Butler specialized as an aerialist and high-wire performer; the two met at age 15 at Sailor Circus in Sarasota, Florida, and moved to Minnesota in 1994 after they began having children and stepped away from traditional jobs. Circus Juventas opened its St. Paul big top building in 2001. Dan Butler noted that more than 600 circuses now operate in America, compared with 60 when Circus Juventas was founded, and said he hopes the school keeps serving students for another 30 years. Dan and Betty Butler are now retired and living in Florida.
Rachel Butler Norris, who now teaches circus arts rather than performing herself, plans to continue her parents' legacy and hopes Circus Juventas becomes a household name on par with Cirque du Soleil, according to the Pioneer Press report. The school has served close to 30,000 students across its first 30 years, a milestone Circus Juventas says reflects three decades of commitment to teamwork, safety, inclusion, artistry and community.
Taking The Stage At Grand Casino Arena
Lockhart and Butler's hometown run comes as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey stage “The Greatest Show On Earth” at Grand Casino Arena, 199 W. Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul, a production that also features daredevil comedian Bello Nock. FOX 9 reports the run marks the first time in more than two decades that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has performed in the Twin Cities. Sources differ on the exact run dates: FOX 9 reports performances from October 22 through 25, 2026, while broadwayworld.com reports the production runs October 23-25, 2026.
Whatever the precise schedule, the week gives two performers who once trained in the same St. Paul gym a chance to fly in front of the hometown crowd that watched them grow up. For students like Rutledge and Consuegra, the visit offered something harder to schedule than a show date: a direct look at where years of training in the Professional Program can actually lead.
