Community Programs

Tumbling & Teamwork

Trust, teamwork, self-esteem and self-confidence - these are all valuable traits in our day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, many children come from backgrounds without recognition of the importance of these values. Many of these young people are sent to live in residential treatment facilities via the court system, the Department of Family Services or private placement, where it becomes the responsibility of the staff to cultivate these traits.

Our circus training classes encourage and enable the growth of these positive attributes within young children. Through learning the art of performing in the circus, and learning to trust not only oneself but another person; children learn lessons which apply to the world beyond.

Developed in conjunction with the licensed social work staff at Epworth Children and Family Services, highly experienced instructors from Circus Flora train residential children two evenings per week. In the course of learning juggling, tumbling, and partner acrobatics, the juveniles gain skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

This year’s program will culminate in June with a special early performance under the big top for the other children from Epworth, families, and any other special guests. This will be followed by tickets for all of the children and families, contributed through the Share-The-Circus program.

Community Circus Camps Under the Big Top

Circus Flora’s Community Circus Camps Under the Big Top are held in morning and afternoon sessions during our performance month of June. This coming summer we will team up with Herbert Hoover’s Boys and Girls Club, Our Little Haven and Loyola Academy to recruit approximately 60 under-served children from economically depressed neighborhoods of the City of St. Louis to participate in the camps. As always, the camps will be offered at no cost. Children will be trained in basic circus skills such as juggling, tumbling, partner acrobatics, mini-globe, clowning and more. In addition, Circus Flora performers will provide guest lectures, demonstrations and training in basic animal care. Circus Flora will provide t-shirts to the camp participants and free tickets to a Circus Flora performance for the participants and their families. In addition to learning artful circus skills, participants will experience an improvement in strength, flexibility and coordination. Participants will also grow emotionally, learning discipline, determination, perseverance and self-control.

Share the Circus Ticket Donation Program

Thanks to the support of our community partners who underwrite our Share the Circus program every June, we are able to donate over 3,000 tickets to organizations that serve economically disadvantaged individuals. Some of these organizations include: Young Audiences, La Clinica, Accion Social Comunitaria, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Youth in Need, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, City Academy, Edgewood Children’s Home, The Youth and Family Center, Food Outreach, The JeffVanderLou Initiative, St. Vincent's Home and Mentor St. Louis and several other charitable organizations.