By Albert Leung, Staff Writer

The story of Hua Mulan will be recreated with an injection of circus artistry in a re-envisioned rendition by local performing arts school Circus Juventas. For its summer showcase, Circus Juventas will take traditional Chinese performing arts and Cirque du Soleil flair to create their own interpretation of Hua Mulan's folk tale in a show titled Yulong. The St. Paul-based performing arts circus school will hold weekly shows from July 30 through August 16.

Yulong will feature nearly 90 performers, most of whom are local children and teenagers from around the metro. Circus Juventas, founded in 1994, specializes in training and developing circus artistry among youths and adults. The majority of Yulong's cast members are enrolled at Circus Juventas and boast two to seven years of experience in circus artistry.

The tale of Hua Mulan tells a story of a Chinese heroine who joined and served in the all-male army disguised as a man. Yulong will be Circus Juventas's first production of a Chinese story.

The lead role of Hua Mulan will be played by 17-year-old Anna Ostroushko, an upcoming senior at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. This will be her first leading role in her seven year tenure at Circus Juventas. Ostroushko, an aerialist and dancer, has performed in six Circus Juventas productions.

“Our shows deliver professional acts that pull in the audience. People are always amazed that these aren't professional performers who are executing death-defying acts,” said Betty Butler, Circus Juventas Creative Director.

Yulong will feature a plethora of talented performers that will be displaying various circus artistry including Chinese circus performances. Circus Juventas organizers understood that performances from the Chinese culture were also integral to properly tell this story. They decided to include Chinese circus performances such as hoop diving, bicycles, flag tumbling, Chinese poles acrobats, as well as martial arts and traditional Chinese dances.

“We hired special Chinese coaches who could teach our performers acts such as bicycles and hoop jumping,” said Butler. “Working with these coaches, the performers have had a year of training to prepare.”

Circus Juventas also partnered with the Chinese American Association of Minnesota (CAAM) to also include traditional performances such as the lion dance. Furthermore, the sets and costumes used for Yulong have also been designed to properly depict ancient Chinese culture.

“Our set designs and costumes were carefully researched by our staff so that traditional Chinese designs were represented. We wanted to infuse the culture with a bit of what Cirque du Soleil does,” said Butler.

For more information on Yulong or Circus Juventas, visit www.circusjuventas.org.