Phelelani Ndakrokra, of South Africa's Zip Zap Circus, performs aerial straps in "Moya." The circus was founded to give opportunities to at-risk youth. (Joan Ward)

Swinging traps. Narrow escapes. Death-defying feats.

The language of circus entertainment sometimes applies all too readily to real life, especially for the at-risk youth who find safe space to discover their calling and talents under the big tent of Zip Zap Circus School. Founded 32 years ago by former trapeze artist and Hollywood stuntman Brent van Rensburg and his wife, Laurence Estève, the Capetown, South Africa-based social circus works to foster resilience in kids caught up in drugs, gangs and stigmatized illness.

To audiences, social circuses are just like regular circuses in that performers display feats of physical virtuosity. But they differ in that their primary purpose is to better youngsters’ lives. Entertainment is a byproduct, not the focus, of that work.

“When kids are on the street, people pretend not to see them,” said van Rensburg. “What you don’t realize is that these kids have dreams like other kids. They just need a chance.”

Van Rensburg points to Zip Zap’s touring show, “Moya,” which kicks off the Children’s Theatre Company’s new season when it opens Saturday, as embodying the company’s values. A mix of classic and contemporary circus derring-do spiced up with South African music and dance, the show orbits the themes of resilience and perseverance.

“They’re not actors telling a made-up story — they’re telling the truth of their lives,” van Rensburg said.

We caught up with van Rensburg just before he left Capetown for Minneapolis. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What is “Moya”?

A: “Moya” means spirit. And what sets us apart from other shows is that we bring a lot of passion to the stage. Our performers are not just flying or doing trapeze or circus tricks. They love what they’re doing. A lot of our kids come from very difficult backgrounds, and this is a safe space where people appreciate them, clap for them and stand up for them. And if someone makes a mistake, which happens, we teach them to embrace it. If they try and fall, get back up and try again.

Q: How did the company start?

A: I was working at SeaWorld in San Diego on a highwire in the early ‘90s. After about 300 shows, I had a nasty fall and hurt my back quite badly. I discharged myself from a hospital because I wanted to be a hero and get back on the show. But I wasn’t healed. Long story short, I was running out of money and options when I got a call saying, “Hey, Brent, they’re looking for somebody who knows about trapeze in the Dominican Republic.” Where do I sign?

Q: Your life sounds like a bunch of Venn diagrams. Isn’t that where you met your wife?

A: Yes, at this circus in what to us was a tropical paradise. I taught Laurence flying trapeze. She’s from Paris, and I went there next to work with a circus. After that contract was up, I said, come with me for six weeks to South Africa. I wanted to show her my hometown. That was 1992. We’ve been here since.

Q: Besides ancestry, what has kept you there?

A: It was an exciting, hopeful time. Nelson Mandela had just been released from 27 years of prison. And he forgave the people who put him there. He said sports is a huge healing factor. We must all play together. We really bought into his vision of a rainbow nation and thought we could use circus to bridge gaps between kids from different backgrounds, cultures and socioeconomics.

Q: Can you tell us about your programs?

A: So, we started with one program in 1992 with 15 kids and now have nine with 3,000 children coming through our doors every year free of charge. Some of our kids come through the street kid program. Others are living with HIV. We’ve got people coming off drugs and out of gangs. The vision wasn’t to create thousands of circus performers, but to bridge gaps. We do have a professional training program [called] Dare to Dream. But we teach life skills that they can use no matter what they decide to do in life.

Q: What is your success rate?

A: We’ve had lots of days when we’ve cried because kids go back to drugs, gangs or prison. Kids have died. You don’t succeed with every kid but when you do, it’s so nice to know you’ve made a difference in their lives.

Q: Is the circus a microcosm of nation building?

A: Absolutely. Nelson Mandela really believed that together we were stronger.

Q: What was it like to meet him?

A: In 1995, we were invited to perform for Madiba for his birthday. At the end of the performance the security came up and said, “Hey, the president wants to speak to you.” I was so in awe of him. We chatted for 15 minutes and then he said, “Why are you doing this?” “Because I wanna be part of your dream, Mr. President. We want to make a difference helping to build a rainbow nation in our small way using circus.” Then he said, “Please keep up the good work.” I promised him we would. And we have kept our promise.

Q: How has your work been received by professional circuses?

A: The expectation from the professional circus schools was that social circus would be social and professional would be professional. But we’ve bridged those worlds. The graduates from our programs have gone to other circuses like Cirque du Soleil in Canada, Universal in America and circuses in Europe. And one of our young guys asked seven years ago, why don’t we make our own touring show. I said, that’s not a bad idea.

Q: How did this show come about?

A: Our daughter Sabine, who lives in Montreal, came out for a visit during the COVID lockdown. And she made an art movie about our lead character, a kid and his friend who’re living on the streets before they find this crazy group of circus people who accept them unconditionally. The actual star of the film, Phelelani Ndakrokra, has been with us for 14 years. He’s in the show.

Q: What does “Moya” mean to you?

A: Circus saved my life. I come from a rough background myself. Dropped out of school and found circus. I left South Africa as a young boy. But then I had a great teacher in Sarasota, Fla., at Ringling Brothers. He was an old circus performer from the ‘40s and ‘50s. He taught me a lot. And now we’re passing it on.