Before he was a WWE showstopper or a globe-trotting acrobat with Cirque du Soleil and the Flying Wallendas, Sidney “Iking” Bateman was a St. Louis kid learning to defy gravity with the St. Louis Arches. This Saturday, he comes home for Circus Harmony’s Silver Circus Soirée — a full-circle return to the place that launched his lift-off.
“While you’re learning to flip, fly and fling, you learn focus, persistence and teamwork,” said Jessica Hentoff, founder of Circus Harmony and the St. Louis Arches. “When we say social circus, yes, we teach circus arts — but we also teach life skills.”
This year’s Soirée carries a deeper meaning rooted in legacy and mentorship. “We have a big performance every year, but this is the first time we’ve done something special and invited an alum to be part of it,” Hentoff said. “The whole focus of this Soirée is passing it on.”
For Iking, stepping back into the ring with the troupe feels both meaningful and natural. “I’d rather take people on my shoulders than get body-slammed by a 300-pound man,” he said. “It’s ingrained in my body. Just as natural as walking — that’s how acrobatics and tumbling feel to me.”
Iking first encountered the circus at age 11, when a mentor took him to see Circus Flora, where the Arches were performing. The mentor even arranged for him to meet Hentoff afterward.
“But me being so closed-minded, I said I wanted to leave,” Bateman recalled. “But as fate would have it, I made my way back to the City Museum six months later.” That return changed everything.
“It was no question that I was making circus my profession when I joined,” he said. “It kept this kid off the streets and away from gangs. It gave me an outlet — and Jessica always saw the endless possibilities.”
For nearly four decades, Circus Harmony has created similar pathways for young performers. Active for 38 years and gaining nonprofit status in 2001, the organization has produced jugglers, acrobats and contortionists who have gone on to perform with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and tour internationally in Germany, Berlin and France.
“When I joined the circus out of college, there were no pathways,” Hentoff said. “Now there are circus colleges more difficult to get into than Harvard or Yale,” including the National Circus School of Montreal, which accepts only 30 students a year from around the world.
Bateman’s training at Circus Harmony helped him earn a spot at that prestigious school, which shares a campus with Cirque du Soleil — the company he later toured with. In 2020, he transitioned to WWE, bringing the same flips and acrobatics from the circus ring into the wrestling ring.
“Circus Harmony has been such a huge part of my life. I wouldn’t have the incredible life I have now if it wasn’t for this program,” Bateman said. “I was an 11-year-old boy going down a path that wasn’t so pleasant — the path you see many Black young boys go down. That was to the right. Then circus came, and I went to the left. My life has been incredible ever since.”
Now, having fulfilled his dreams, Bateman is focused on giving back. He hosts speaking events around the world, sharing his story and encouraging young people to find their own spark. “I tell kids all around the world there’s a circus in everyone,” Bateman said. “Don’t run from it — run to it.”
That message resonates with the next generation. High school freshman Lyla Lawless, a contortionist who began performing seven years ago and now teaches others, is one of many carrying the legacy forward.
“The program has been such a big part of my life,” she said. “It’s surprising to think how many generations this has been big for.”
Lawless will perform a juggling act at the Silver Circus Soirée that she has been developing for nearly two years. The act has already been featured at the International Jugglers Association Festival and the St. Louis Juggling event. In the spirit of passing it on, Hentoff will perform alongside two of her students — young artists from different communities and backgrounds.
“We build character in individuals and we build bridges between communities,” Hentoff said. “We give them a common language — circus — and a common goal: to put together an act. It changes their perception of other people, and when the audience comes, it changes their perception of what young people are capable of.”
The Silver Circus Soirée is a celebration of mentorship, transformation and the power of passing it on.
“At the social circus, we teach that when you focus on what connects you instead of what divides you, you can create something amazing,” Hentoff said.
Circus Harmony’s Silver Soiree will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 at City Museum. For tickets and more information about how to join or support Circus Harmony and the St. Louis Arches, visit circusharmony.org/25.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
