reporter: it looks effortless, but the tricks that jacobus claassen and his colleagues are doing taket of practice. and usually it doesn't work right away. jacobus: once the club hits you or once you get injured, it's a little bit difficult to go back to it because the first thing that's gonna be in your mind is, that fall is gonna happen again, or that club is gonna hit me again. normally, if i fall i just stand up and say, yes, let's go again, one more time, and always, the second time, we nail it. reporter: this attitude has brought jacobus claassen a long way. he's one of the zip-zap circus's top performers. the academy in cape town's woodstock district offers free training to young people who want to go on stage. funded in part by donations and performances. brent van rensburg and his wife laurence founded zip zap in 1995. both are former circus artists. brent: we believe that any kid, no matter what the background, if they are given the opportunity in life and they are passionate about what they do, any child can make it. and a lot of kids who have talent and skills are often le