New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- For 29-year-old Brian Ngobese, who grew up in South Africa's impoverished Alexandra township, moments like this mean more than applause. The circus has given him a stage, a livelihood, and a way to turn his talent into work.

"We just want to show people that we can make it out of the township," Ngobese told The Associated Press. "What you want to accomplish, you can actually make it."

Behind the colorful spectacle is a social program that helps performers from under-resourced communities turn talent into opportunity and paid work.

Alexandra is one of Johannesburg's most densely populated townships, marked by high poverty and unemployment despite being just a few kilometers from Sandton, a major financial district...