Upsala is a child circus operating out of St. Petersburg, Russia. Through a combination of theatre and rigorous acrobatic training, Upsala lifts up children who have fallen down through the cracks of Russian society. Many have spent 3-4 years moving between the circus and a troubled home life surrounded by alcohol, violence, abuse, or the unforgiving streets of St. Petersburg where 40,000 runaways fall in with the "false families" of criminal gangs.

Upsala's goal is to keep the kids off the streets and encourage a healthy relationship with their families, teachers, and peers. "Once these kids created a circus for themselves, their horizon opened up," notes their choreographer Larisa. "They don't see the alcohol and the drugs, they see beyond all this. The circus gives them the opportunity to live in another world."