A Stopover at the Circus

Une Escale Ô Cirque is a circus school located in Médis , in Charente-Maritime , near Royan .

Founded in 2006 , the association's mission is the discovery , initiation , and development of circus arts. It fosters an accessible amateur practice from early childhood to adulthood , through regular classes and various activities related to circus arts.

The school views the circus as an artistic and physical practice that allows for the development of concentration , self-control , creativity , autonomy and the ability to evolve within a group .

Particular attention is paid to safety and the gradual learning of risk-taking . The different disciplines allow students to better understand their bodies, gain confidence in their abilities, and progress at their own pace.

The teaching is multidisciplinary .

Acrobatics

Acrobatics includes, in particular , floor acrobatics , acrobatic lifts , and human pyramids . These disciplines combine individual and group work and allow for the development of core strength , power , flexibility , mobility , and body awareness .

Hand and head balancing

Working on hand and head balances allows for a more specific approach to inverted positions. Strength , flexibility , breathing , and postural correction are progressively developed to learn how to control the body in unusual positions.

Juggling and object manipulation

Juggling and object manipulation also play an important role.

Students can practice with balls , scarves , diabolo and clubs . These disciplines develop dexterity , coordination , agility , concentration and patience .

Balances on objects

Balancing on objects constitutes another large family of practices.

Balance ball , American roller and wire allow you to work on support , shifting body weight , rhythm and confidence .

These disciplines also require special attention to the relationship with other practitioners , particularly when students learn to belay and help each other.

Aerial disciplines

Une Escale Ô Cirque also has a real activity around aerial disciplines .

The trapeze and aerial silks allow students to move at height and discover a new relationship with space.

The training focuses as much on the figures as on safety , controlling vertigo , precision of movement and quality of movement .

For students wishing to delve deeper into this family of disciplines, the school offers a group specifically dedicated to aerial arts from the age of 8 .

Clowning art

Clowning is also one of the disciplines taught.

Through improvisation , character work , pantomime , gesture and different play situations, participants develop their imagination and discover the theatrical dimension of the circus.

Body language

Body expression complements this artistic approach.

Students can work on staging , stage presence , backstage , music , costumes , makeup and the relationship between the body , the object and the stage .

Contemporary dance and modern jazz can also contribute to this research around movement.

This diversity allows Une Escale Ô Cirque to offer a practice that is not limited to the acquisition of techniques.

The objective is also to gradually lead students towards personal artistic expression and towards an understanding of the stage and the performance .

Course organization

The courses are organised by age groups .

• The youngest children are welcomed from the age of 3 in a group adapted for 3-5 year olds .
• Children aged 6 to 9 then have several weekly time slots available.
• From the age of 10 , various courses allow students to continue and deepen their practice.
• The aerial group welcomes students from the age of 8 who wish to devote more time to the trapeze and silks.
• Adults also have a specific course.

This organization allows for a particularly interesting continuity of practice : a child can start circus arts as early as age 3 and then continue throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.

Off-market shares and local life

Une Escale Ô Cirque also develops activities outside of its weekly classes.

The school is involved in projects introducing circus arts to different audiences and participates in local events .

It can therefore offer introductory sessions allowing people to discover circus arts in a one-off, family or event setting.

Projects were also carried out with the nursery and primary schools of Médis , combining several discovery sessions with the creation of presentations shown to families.

The school thus participates in local cultural life and in the transmission of circus arts in the Royan Atlantique area.

A complete amateur school

With its courses from age 3 , its children's , teenagers ' and adults' groups, its group specializing in aerial disciplines and its particularly diverse teaching, Une Escale Ô Cirque constitutes a complete amateur school .

Acrobatics , lifts , human pyramids , hand balances , juggling , diabolo , clubs , balance ball , American roller , wire , trapeze , aerial silks , clowning and body expression allow students to explore many facets of circus arts in a framework combining technical progression , safety , creativity and the pleasure of practicing .