AFCA (Adapted Circus)
40800 Aire-sur-l'Adour
The French Association of Adapted Circus (AFCA)
The French Association of Adapted Circus (AFCA) is a leading organization in adapted circus arts in France, based in Aire-sur-l'Adour, in the Landes region. Founded in 1992, the association has been developing a vision of circus arts for over thirty years, grounded in inclusion, personal development, creativity, community living and working together, and civic education. It is open to all audiences and also uses circus arts as a valuable tool for outreach, particularly with people with special needs.
The organization has a permanent wooden and canvas big top in Aire-sur-l'Adour, a true hub for circus arts practice, training, and gatherings. AFCA develops several complementary activities there: an amateur circus school, adapted circus programs, holiday workshops, children's camps, arts and cultural education projects, a professional training center, and hosting professional companies and shows.
A circus school open to all
The amateur school offers regular workshops throughout the school year, organized by age group to best adapt learning to the abilities and development of each participant. Students progress gradually from discovery to advanced techniques, respecting the educational philosophy of the French Federation of Circus Schools (FFEC).
The teaching is intentionally multidisciplinary. Students discover, in particular, balancing techniques on objects using the tightrope, the balance ball, cycles, ladders, and the rola bola. The fixed trapeze is also among the activities offered.
Juggling and object manipulation also play a significant role in the workshops, particularly with balls and diabolo, which the program also incorporates with magic. Acrobatics are explored in various forms: floor exercises, acrobatic lifts, trampoline, and banquine. Finally, expressive work complements the technical training through clowning and acting.
This diversity allows children and teenagers to avoid being confined too early to a single discipline. They can experience different circus arts, identify their affinities, and simultaneously develop motor skills, coordination, balance, creativity, confidence, and physical expression.
The adapted circus at the heart of the project
The essential characteristic of AFCA lies in its work with adapted circus arts. The association considers circus disciplines as tools that can be used to support educational, social, or medico-social projects, taking into account the specific possibilities, needs, and objectives of each audience.
This approach is therefore not simply about making a traditional circus class accessible. It involves reflecting on the project's objectives, the characteristics of the target audience, the role of instructors and support staff, as well as the selection and adaptation of circus activities. This expertise is now passed on to professionals in training modules dedicated to the methodology of Adapted Circus and inclusion in circus schools.
Circus workshops, holidays and discovery
Activities continue during school holidays. AFCA organizes workshops allowing young people to discover or further develop their skills in various circus disciplines. The program includes mini-workshops for children and teenagers, as well as circus-themed holiday camps. The local tourist office lists workshops for 5- to 15-year-olds and holiday camps for 6- to 12-year-olds.
Arts and cultural education
AFCA also works directly with preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. The organization has accreditation from the French Ministry of Education, allowing it to work with schools in the Landes, Gers, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments.
Projects are developed in collaboration with teachers, taking into account their educational objectives. The association can thus create a circus arts discovery or practice program tailored to the school's specific project, potentially culminating in a performance at the end of the program. AFCA also assists schools in securing funding, particularly through the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) or the Pass Culture program for middle and high schools.
A vocational training center
AFCA is also a training center for pedagogy and circus arts leadership professions, certified by Qualiopi and accredited by the FFEC. Its offerings constitute an important part of the organization's identity.
- For 2026-2027, AFCA is announcing, among other things, a BPJEPS (Professional Certificate in Youth, Popular Education and Sport) program in Socio-Educational or Cultural Activities (ASEC) with a supplementary certificate in Circus Arts. The training is scheduled from December 7, 2026, to December 15, 2027, and combines classroom instruction with on-the-job training. Six places funded by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region are available for job seekers, while other funding options are available through CPF (Personal Training Account), OPCO (Skills Operator), or self-funding.
- The center also offers the Circus Arts Instructor Qualification (TIAC). For the 2026-2027 session, an in-person training period is scheduled from October 19 to November 3, 2026 in Aire-sur-l'Adour, supplemented by four half-days of videoconference sessions in January 2027.
- More specialized modules are dedicated to Adapted Circus, focusing on project methodology, expertise in circus disciplines, and inclusion within a circus school. These training programs are suitable for circus arts professionals, those with circus qualifications, professionals in the medical-social or socio-cultural sectors, artists, and directors of circus schools.
This interplay between amateur practice, inclusion, social action, arts education, and professional training gives the French Association of Adapted Circus (AFCA) a particularly strong identity. AFCA does not simply view circus as a set of techniques to be learned; it uses it as a space for encounter, expression, learning, and collective creation, accessible to very diverse audiences.
For someone looking for a circus school in Aire-sur-l'Adour, a structure specializing in adapted and inclusive circus or professional training in the teaching professions of circus arts, AFCA is a particularly comprehensive address in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Disciplines offered
- Juggling
- diabolo
- balls
- object manipulation
- magic
- ground acrobatics
- acrobatic lifts
- banquine
- trampoline
- thread
- balance ball
- American roller / rola-bola
- cycles
- ladders
- fixed trapeze
- clown
- acting
- body language
