ANT Avignon

ANT Avignon – Circus Arts

ANT Avignon – Circus Arts is a circus school located in the heart of Avignon, in the Vaucluse region, within the Génicoud Sports Halls. It belongs to ANT Avignon, a sports and cultural association whose history dates back to 1900 and which today brings together gymnastics, circus arts, parkour, urban practices, health and fitness, and wellness activities in a single complex. Its statutes explicitly mention circus arts practices under the French Federation of Circus Schools among the association's activities.

The teaching is intentionally multidisciplinary, with a focus on acrobatics . Students can work on acrobatics, aerial disciplines, balance, juggling and object manipulation, as well as clowning. The school promotes a vision of the circus in which technical mastery and physical training also become means of artistic expression.

Classes are available for children from the start of primary school (CP), then for teenagers and adults. The diverse group sizes allow for both a first introduction to circus arts and more intensive practice. For experienced adults, ANT offers a multidisciplinary approach with a strong acrobatic focus, combining circus techniques, acrobatics, and stagecraft, with the goal of collectively creating a circus act.

Professional background: "Aspiring circus artist"

One of the key features of ANT lies in the connections between gymnastics, parkour, and circus arts. The organization's sporting environment provides a particularly valuable foundation for developing acrobatic skills. This program is especially suited to athletes already at a high level in artistic gymnastics, diving, parkour, tumbling, trampoline, or acrosport who wish to transition into live performance.

• Balancing on sticks
• Aerial acrobatics
• Acrobatic lifts
• Chinese pole
• Dance
• Acting
• Parkour
• Physical preparation

This in-depth course combines these techniques while not limiting itself to performance: participants develop their creativity, their artistic identity, their autonomy in training and research, and work towards the creation of an individual act.

• Physical preparation
• Development of strength and flexibility
• Yoga
• Pilates
• performing arts culture
• Comedy and improvisation
• Voice work
• Presentations in front of an audience

The aim may be to prepare students for entrance exams to higher circus schools, as well as for castings and auditions with professional companies. ANT is indeed a registered training organization and offers courses to performing arts professionals. The organization explicitly seeks to create pathways between its recreational circus school and the professional sector.

This dimension is reinforced by the partnership developed with Cirque du Soleil within the framework of the NexGen program. ANT Avignon indicates that it is one of the five partner centers selected for this talent development program, designed to promote the sharing of expertise and offer high-level training opportunities to emerging artists.

Masterclasses with professional artists and educators also complement the curriculum. The school has notably developed programs around highly specialized disciplines such as Korean plank , hoop diving , and acro tabletop skateboarding.

The school also maintains a connection with contemporary creation through hosting resident companies. This close relationship with professional artists helps to situate students' practice within an environment where teaching, training, creation, and performance can converge.

During the holidays, ANT organizes training courses. Some programs are multidisciplinary and allow children to practice gymnastics, circus arts and parkour in the same week, with occasional additional activities and thematic masterclasses.

The performance aspect is also important. The school organizes circus shows, including end-of-season presentations, and creating acts is an integral part of some programs. The 2026 news section highlights several shows, workshops, and masterclasses organized throughout the year.

For the 2026-2027 season, registration has been open since June 2026. ANT continues its gymnastics, wellness, parkour and circus arts activities, with online registration via its dedicated platform.

With its facilities enabling high-altitude aerial work, its strong acrobatics culture, its school open to children and adults, and its pathways to professional training, ANT Avignon occupies a rather unique position among French circus schools. It can accommodate recreational practice while also supporting more advanced students towards careers as circus artists and entrance exams for higher education institutions.

Disciplines

• Acrobatics
• Aerial acrobatics
• Aerial disciplines
• Juggling
• Object manipulation
• Balances
• Balancing on sticks
• Acrobatic lifts
• Chinese pole
• Clowning Arts
• Dance
• Acting
• Number creation
• Occasional masterclasses on specialized disciplines