APEESJD – Escolinha de Artes Circenses
The Escolinha de Artes Circenses of APEESJD offers children and young people in Lisbon regular introductions to circus arts as part of the extracurricular activities of the Agrupamento de Escolas D. Filipa de Lencastre. Students discover, among other things, ball juggling, diabolo, stilt walking, devil sticks, as well as theatrical games and clowning techniques.
1000-197 Lisboa
The Escolinha de Artes Circenses is a regular circus arts initiation activity offered in Lisbon by APEESJD.
The association works closely with the Agrupamento de Escolas D. Filipa de Lencastre and develops numerous educational, artistic and sporting activities for children and young people throughout the school year.
Among these activities is an Escolinha specifically dedicated to circus arts. This allows students to discover different circus disciplines through regular practice organized outside of class hours.
Disciplines offered
- Juggling is one of the main areas of discovery. Children can learn to manipulate balls and gradually develop their coordination , precision , and ability to control multiple objects.
- The diabolo is also among the disciplines explicitly offered. This iconic juggling prop allows for a gradual approach to throws, accelerations, trajectories and different figures while developing hand-eye coordination and concentration.
- The students also discover the devil stick . Manipulating it requires coordinating the movements of the two sticks in order to control the central stick and allows them to work on rhythm, precision and coordination.
- Stilts complement this introduction to circus techniques. Their use allows for an exploration of balance, movement, and body control in a way that differs from manipulation disciplines.
Theatre and clown
However, the teaching is not limited to physical techniques and object manipulation. Escolinha also incorporates theatrical games that allow children to develop their imagination, physical expression, and relationships with other participants.
Clowning techniques are also part of the program. This dimension introduces students to another essential aspect of circus arts: playing with the audience, expression, character, improvisation and the use of the body for comic purposes.
The combination of juggling, balancing, theatre, and clowning gives participants a relatively broad introduction to the world of circus arts. The goal is not to train future professionals but to allow children to discover several disciplines and develop their skills through a fun and artistic activity.
Educational objectives and benefits
Regular juggling practice contributes to the development of hand-eye coordination , concentration, and precision. It also teaches repetition and acceptance that progress necessarily involves many attempts.
Balance activities and stilt walking simultaneously help to develop body awareness and the ability to adapt one's movements to an unusual situation.
Theatrical games and clowning bring a more expressive dimension to learning. Students are encouraged to use their imagination, interact with their peers, and experiment with different ways of communicating through gesture and movement.
This combination of technical learning and artistic expression corresponds to the educational approach developed by APEESJD in all of its extracurricular activities.
The Escolinhas of the APEESJD
The Escolinha de Artes Circenses is part of a larger program called " Escolinhas ". These activities are offered during the school year and allow students to discover different artistic, cultural and sporting practices in addition to their schooling.
The Escolinhas are accessible to kindergarten students as well as first, second and third cycle students of the Agrupamento de Escolas D. Filipa de Lencastre, depending on the activities and groups available.
Escolinhas Organization
For the 2026/2027 school year, the Escolinhas generally operate on weekly one-hour sessions.
- The sessions take place after the school day.
- They follow the school's calendar.
Circus arts are also included in the Atividades Complementares Educativas (Supplementary Educational Activities) for upper secondary school students. Within this framework, the activity is led by Bruno Henriques and is one of the artistic and recreational options available to students.
The presence of circus arts in several of the association's programs demonstrates that these arts are not simply a one-off event. The Escolinha de Artes Circenses was already listed among the regular activities of APEESJD during the 2022/2023 school year.
APEESJD: a parents' association
The APEESJD has significant experience in organizing extracurricular activities. The first "Escolinhas" (schools) began to be developed in order to meet the demands of families and to diversify the activities offered to children after school.
The association is a non-profit organization run by parents and legal guardians of students. It works in partnership with the school to complement its educational offerings and to allow children easy access to activities they might not necessarily encounter in the traditional school setting.
The Escolinha de Artes Circenses thus provides a gateway to the world of circus for young students in Lisbon. Juggling with balls, diabolo, devil stick, stilts, theatrical games and clowning allow them to explore different facets of the circus while developing coordination, balance, concentration, creativity and expression.
Even though APEESJD is not a school specializing exclusively in circus arts, the regularity of its teaching and the existence of a clearly identified activity " Artes Circenses " make it a relevant structure in a directory listing places where children and young people can regularly practice circus arts in Portugal.
