Acro Art

Acro Art

Art Acro is an association dedicated to circus arts and movement, based in Franconville, Val-d'Oise. Created in 2006, it develops its activities at the Jules Ferry Gymnasium and has welcomed children, teenagers, adults and families over the years to discover or deepen their knowledge of different circus disciplines.

Project and philosophy

The Art Acro project is based on an amateur and accessible approach to circus arts. The association aims to support both those discovering these activities for the first time and those who wish to have access to a space, equipment, and a group to continue progressing.

Disciplines

The diversity of disciplines has historically been one of the characteristics of the association. Art Acro practices in particular juggling, aerial disciplines, balances and trampoline, in addition to various acrobatic and motor skills activities.

• Juggling
• Aerial disciplines
• Balances
• Trampoline
• Acrobatic activities and motor skills

This diversity allows for a multidisciplinary approach to circus arts. Practitioners can experiment with different styles before further developing techniques that suit their interests.

Welcoming very young children

Art Acro also places special emphasis on welcoming very young children. Workshops are offered from the age of 2 to introduce them to motor skills and basic circus activities in a suitable environment.

Workshops for 2-3 year olds

The workshops for 2-3 year olds are built around motor skills and an introduction to circus arts. At this age, the objective is naturally not the pursuit of technical performance but the discovery of the body, movement, objects and apparatus.

Each child participates with a parent or other close adult. This person stays with the child and participates in the activities. Their presence is therefore an integral part of the session.

Throughout the year, the team gradually seeks to develop this relationship. The adult can take a step back as the child gains confidence in order to progressively foster their independence.

• Warm-up presented in the form of a game.
• Discovering the equipment and structures set up for the session.
• Juggling workshop suitable for young children.
• Quiet time at the end of the session.

A juggling workshop is also included in the course. To facilitate the first manipulations, the association uses particularly light objects, such as scarf balls , which are better suited to the motor skills of young children.

The session ends with a quiet time. The alternation between play, movement, discovery of structures, manipulation of objects and return to calm allows for a very gradual introduction.

The groups are intentionally small. The sessions accommodate around ten children, each accompanied by an adult, which helps to maintain a friendly atmosphere and facilitates individual support.

Art Acro offers several trial sessions before finalizing registration. The goal is to ensure the activity is a good fit for the child before the family commits for the year.

This approach reflects quite well the general philosophy of the association: practice must above all remain a pleasure and correspond to the desires and possibilities of each individual.

Other audiences and historical workshops

Historically, Art Acro has also developed courses for older children, teenagers, adults, and families. The offerings have evolved over the seasons depending on the number of members and the availability of instructors.

The adult workshop is a good example of this philosophy. It functioned more as a space for exchanging experiences than as a course built on a strictly vertical model between teacher and students.

The sessions were open to beginners wishing to discover circus arts, to amateurs wanting to progress through practice and exchange, but also to experienced practitioners simply looking for infrastructure and equipment.

Family groups could also participate, with adults accompanied by teenagers over 13 years old. The idea was to allow several generations to share the same activity.

• Group warm-up.
• Exercises organized around a theme.
• A period of free practice allowing students to choose the discipline to work on.

The association did not seek to impose a uniform progression. Participants were encouraged to try different techniques but remained free to skip an exercise they didn't feel comfortable with. The pleasure of sharing a group experience was therefore the main objective of these workshops.

• Three one-hour sessions are offered on Saturday mornings: 9am , 10am and 11am .

It is therefore important to distinguish the currently available offering from the full range of activities historically developed by the association. Art Acro possesses the equipment and experience to offer a much broader range of activities than the single early childhood workshop currently available.

These interventions allow the association to take circus arts out of the framework of regular classes and to participate in local community and cultural life.

Operations and team

Art Acro's operations are largely based on community involvement. Several managers handle the administration, organization of activities, team coordination, event planning, and supervision of activities.

The team includes a dedicated coordinator for the 2-3 year old workshops and another coordinator for the adult workshops. This structure allows for the distribution of different tasks among the association's members.

Conclusion

After twenty years in Franconville, Art Acro remains a local organization dedicated to the discovery and amateur practice of circus arts. Its current offerings are smaller than in previous seasons, but its program and equipment reflect a much broader experience: juggling, aerial arts, balancing, unicycling, trampolining, and various forms of group practice have all been part of the association's life. For the current season, Art Acro is primarily focused on introducing circus arts to 2- and 3-year- olds, using a pedagogy based on play, motor skills, manipulation, exploring apparatus, and the gradual development of independence.