Arena Circus School – Martigny

The Arena Circus School is an artistic training center located in Martigny, in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. Founded in September 2012 by Erisley García Sánchez and Gaëla Fournier García Sánchez, it offers multidisciplinary circus arts training combining recreational practice, technical development, pre-professional training and artistic creation.

The establishment welcomes participants of all ages , from toddlers as young as 18 months to adults and seniors. Its educational approach is based on a progression adapted to the level, age, and objectives of each student, in an approach that promotes creativity , self-confidence , cooperation , and personal growth , without seeking competition.

The first discoveries begin with Baby Circus , offered to children aged 18 months to 3 years accompanied by a parent. These sessions combine physical games, psychomotor activities, fine and gross motor skills, and the discovery of movement. Children aged 3 to 4 can then join the introductory classes, designed as a playful first approach to circus disciplines and group practice.

The school offers regular classes for different age groups: 5-7 years , 8-9 years , 10-12 years , teenagers, and adults. The programs allow beginners to discover the fundamentals of circus arts, while more experienced practitioners can gradually deepen their skills.

The teaching includes a wide variety of disciplines. Acrobatics is approached in several forms: floor acrobatics, mini-trampoline, trampoline, banquine, Chinese pole and acrobatic jump rope.

Aerial arts also occupy an important place in the school, including the fixed trapeze, the swinging trapeze, the vertical trapeze, the aerial hoop, the silks and the straps.

Students discover different techniques for balancing on objects, including the balance ball, the wire, the unicycle, the rola-bola and the pedal boat.

Juggling and object manipulation constitute another major focus of learning. These include scarves, balls, clubs, rings, diabolo, hula hoops and antipodism.

Physical training is complemented by hand balances, acrobatic lifts, pyramids, hand-to-hand acrobatics, and contortion. The school also incorporates artistic expression disciplines such as clowning, mime, theatre, and magic.

The educational programs are organized into several levels, from initiation to advanced. Students can thus follow a general education before accessing, according to their experience, specialized courses.

These specializations allow students to delve deeper into aerial disciplines, acrobatics, unicycling, handstands, and Chinese pole. They complement the annual multidisciplinary course, ensuring a diverse circus training.

The Arena Circus School also has a truly professional dimension. An intensive one-year pre-professional program, renewable and representing approximately 35 hours of training per week , prepares candidates wishing to enter a higher circus school or pursue a professional artistic career.

A three-year professional training program, also offered full-time, supports aspiring artists in developing their technical skills and creating a personal or group act. This training combines circus disciplines with physical conditioning, dance, theater, music, and various other performing arts courses.

The school also develops a training program for young instructors . Experienced teenage students can gradually learn to pass on their knowledge and assist teachers during classes, under the supervision of the management.

Artistic creation plays a significant role in the school's operations. The Arena Circus School Company brings together students selected for their versatility, creativity, and artistic sensibility. They participate in the development of acts and shows presented at cultural events, festivals, and public or private functions.

During school holidays, Arena also organizes training courses accessible to beginners as well as experienced practitioners. These days allow participants to discover or deepen their knowledge of various techniques, with supervision provided by the school's managers and instructors.

The organization regularly collaborates with schools and local institutions. It also offers introductory workshops, activities, and outreach programs to introduce circus arts to a wider audience.

The establishment also has a fully equipped sports hall , allowing students to develop their physical fitness, as well as spaces that can accommodate professional artists for training and creative residencies.

With its teaching accessible from early childhood, its numerous disciplines, its specialisation courses, its professional training and its artistic company, the Arena Circus School constitutes a complete place for the discovery, transmission and creation of circus arts in the Swiss Valais.