Asphyxiation – Circus School

The Asphyxie Circus School is located in Blanquefort , Gironde, north of Bordeaux. Created in 2003 , the Asphyxie association works to promote circus arts and street arts through teaching, workshops, the creation and distribution of shows, outreach to different audiences and the organization of cultural events.

Accredited by the Ministry of Youth and Popular Education , the association develops a circus arts program based on accessibility, transmission, creativity, and sharing. Its goal is to allow as many people as possible to discover the circus arts and progress in an environment adapted to each individual's age, experience, and expectations.

The circus school is one of Asphyxie's main areas of activity. For the 2026-2027 season, it welcomes children from 4 years old , teenagers and now adults from 16 years old .

Weekly classes are organized in small groups to maintain the quality of support. Children's groups are limited to twelve participants .

The sessions offer an introduction to several major branches of circus arts: juggling, object balancing, acrobatics, clowning, and mini-trapeze. This multidisciplinary approach allows students to experiment with different techniques before gradually developing their skills in those they wish to pursue.

Juggling is approached through a wide variety of objects. Students can manipulate balls, scarves, clubs, rings, diabolos, devil sticks, Chinese plates, bolas and various accessories.

Balancing acts on objects allow participants to experiment with balance balls, tightropes, American rollers, pedal go-ks, and unicycles. These disciplines particularly require coordination, balance, concentration, and body awareness in space.

Acrobatics are practiced both individually and collectively. Participants discover different ground moves such as rolls, cartwheels, roundoffs and hand balances, as well as acrobatic lifts and pyramids.

Clowning complements technical training with work on acting and physical expression. This discipline allows students to reflect on what they want to convey and how to use their bodies as a tool for communication.

The goal is therefore to gradually move beyond mere technical prowess to learn how to construct an artistic proposition , a character, a situation or a story.

Asphyxie also offers an introduction to aerial disciplines using a mini-trapeze mounted on a freestanding structure. This device allows participants to discover different trapeze figures and the sensations associated with height, balance, and swinging.

Three major educational stages

The teaching is organized around three main pedagogical stages. The first corresponds to the discovery and initiation of the different disciplines.

The second stage is dedicated to refinement and deepening . Practitioners gradually develop their technical mastery and begin to build more elaborate sequences.

The third cycle is dedicated to the creation of a show . The skills acquired during the previous months then become tools enabling the construction of an individual or collective artistic proposal.

This progression respects each individual's learning pace. The association emphasizes the concepts of sharing and solidarity , as well as the role of creativity in developing self-confidence and trust in others.

The classes are led by instructors specializing in circus arts. The team includes professionals holding the BPJEPS Circus Activities qualification and also possesses specific skills in adapted circus .

For the 2026-2027 season, several time slots are offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays . The groups are mainly divided between 4-6 year olds , 7-10 year olds and 11-15 year olds .

An adult workshop for those aged 16 and over now completes the offering. It allows adults to discover or deepen their knowledge of circus arts in the same spirit as the other groups at the school.

The association's events

The learning acquired during the year is celebrated at several events organized by the association.

Asphyxia's Christmas event is the first of the season. Children can present some of the work they've done since the start of the school year, while professional artists also come to showcase their creations.

The second major event is the Jubil'à Jongle festival. Organised every year in Blanquefort, it brings together professional and amateur artists around circus arts and street arts.

The school's students present their annual show there. The festival combines their creations with professional shows, introductions to circus arts, entertainment, and various social spaces.

Jubil'à Jongle has become an important event for the association over the years. Its 18th edition took place on June 6th and 7th, 2026 at Parc de Fongravey in Blanquefort.

Internships during school holidays

In addition to weekly classes, Asphyxie organizes workshops during school holidays. These allow for both a first introduction and a deeper exploration of the techniques.

The workshops are offered for different age groups. The Baby Circus program, in particular, welcomes children aged 1 to 3 years accompanied by a parent.

These parent-child sessions use juggling objects, balances, small acrobatics for two and motor skills courses to develop the relationship, confidence and motor skills of the child in a playful way.

Workshops for older children offer the opportunity to discover juggling, balancing on objects, acrobatics, and the mini-trapeze. Group sizes are intentionally kept small, generally to ten or twelve participants .

Mobile interventions

However, Asphyxie does not limit its educational activities to its school in Blanquefort. The association has a significant outreach program and works directly with organizations wishing to implement a circus arts project.

She works with schools from kindergarten to high school, nurseries and early childhood facilities, leisure centers, socio-cultural structures and various specialized establishments.

Projects can take the form of a one-off discovery lasting a few hours, a mini-internship, a cycle of several sessions, or a project developed over the course of an entire school year.

When interventions take place outside of Blanquefort, the team travels with the necessary equipment for the practice: mats, juggling equipment, balance equipment and apparatus adapted to the planned activities.

The adapted circus

Adapted circus arts are another important aspect of Asphyxie's project. The association aims to make circus arts accessible to people with disabilities and works with various specialized organizations.

In this context, the goal is not to train circus artists. Circus disciplines are used as educational tools to develop expression, autonomy, motor skills, creativity, imagination, and relationships with others.

The exercises are adapted to the age, abilities, and disabilities of the participants. Particular attention is paid to safety and respecting individual pace while maintaining a genuine group dynamic.

The supervision of these activities is provided by an instructor holding the BPJEPS Circus Activities qualification and specifically trained in adapted circus.

The experience gained in this field allows Asphyxie to work with IME, ITEP, SESSAD, medico-psychological centers and other specialized establishments.

Early childhood

Early childhood is also the subject of a specific approach. Apart from the Baby Circus workshops organized in Blanquefort, the association works in nurseries and childcare facilities with workshops adapted for children from approximately 18 months to 3 years old .

Activities are then based on exploration, manipulation, motor skills, and initial physical experiences. Circus objects and techniques become tools for discovery rather than technical objectives.

Professional training

Asphyxie also has a training activity aimed at professionals and future professionals in animation.

These training courses provide the necessary foundations for setting up circus arts discovery workshops. They are aimed particularly at activity leaders, future holders of the BAFA or BPJEPS qualifications, teachers, and professionals working in specialized organizations.

The modules combine theory, practice and an artistic approach. They may cover circus techniques but also safety, pedagogy, group management, creativity and project development.

This professional training activity does not constitute training for circus artists. It is primarily oriented towards the transmission and use of circus disciplines in an educational, socio-cultural or specialized context.

The creation and distribution of shows

Asphyxie also creates and distributes live performances . The association works with several professional artists from the circus and street arts.

The creations may combine juggling, object balancing, magic, pyrotechnics, street theatre and various forms of performance. They may be presented as fixed shows, short formats or as promenade performances.

This close connection with professional creation enriches the association's overall project. Students can discover circus arts through their own practice but also by attending shows programmed during Asphyxie events.

A cross-disciplinary project centered around circus arts

The association thus constitutes in Blanquefort a particularly cross-cutting project around the circus arts: amateur school, workshops, Baby Circus, adapted circus, school and social interventions, training of facilitators, professional creation and organization of events are developed within the same structure.

For the students at the school, this diversity allows them to develop a practice that goes beyond simply learning steps. Technical discovery, progression, physical expression, creativity, and preparation for a performance are all integrated into a program developed throughout the season.

Through this approach, Asphyxie seeks to make circus arts a space for learning , creation and encounter accessible to very different audiences, while preserving the values of solidarity, mutual aid and trust that accompany collective practice.