Bellissimo Circus Schule – Switzerland

Bellissimo Circus Schule is a Swiss circus school founded in 2008 by Helena Wyder and Pico Gisler , two professional artists wishing to pass on to new generations their experience acquired during long international careers.

Based in the canton of Zurich, it offers regular courses in Bassersdorf and Kloten , as well as circus discovery weeks during school holidays.

The school welcomes children and teenagers wishing to discover circus arts or deepen their practice in a structured environment, supervised by experienced artists and teachers.

Its weekly program is mainly organized around two major families of disciplines: ground acrobatics and aerial acrobatics .

Ground acrobatics

Floor acrobatics classes are available from the age of five . They allow younger children to progressively develop coordination , flexibility , strength , balance and body awareness .

Several groups are offered depending on the age and level of the participants, in order to adapt the learning to the abilities and experience of each individual.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines are taught in Kloten , with groups for children aged 8 to 11 and teenagers aged 12 to 17 .

The school thus offers a progression ranging from initiation to a more advanced practice .

An identity linked to the founders' experience

Bellissimo has an identity strongly linked to the artistic experience of its founders.

Helena Wyder

Helena Wyder notably studied at the Annie Fratellini National Circus School in Paris, before developing an international career of more than twenty years as a vertical rope artist .

Today she shares her experience in the fields of acrobatics , hand balancing , trapeze and aerial silks .

Pico Gisler

Pico Gisler, for his part, started in the circus as a child before specializing in tightrope walking . His professional career has taken him to various European circuses as well as to Japan .

He notably passes on his knowledge of tightrope walking, juggling and diabolo .

The teaching team also includes other artists with professional training and experience in acrobatics , aerial disciplines , dance , theatre and movement arts .

Circus weeks and workshops

Alongside weekly classes, Bellissimo organizes circus weeks for children and teenagers aged 5 to 16 , with or without prior experience.

These internships allow for a broader exploration of circus arts.

Participants can, in particular, experience:

• ground acrobatics
• aerial disciplines
• juggling
• the hula-hoop
• clowning
• various balance exercises

Working on rollers , balance balls and beams complements this multidisciplinary approach.

Each week of the workshop results in the collective creation of a circus program.

On the last day, the children present their show in front of their families and loved ones.

The scenic dimension

This theatrical dimension is also present in regular classes: each year, students have the opportunity to present the skills acquired during a performance .

Circus entertainment

Bellissimo also develops circus entertainment that can be organized directly during outdoor events.

These activities allow children, but also adults, to try different techniques such as juggling , balancing or tightrope walking , under the supervision of teachers.

The school thus combines technical learning , artistic discovery and stage experience .

Thanks to its team from the professional circus , its courses organized by age and level and its workshops open to beginners, Bellissimo Circus Schule constitutes a structure for transmitting circus arts to young people in the Zurich region.