Borsberg Circus School

The Borsberg Circus School

The Borsberg Circus School is a recreational circus school located under a big top in Fleury-sur-Orne, near Caen in Calvados. Created in 2013 on the initiative of Karl Borsberg and with the support of the municipality of Fleury-sur-Orne, it now welcomes nearly 200 students , from toddlers to adults.

The school's story begins when Karl Borsberg proposed to the town of Fleury-sur-Orne the creation of a genuine recreational circus school under a big top. The project was welcomed by the municipality and the first school year began in September 2013 .

Since its first season, the school has gradually developed and now occupies a lasting place in the associative and cultural landscape of the Caen metropolitan area. In 2023 , to celebrate its tenth anniversary, it notably acquired a new, more modern big top, offering new possibilities for practicing aerial disciplines.

audience and age groups

• Baby Circus: discovery from the age of 2 with the participation of a parent .
• Children's groups: 4–6 years , 6–8 years , 8–10 years .
• Teenagers, older teenagers and adults: groups adapted according to age and level.

This structure allows for the gradual adaptation of learning to the age and abilities of the participants. Younger children discover circus arts in a playful way, while more experienced students can progressively develop their technique and move towards the disciplines that interest them most.

Teaching and disciplines

• Acrobatics
• Juggling
• Clown
• Balancing on a ball (rolla-rolla)
• Trapeze
• Wire
• Object manipulation and other workshops offered under the big top

Balance work can be approached on the ball or the rolla-rolla, while the tightrope allows for experimentation with another form of balance and movement control. These disciplines progressively develop support, coordination, and body awareness in space.

The trapeze, meanwhile, allows students to discover aerial disciplines. The renovation of the big top in 2023 enabled the school to expand the opportunities offered to students for this type of practice.

Annual organization and shows

Regular classes are held from mid-September to the end of June. They take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with sessions lasting one to one and a half hours depending on the group. Students are supervised by two professional instructors.

Throughout the year, they explore different workshops before delving deeper into specific disciplines. This progression culminates in the preparation of the end-of-year show , an important stage in the students' journey where learning takes on a theatrical dimension.

This close connection to the performing arts is particularly evident at the Borsberg Circus School, as the school is directly linked to a family and a professional circus. The Borsberg family has worked in the performing arts for over twenty years and, alongside the school's activities, develops various circus productions.

The Borsberg Circus presents its Christmas Circus every winter at the Caen Exhibition Center. These productions bring together professional artists and maintain a direct link between leisure schools and the world of circus performance.

Workshops, birthday parties and one-off practice sessions

1. Discovery: participants experience different workshops.
2. Choice: each person chooses the discipline they wish to study in depth.
3. Preparation: throughout the week, they prepare their own act.
4. Presentation: on Fridays, the children present their acts in front of an audience (parents, family).

In addition to its year-round classes, the Borsberg Circus School organizes workshops during school holidays, with the exception of the Christmas break. These workshops allow children to discover circus arts over several consecutive afternoons and to experience a creative process culminating in a public performance.

The school also offers children the opportunity to celebrate their birthdays under the big top. Participants discover various circus workshops such as tightrope walking, trapeze, ball walking, and rolla-rolla. After an initial introductory session, each child chooses a workshop they wish to present in a short performance to which parents are invited.

The Borsberg Circus School benefits from the Borsberg family's extensive experience in the circus world. Originally from Caen, Karl Borsberg has been developing various circus-related activities in Normandy for over twenty years. This continuity between teaching and performance gives the school a unique identity: practicing in a real big top and preparing an act to be presented to an audience.

With nearly 200 students, classes held four days a week, holiday workshops, and a permanent big top renovated in 2023, the Borsberg Circus School is now a major institution for amateur circus arts in the Caen area. It allows children to discover the circus arts from early childhood, to continue regular practice throughout childhood and adolescence, and then into adulthood, all within an environment directly linked to the tradition of the big top and live performance.