CPA Lathus

The Apprentice Street Performers — CPA Lathus

The Les Apprentis Saltimbanques circus arts school is part of CPA Lathus, a major community center for education, leisure, sports, training, and outdoor activities located in Lathus-Saint-Rémy, in the south of the Vienne department. Circus arts play a significant role there and are offered in many forms: year-round school , workshops , open practice , shows , fire circus , holiday camps , educational programs , group activities , and adapted programs for people with disabilities .

The Lathus Outdoor Activities Centre (CPA Lathus) is located in a vast natural setting around the hamlet of La Voulzie, near the Gartempe Valley. The centre has existed for over four decades and develops a community education program that combines sports, environmental, cultural, and educational activities. It welcomes children, teenagers, adults, schools, leisure centres, specialized facilities, associations, and groups throughout the year.

Within this group, Les Apprentis Saltimbanques constitutes the true circus school of the CPA. Regular classes take place mainly in equipped rooms in the village of Peu in Lathus-Saint-Rémy, with equipment allowing students to explore the different branches of circus arts.

The pedagogy views circus arts as an activity combining skill and expression . Practice should allow each participant to develop creativity , self-confidence and confidence in others, physical expression , motor skills, and the pleasure of practicing collectively.

The school is therefore not limited to the acquisition of technical skills. The sessions aim to combine learning, artistic expression, and personal development. In the educational projects designed for groups, the team also emphasizes cooperation, motor skills, pushing one's limits, teamwork, and creativity.

A school accessible from 18 months old

One of the unique features of Les Apprentis Saltimbanques is the wide range of ages it welcomes. For the 2026-2027 season, the school begins with a parent-child workshop for children aged 18 months to 3 years, then offers several groups adapted to different ages and levels.

• Parent-child workshop : 18 months–3 years
• Group : 4–6 years
• Group : 7–12 years old
• Group : 13 years and older
• Suggestions for adults

The approach can thus accompany the child from their first motor experiences to an autonomous and more specialized practice in adolescence or adulthood.

A particularly comprehensive circus practice

Dynamic acrobatics includes rolls, cartwheels and various figures requiring coordination, momentum and movement.

Static acrobatics focuses more on body balance, lifts, and human pyramids.

Aerial disciplines occupy a significant place in the offering. Official sources mention trapeze , aerial silks and rope ; circus camps also include aerial hoop .

• Trapeze
• Aerial fabric
• Smooth rope
• Aerial hoop (outside of regular season, during stays)

Balancing acts using objects include balance balls, tightrope walkers, rollers/rola-bolas, unicycles, and stilts. The camp programs also mention barrels among the supports that can be used.

• Balance ball
• Thread
• Roller / rola-bola
• Unicycle
• Stilts
• Barrel (stays)

Juggling is also particularly interesting: the CPA sources explicitly mention balls , rings , clubs, and diabolo . Scarves also appear in the circus camp records.

The diabolo is therefore perfectly confirmed in this school.

Finally, the interpretive work combines clowning, theatrical expression and acting, while magic constitutes another explicitly announced component of the teaching.

A fire course for adults

This is a rather rare feature among the schools we have dealt with: the 2026-2027 season includes an "adult fire course", scheduled every Monday.

The Apprentis Saltimbanques' work with fire doesn't seem to be purely theoretical. The school has already publicly presented proposals combining circus and fire shows, particularly at regional cultural events.

For the directory, it is indicated: Fire Arts / Fire Show , specifying that a specific adult course is offered in 2026-2027.

Free practice

The school offers a weekly open practice session for all experienced practitioners. This is a real advantage for teenagers and adults who want to practice more independently outside of a structured class.

A true artistic and theatrical dimension

Students don't just stay in the training rooms. Members can participate in the various workshops, events, and shows to which the school is invited. The CPA specifically mentions the Les imPrO'bables festival, cabarets, outdoor shows, and school celebrations.

The Les imPrO'bables festival, organized by CPA Lathus, combines artistic performances, street arts, circus, horse riding, concerts and entertainment. The circus school has a regular presence there.

This confrontation with the public is consistent with the CPA's pedagogy: in circus camps, participants prepare, for example, a show presented to families at the end of the week.

Discovery classes and school trips

The Apprentis Saltimbanques also constitute an important tool for the school projects of CPA Lathus. The school welcomes numerous field trips, youth groups and specialized organizations each year.

The programs can be structured around circus arts and adapted to the educational objectives of the institution. The activities allow students to work on:

• Body language
• Cooperation
• Creativity
• Motor Skills
• Self-confidence
• Self-improvement

The CPA welcomes primary schools as well as middle and high schools, with themed stays that can be adapted in duration and content.

Circus camps and stays

Activities continue during the holidays with various programs. The "Circus on Stage" program, for example, allows young people to dedicate a week to circus arts practice and creation.

• Trapeze
• Hoop
• Fabric
• Rola-bola
• Thread
• Rope
• Ball
• Barrel
• Acrobatics and lifts
• Juggling (balls, scarves, clubs, diabolo)
• Magic

The stay culminates in the creation of a group performance presented to families on Friday. The objective is both artistic and personal: expression, self-confidence, coordination, motor skills, and the ability to create with others.

Circus arts are also integrated into several multi-activity stays at the CPA, which allows us to reach children and teenagers who do not initially come for a week exclusively dedicated to circus arts.

A much broader popular education structure

The CPA's environment is another distinctive feature of the school. The Apprentis Saltimbanques (Apprentice Performers) operate within a center that also offers numerous other activities and training programs.

• Horse riding
• Outdoor activities
• Environment
• Educational farm
• Kayak
• Escalation
• Mountain biking
• Training in animation

The CPA notably holds an accreditation as a popular education association, an accreditation as a permanent center for discovery classes, the CPIE label – Permanent Center for Environmental Initiatives, as well as the accreditation as a French Circus School .

This setup allows for the cross-fertilization of practices and the development of projects that go far beyond the scope of a traditional weekly course.

According to the NetJuggler directory, Les Apprentis Saltimbanques is a particularly comprehensive school: year-round practice from 18 months, teenagers and adults, juggling, diabolo, clubs, aerial arts, acrobatics, balance, unicycle, magic, clowning, fire classes, free practice, shows, school trips, camps and a genuine policy of welcoming people with disabilities.