CSC of Parmelan

The Parmelan Circus School

The Parmelan Circus School is an amateur circus school located in Annecy , Haute-Savoie, within the Parmelan Social and Cultural Center. Founded in 1997, it is part of a circus history that began a few years earlier in the neighborhood: as early as the 1990s, street circus artist Gildas Quiennec offered workshops for children. During the construction of the Social Center's new premises in the 1990s, a room specifically dedicated to circus arts was included in the project. The school officially opened in the fall of 1997 and received its accreditation from the French Federation of Circus Schools in 1998.

Staff and team

Today, the Parmelan Circus School welcomes over 600 amateur students , both children and adults, to its regular classes and workshops. More than 200 additional people are reached through its traveling workshops and performances throughout the region. The teaching team includes a director and four instructors holding the Circus Arts Instructor Certification (TIAC) .

A school open to all ages

From early childhood to senior citizens

One of the school's most distinctive features is the wide range of people it caters to. Practice begins in early childhood and can continue into adulthood and even among seniors.

0–3 years — Baby Circus

For children aged 0-3, baby circus activities are developed in partnership with the daycare center of the Parmelan Social and Cultural Center and various nurseries in Greater Annecy.

3–4 years old — Circus Games

From 3-4 years old, Ludocirque offers a first sensory introduction to circus equipment and the circus world. Children gradually discover their bodies, space, equipment, and the first sensations unique to the circus.

5–6 years — Circummotor skills

For 5-6 year olds, Circomotricity offers a playful introduction to different disciplines. The practice gradually becomes more structured while maintaining an approach adapted to the child's development.

From age 7 — technical discovery and creation

From the age of 7, children truly embark on an initiation into circus arts. The 7-9 year old and 10-13 year old groups benefit from an approach that is both technical and creative. Students discover and explore different apparatus and disciplines while gradually learning to use their acquired skills to develop an artistic performance. The classes are therefore not solely designed as physical training: creation and stage experience are integral parts of the program.

Advanced training program

Young people wishing to delve deeper into the arts can join an advanced training group, by selection, from the age of 9. This program allows them to refine their technique and artistic approach while discovering what the school calls "related arts," thus opening up circus practice to other forms of artistic expression. Students attend two hours of classes per week and participate in events such as Circus Rehearsals and the end-of-year show.

Créa Group — preparation for career guidance

The Parmelan Circus School also offers a particularly interesting program for teenagers aged 13 to 18: the Créa group. Accessible by selection, it is aimed at young people wishing to explore and solidify their artistic choices. The school presents it as a preparatory course for pre-professional circus schools.

The young people attend three hours of classes each week . Their training is supplemented by mandatory workshops during the autumn, winter, and spring holidays, led by an external professional or artist. This program thus creates a bridge between intensive amateur practice and a potential path towards professional training in circus arts.

Courses for teenagers and adults

Teenagers aged 14 to 18 can also follow a more traditional introductory course, again based on a technical and creative approach to circus arts. For adults, several levels and objectives are offered.

• Introduction : allows you to discover the equipment and the different disciplines.
• Advanced level : is aimed at people wishing to further develop their practice.
• Leisure : intended for adults who wish to practice for pleasure, without obligation to participate in the creation of an act or the end-of-year show.

The circus for seniors

The school even offers a workshop specifically designed for seniors. The practice is naturally adapted and gentler. The stated objective is to allow participants to reconnect with bodily sensations and emotions through circus arts. This offering perfectly illustrates the school's overall philosophy: circus arts are not just for children, young athletes, or future professionals, but can become a means of expression and physical discovery for all ages.

Scene and events

Circus Rehearsals

At the end of March, the school organizes Circus Rehearsals for the Advanced, Preparatory, and Adult groups. These events have several objectives: to allow students to experience performing on stage in front of an audience, to showcase their technical progress on their apparatus, to explore personal artistic expression, and to meet other students at the school to share their experiences. This approach demonstrates the importance placed on creation and public performance, beyond simply learning circus techniques.

End-of-year shows

At the end of June, the students also present their end-of-year shows. For the occasion, the circus hall is transformed into a proper performance venue to welcome families and friends. Each student can present an act alone or in a group, according to their preferences and abilities. For some groups, preparation for this show begins at the start of the year and is fully integrated into the educational program.

Internships during the holidays

In addition to regular classes, the Parmelan Circus School organizes workshops during school holidays. These are offered starting at the Ludocirque (a fun circus program) and continue for children and teenagers.

• Depending on their age, they can take the form of one hour a day for the youngest children.
• Up to three hours of practice per day for older children.

These internships allow you to discover the school without necessarily being enrolled for the year or to deepen an already regular practice.

Locations and interventions

Classes are primarily held in the circus hall of the Parmelan Social and Cultural Centre, at 6 allée des Salomons in Annecy . The school also uses the gymnasium of the René Cassin elementary school in Cran-Gevrier, which allows it to accommodate a large number of participants.

Nomadic workshops

The activities of the École du Parmelan extend far beyond the walls of its classrooms. It has developed numerous partnerships and offers mobile workshops to very diverse audiences.

• Interventions in schools, as part of extracurricular activities or artistic projects.
• Actions with sports partners, associations, socio-cultural structures, animation structures and family homes.
• Projects in the form of regular courses or internships, based on the same educational project as the activities carried out directly in the school.

The adapted circus

The Parmelan Circus School also develops adapted circus activities in partnership with specialized organizations in the area. Its team is trained to welcome a wide range of participants, including people with physical or intellectual disabilities, as well as those facing social or psychological challenges. The activities and objectives are then tailored to each individual's abilities and needs.

Meetings with professional artists

The school's location within the Parmelan Social and Cultural Center also allows for the creation of connections with the cultural program and professional artists. For example, during Circus Night, workshops allowed the public to meet and practice with professional companies: introductions to the Cyr wheel, acrobatics, contortion, hand-to-hand balancing, pyramids, and other balancing acts complemented the performance program. These encounters allow students and the public to discover practices that are sometimes different from those covered in regular classes.

The "Le Grand Saut" festival

The Parmelan Social and Cultural Center also organizes Le Grand Saut , a festival dedicated to circus and street arts. In May 2026, the event celebrated its 25th edition in Annecy. Its program blends professional shows, original creations, clowns, juggling, music, introductory workshops, and presentations by students of the Parmelan Circus School. The festival is a highlight, bringing together the school, local residents, families, professional artists, and the public around contemporary circus.

Integration into the Social and Cultural Center

The Parmelan Circus School possesses a rather unique identity. It is directly integrated into the Parmelan Social and Cultural Center, a non-profit organization (under the 1901 French law) run by local residents and professionals around a social and cultural development project. It thus combines the educational requirements of a circus school accredited by the FFEC (French Federation of Circus Schools) with those of community education and local social development.

Thanks to its programs ranging from baby circus to advanced training, its preparatory group, its adult and senior courses, adapted circus, nomadic workshops and its links with cultural programming, the Parmelan Circus School uses circus arts as a tool for learning, creativity, expression, meeting and cultural openness.