Charleroi Circus School – Circomédie ASBL

The Charleroi Circus School – Circomédie is a Belgian school dedicated to learning, practicing, and creating circus arts. Located primarily in the verdant setting of the former Soleilmont Abbey in Fleurus, it welcomes numerous children and teenagers each week in classes tailored to their age, level, and interests.

Circomédie's teaching method is based on a playful, supportive, and non-competitive approach. The goal is not to compare participants, but to allow each person to progress at their own pace , take on new challenges, develop their confidence, and gradually push past their own limits.

Circummotor skills and acromotor skills

The discovery can begin in early childhood with circus-based motor skills classes. Designed for children aged 3 to 5 , these classes use the world of the circus as a basis for psychomotor development. Obstacle courses, games, movement, and initial circus experiences help develop balance , coordination , and body awareness .

Acrobatic motor skills represent a further step for young children. It gradually introduces their first acrobatic experiences while maintaining an approach adapted to their motor development.

Multidisciplinary courses

Older children can join multidisciplinary circus classes. There they discover different families of techniques and gradually develop balance , coordination , creativity , dexterity and body control .

Juggling and manipulation

Juggling and manipulation play an important role in the school's activities. Circomédie offers diabolo practice, including advanced courses for young people wishing to delve deeper into this discipline.

The unicycle

Unicycling also has its own teaching methods. Students can progressively develop their balance , their control of movements and their ease on this apparatus .

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is taught in several groups and can be explored in depth. Young practitioners gradually learn to better control their bodies, their balance, and their movements in space.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines are another area of particular focus for the school. Several groups are offered according to age and level, from introductory to advanced levels.

Students specializing in aerial arts can practice silks , trapeze , and aerial hoop . The training combines strength , flexibility , balance , and body control at height to progressively build figures and then more fluid sequences.

Improvement and creation

For teenagers who have already acquired circus experience, Circomédie also offers advanced training courses combining acrobatics and aerial techniques.

The school does not limit its teaching to technical skills. A course dedicated to creation allows young people with several years of experience to design their own acts. They can work individually or in groups and develop creations intended for the ring or for outdoor events.

This artistic dimension allows participants to gradually move from learning a technique to using it in a real performance project .

The season culminates in " Circomedy in Celebration ," during which students present the work they have completed throughout the year. This event provides an important opportunity for learning, creation, and performance to come together before an audience.

Internships and educational activities

In addition to weekly workshops, Circomédie organizes numerous workshops during school holidays. Some are entirely devoted to circus arts, while others combine circus practice with creative themes.

The school also develops educational activities for schools and groups. Circus arts are used as an educational tool to develop motor skills, creativity, cooperation, expression, and self-confidence.

The professional company

Circomédie also has a professional company bringing together artists from the circus and performing arts. Shows and entertainment can combine juggling, stilt walking, magic, fire, and various circus disciplines.

Recognition and project

The non-profit organization is recognized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and benefits from the status of Centre for Expression and Creativity . Its project thus goes beyond mere technical training to consider the circus as a means of expression , personal development , creativity and encounter with others .

With its multidisciplinary courses, technical specializations, advanced levels, internships, creations and educational projects, the Charleroi Circus School – Circomédie constitutes an important structure for the learning and amateur practice of circus arts in the Charleroi region.