CirKini – Teich Circus Arts School

CirKini is a circus arts school located in Le Teich, on the Arcachon Bay. Created in 2014 on the initiative of Marion Gourgues , the association develops an amateur practice accessible to toddlers, children, teenagers and adults.

Marion Gourgues, founder

Marion Gourgues holds a BPJEPS (Brevet Professionnel de la Jeunesse, de l'Éducation Populaire et du Sport) in Circus Arts and also has university training focused on teaching children. Before creating CirKini, she practiced various circus disciplines for several years, specializing in aerial arts and hand balancing . Her experience has also led her to work with preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, special education institutions, retirement homes, and recreation centers.

A multidisciplinary introduction

The school offers a multidisciplinary introduction allowing participants to gradually discover the major branches of circus arts. Sessions are adapted to the age and skill level of the participants, in a non-competitive environment.

The year is organized into several cycles allowing for the successive exploration of different families of disciplines.

First cycle: balances

The first cycle is devoted to balances . Students can discover, in particular, the rope, the wire, the balance ball, the American roller, the pedal bike, the unicycle, ladders and lifts.

Second cycle: juggling and object manipulation

A second cycle develops juggling and object manipulation. Balls, clubs, scarves, rings, diabolo, devil stick, Chinese plates, hula-hoop and passing allow experimentation with different techniques and development of coordination, precision and manipulation.

Third cycle: aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines constitute a third cycle. The school offers, in particular, solo and duo trapeze, aerial silks, aerial hoop and Chinese pole.

Acrobatics, trampoline and acting

Acrobatics , trampoline and acting are not limited to a particular cycle: they are worked on regularly throughout the year and constitute cross-cutting bases of the teaching offered by CirKini.

Improvement and creation

After the introductory cycles, a period is dedicated to individual improvement . Each student can then choose the disciplines they wish to explore further and develop their own practice even more.

The last part of the year is devoted to the creation and preparation of the show .

Students are encouraged to imagine individual or group acts and to combine technical research with artistic creation. Staging, story, choreography, use of space, acting, musical research, costumes and sets can thus be part of the creative process.

A three-dimensional pedagogy

CirKini's pedagogy is organized around three main dimensions: technical , educational and artistic .

The technical dimension

On a technical level, the school seeks to transmit the various circus techniques while developing the physical abilities necessary for their practice: strength, flexibility, balance, agility and reflexes.

The educational dimension

The educational approach is based on cooperation, mutual support, teamwork, autonomy, and listening to others. Particular attention is also paid to learning and respecting safety rules .

The artistic dimension

The artistic dimension aims to allow practitioners to use the techniques acquired to build a personal expression . Body work, creativity, use of space and staging are progressively associated with technical practice.

A very wide audience

CirKini welcomes a very wide audience. Activities are aimed at babies, children, teenagers and adults and are organized according to the age and level of each person.

In addition to group classes, the school also offers private lessons for children and adults, alone or in pairs.

Internships

During school holidays, regular classes give way to internships .

• Parent-child workshops allow children aged 2 to 4 to discover the circus accompanied by an adult.
• Other options accommodate children from 5 years old, while longer days are offered from 8 years old.
• Specific time slots may also be offered to teenagers.

The courses can be taken by the day, by the session or for a whole week, which allows both a first discovery and a deepening of the practice.

Projects with groups and institutions

CirKini also develops projects with groups and institutions.

The school can host groups on its premises or bring its team and equipment. The sessions can take the form of a one-off discovery session or a project developed over fifteen or more sessions.

These actions can involve children, adults, the elderly, and various specific audiences.

Creating shows

Finally, the creation of shows is an important component of the association's project. The last period of each season is dedicated to preparing the end-of-year performances , allowing students to present the results of their work and discover all the dimensions of a circus production.

Through the diversity of disciplines offered and the progressive organization of its teaching, CirKini allows one to explore all the major families of the circus: balances , juggling , aerial disciplines , acrobatics , trampoline , artistic expression and creation .