Circus Configurani – Viktoriaschule Aachen

Circus Configurani is the school circus of the Viktoriaschule in Aachen. Created in 1989, it has been one of the distinctive features of this German school for over thirty-five years.

The project began when several workshops dedicated to unicycling, juggling, and tightrope walking were developed within the school. These different activities were gradually brought together to create a true youth circus: Circus Configurani .

Even today, the circus occupies an important place in the life of the Viktoriaschule.

Unlike a simple one-off project organized for a few weeks, Circus Configurani is based on continuous training that supports students for several years.

Six circus groups

The establishment has six different circus groups.

All students at Viktoriaschule can join a circus activity and no prior experience is necessary.

There is also no competition or admission test.

The main requirement for young artists is to participate regularly in training sessions .

Beginners usually start their journey in the fifth grade.

Each class then has its own training slot, which remains the same for several years in order to ensure genuine educational continuity.

The sessions last approximately 90 minutes and are organized on Tuesday and Friday afternoons depending on the groups.

The training of young artists

During their initial learning period, new participants follow a particularly multidisciplinary program.

The goal is for everyone to discover the main families of circus arts before gradually choosing the techniques they wish to explore further.

The students are discovering, among other things, juggling with balls .

The diabolo, poi and devil stick are also part of the program.

The arts of balance are widely represented with the unicycle, the rola-bola, ball balancing and the tightrope.

Acrobatics is another important component of the training.

The students work in particular on two-person pyramids as well as large collective acrobatic constructions.

Aerial disciplines are also accessible.

The facilities allow visitors to discover the trapeze and aerial silks.

Hula-hooping and rope skipping complement this particularly diverse training.

This first phase allows young people to discover their abilities and preferences.

They can then delve deeper into certain techniques while continuing to develop within the group.

Progress between generations

The organization of the circus is based on a particularly interesting progression between generations.

The most experienced students participate in welcoming and supporting new members.

Young artists thus gradually learn to pass on their knowledge , explain techniques and guide others in their progress.

This empowerment constitutes an important dimension of the educational project.

Creations presented to the public

Circus Configurani is not limited to training, however.

Each year, the students create original works of art to be presented to the public.

The technical acts are integrated into a staging and an artistic universe that allows the learning done during the year to be transformed into a performance.

Young people thus participate in all dimensions of a circus creation: technical learning , rehearsal , collective work , staging and confrontation with the public .

The shows are presented in the establishment but also in various locations in Aachen and its region.

In June 2026, the great Configuranis, for example, presented their new creation " Büro sucht Turm " during three performances in the auditorium of the Viktoriaschule.

The show combined juggling, acrobatics, balancing and theatrical staging.

The young artists also participate in external events and offer participatory activities allowing the public to discover the circus arts.

Circus Configurani is thus regularly present in the cultural and associative life of Aachen.

The Configuration and the professional network

The project even goes beyond the framework of school education with the organization of the Configuvention .

This convention brings together jugglers and artists for several days of practice, exchanges and meetings.

The eighth Configuvention took place in Aachen from January 2nd to 5th, 2026.

This event illustrates the links developed between the school circus and the wider community of jugglers and circus artists.

Circus Configurani also participates in the professional network for circus pedagogy in Germany.

He is notably a member of the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Zirkuspädagogik Nordrhein-Westfalen , the network dedicated to circus pedagogy in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Several former students have also continued their involvement in circus arts after their schooling, notably as artists or educators.

A perfect example of a school circus

Circus Configurani is therefore a particularly successful example of a circus integrated into a school setting.

Its longevity since 1989, the presence of six groups, the diversity of disciplines offered, the progression over several years, the transmission between students and the regular creation of shows give it a functioning comparable to that of a real circus school for young people .

Today it constitutes one of the historical projects of circus pedagogy in Aachen.