Circus Plank

Planche de Cirque is a circus arts school located in the Charente region, near Angoulême. Its main activity takes place under a big top set up year-round in Soyaux , in the gardens of the ADAPEI's Claudine Nebout residence. The association also runs workshops in various towns in the Charente and works directly with schools, leisure centers, socio-cultural organizations, and specialized institutions.

From skateboard origins to circus arts

The association's history began in 2002 with the creation of " A Road Trip Family " by Sébastien Baudry . The project was then dedicated to skateboarding and sought in particular to allow young practitioners to discover new places.

From 2003 onwards, the team decided to integrate circus arts into the project. The connection between skateboarding and circus is based on several common qualities: balance, expression, coordination, risk-taking, perseverance and self-confidence .

This evolution led in October 2003 to the transformation of the association and the birth of Planche de Cirque . The word " Planche " deliberately retains the reference to the skateboard which is at the origin of the project.

A cultural, artistic, sporting and educational approach

The association has since developed an approach to circus arts that is cultural, artistic, sporting and educational .

The practice should allow for the joint development of body and mind . Balance, coordination of movements, dexterity, flexibility, perception of one's environment, controlled risk-taking, safety, and confidence in oneself and others are among the stated educational objectives .

Regular classes for all ages

Regular classes now attract a particularly wide audience.

• Younger children can start with a parent-child course designed for children aged 3 to 4 .
• The children then continue in different groups organised by age range, then with adolescent groups up to 18 years old .
• Adults also have access to a free practice workshop .

The classes take place from October to June and last, depending on age and group, forty-five minutes , one hour or one hour thirty .

A multidisciplinary teaching

The teaching is multidisciplinary .

Participants discover juggling , acrobatics , object balancing , and aerial disciplines . Acting exercises and physical expression work complement these learning experiences.

The goal is to allow everyone to experience different families of circus arts and to progress at their own pace.

Technical practice is also linked to expression and performance . At the end of the season, the different groups come together for a big celebration, allowing students to present their work to an audience.

This end-of-year celebration is an important event in the life of the association. It brings together the different groups of the school and can also welcome professional artists, including former students who have continued their careers in the performing arts.

A mobile school covering the entire Charente region

Planche de Cirque does not limit its activity to its big top in Soyaux.

The association organizes or leads regular workshops in other towns and organizations in the area. In particular, it has been active in Rouillac for several years in partnership with La Palène .

These workshops allow children to discover juggling, balancing on objects, acrobatics and aerial disciplines in a regular setting throughout the school year.

The association also develops internships and camps during certain school holiday periods.

Its mobile operation allows it to operate in numerous municipalities in the Charente region. Leisure centers, local authorities and organizations can thus host occasional workshops or days dedicated to circus arts.

Tailor-made educational projects

Planche de Cirque also develops specific educational projects with schools, group activities for minors, socio-cultural centers, works councils and other structures.

These interventions can be organized over a defined period and developed in collaboration with the partner institution. The educational objectives are then defined jointly, and the sessions evolve progressively according to the audience.

Circus becomes a tool for working on expression , balance , coordination , risk-taking , confidence and relationships with others .

The association has an agreement with the Academic Inspectorate for its interventions in the school setting.

Adapted sport, an essential dimension

Adapted sport is a particularly important dimension of Planche de Cirque.

The association has an adapted sports accreditation and works with very different audiences: people with disabilities, the elderly and very young children.

Circus techniques are adapted to the abilities, needs and objectives of the participants rather than imposing an identical practice on everyone.

The permanent presence of the big top in the gardens of an ADAPEI residence also facilitates links between the school and the people it supports.

Planche de Cirque has notably developed projects associating practitioners with disabilities and students from adolescent and adult groups.

The " Join the Troupe! " project, conducted in partnership with ADAPEI, is based on meeting, exchanging ideas, creating collectively, and preparing performances for festivals. The project is currently listed as pending resumption.

Early childhood, a specific focus

Early childhood constitutes another specific focus area.

A regular baby circus session is offered under the big top for children aged 0 to 3. The association also organizes early childhood programs in various towns and facilities.

These activities follow the same logic of adapting equipment and situations to the capabilities of each audience.

The permanent teaching staff

The permanent teaching team consists of Céline Baudry , Jérémie Mauduit and Lucie Mauduit .

Amateur initiation and practice rather than professional training

Planche de Cirque does not present itself as a professional training structure for artists . Its objective is above all the initiation , amateur practice , expression and use of circus arts as an educational and social tool .

Practitioners can nevertheless progress for several years and some former students have continued their careers in professional entertainment.

One-off events and the big top's identity

The association also organizes occasional events .

It can intervene at festivals, night markets, carnivals, Christmas parties or other events to offer spaces for initiation and discovery .

Its marquee is, finally, a central element of its identity.

Based year-round in Soyaux, it hosts regular classes, projects, meetings, and performances. But the association also maintains a strong capacity for travel , remaining true to its initial mission of making artistic practices accessible in different areas.

A school focused on popular education and accessibility

Planche de Cirque thus constitutes an amateur school particularly focused on popular education and accessibility .

Regular courses from early childhood to adults, juggling, acrobatics, balances, aerial disciplines, expression, workshops, school projects, interventions in leisure centers, adapted sport, disability, baby circus and traveling entertainment make up a project that goes far beyond the operation of a simple leisure school.

This desire to adapt circus arts to different audiences and to use the practice as a tool for expression , confidence , encounter and personal development constitutes one of the main characteristics of Planche de Cirque.