Circus Zonder Handen — Brussels

Circus Zonder Handen is a Brussels-based circus school that develops an original approach to urban circus , inclusion , and accessibility . Primarily located in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean but active in several Brussels municipalities, it aims to enable as many people as possible to discover and practice circus arts.

Its principle is simple: the circus must be accessible to everyone . The school therefore seeks to reduce as much as possible the obstacles related to financial situation, origin, language, gender, age or physical abilities.

A practice from a very young age

Children can start with circus motor skills at a very young age.

For 4-5 year olds , the child participates accompanied by an adult. Together, they gradually discover the first circus techniques and develop motor skills, coordination and confidence through a playful approach.

Children aged 5 can then join the toddlers' circus. There, they discover, in an age-appropriate way, the different technical disciplines present in the school.

Acrobatics, juggling, balance and parkour are among the skills included in this training.

The groups then evolve with age in order to offer challenges adapted to the physical, technical and social development of each participant.

The programming thus allows children and teenagers to continue their practice for several years and to gradually move towards more specialized disciplines.

The urban circus as a playground

Circus Zonder Handen gives an important place to urban circus .

The urban environment can become a testing ground for experimentation and creation. This approach, in particular, brings circus arts closer to practices like parkour and encourages young people to see the spaces around them in a new light.

However, technology is not considered an end in itself.

The school uses circus arts to allow young people to discover their talents, develop their creativity and self-confidence, and learn to work with others.

Cooperation and a common language

Cooperation plays a central role in this approach.

The circus becomes a common language capable of bringing together participants with different backgrounds, cultures or languages.

This philosophy is particularly important in the multicultural Brussels context in which Circus Zonder Handen works.

The structure is deliberately situated at the crossroads of several sectors: youth, culture, well-being and sport.

It is therefore not defined solely as a place where figures are learned, but as a space allowing young people to grow through collective artistic practice.

Inclusion at the heart of the project

Inclusion is one of the foundations of the project.

Circus Zonder Handen seeks to remove as many barriers as possible that prevent some families from accessing artistic leisure activities.

This commitment particularly concerns the financial aspect. The school has implemented various mechanisms to adjust the cost of participation and encourages families experiencing specific difficulties to contact its team directly.

A school rooted in the neighborhoods

It also develops its activities directly in different districts of Brussels.

For several years, Circus Zonder Handen has been organizing free introductory sessions in the public space of the Heyvaert district.

Mobile equipment and facilities allow children and young people to practice circus arts in parks and public spaces in their own neighborhoods.

These local activities allow us to meet young people who would not necessarily walk through the door of a circus school spontaneously.

The school works to achieve this with many local, educational, cultural and social partners.

The regular courses themselves are spread across different locations in Brussels rather than concentrated exclusively in a single building.

Circus Zonder Handen is notably present in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean but also develops activities with partners in Saint-Gilles , Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and Anderlecht .

This location makes it possible to physically bring circus education closer to the various audiences in Brussels.

Progression and support of young people

The school also develops progression pathways for young people wishing to become more involved.

The goal is to identify the desires and talents of the participants and then enable them to continue to develop artistically and technically.

The educational project pays particular attention to the unique identity of each young person. The team aims to create a respectful environment in which differences do not hinder collective participation.

The circus thus becomes a tool for creating relationships between people who would not necessarily have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

This social dimension does not prevent Circus Zonder Handen from developing a real requirement in the teaching of circus techniques.

Weekly classes allow for regular progress throughout the school year and are organized according to the age and level of the participants.

Teenagers can gradually move towards more in-depth courses, while adults also have access to suitable courses.

International creation and opening

The creation and presentation to the public are also part of the process.

The skills acquired during the courses can be used to build acts and collective projects, allowing participants to discover the artistic and scenic dimension of the circus.

Circus Zonder Handen also participates in various projects with other Belgian and foreign circus schools.

These exchanges allow young people to meet other practitioners, discover new approaches and broaden their experience of the circus.

In 2026 , the school is notably participating in a project bringing together young people from six Belgian circus schools for an international exchange in Palestine .

The school also organizes many free introductory sessions and events in public spaces during the summer.

These actions reinforce its identity as a school deeply connected to the neighborhoods in which it works.

A unique approach to the circus

Circus Zonder Handen thus represents an approach to circus particularly suited to the urban context of Brussels.

Regular classes, artistic practice, neighborhood projects, social circus, inclusion and support for young people are closely linked.

The goal is not just to train better practitioners, but to use circus arts to enable participants to develop their skills, creativity and confidence while building relationships with others.

This dimension makes Circus Zonder Handen a particularly interesting circus school in the Belgian landscape, at the crossroads of artistic teaching, popular education, youth and social action.