Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug

Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug is an amateur circus school founded in January 2014 by Ralf van de Rhee in the Netherlands. It develops an educational project dedicated to the discovery of circus arts and their transmission to a diverse audience.

The school offers activities primarily in Wageningen and Leersum , in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug region. Its aim is to allow children, teenagers, and adults to discover circus arts in a welcoming environment adapted to their abilities.

The diversity of disciplines allows each participant to discover their own skills, progress at their own pace and develop their self-confidence.

Classes for all ages

The courses are aimed at several age groups, from young children to adults.

Parent-child activity (ages 4-6)

For younger children, the school offers a parent-child activity for 4-6 year olds. These sessions provide a first introduction to circus arts through play, movement and cooperation.

Children participate in the exercises with a parent and gradually discover different techniques adapted to their motor development.

This approach allows you to work on coordination , balance and confidence while sharing a physical and artistic activity.

General courses (from age 6)

Children aged 6 and over can join general circus classes .

These groups mainly welcome young people aged 6 to 12 and offer a multidisciplinary introduction to circus arts.

Students learn, among other things, to juggle, to work on their balance and to discover different acrobatic techniques.

Juggling helps develop coordination, concentration, and precision. Children gradually discover different props and learn to perform new tricks.

Diabolo , Chinese plates and flowersticks are among the objects used in the educational world of the school.

Balance disciplines also constitute an important component of teaching.

Participants can discover unicycling and tightrope walking . These techniques require patience, concentration, and good body control.

Acrobatics , on the other hand, helps to develop strength, flexibility and coordination.

Individual and group exercises also encourage students to work together and develop mutual trust.

Adolescents and advanced groups

Teenagers have access to courses tailored to their age and experience.

The advanced groups welcome, in particular, young people aged 12 to 18 who wish to continue their progress and deepen their knowledge of the disciplines discovered during the general courses.

These training sessions allow for further development of technical skills and exploration of more complex exercises.

Specialized activities

The school also offers specialized activities, particularly around acrobatics , balances and aerial disciplines .

Aerial hoop classes are among the activities presented on its website.

This discipline allows you to develop strength, flexibility, coordination and body expression through different figures performed on a suspended apparatus.

Activities dedicated to hand balances and acroyoga are also presented.

Acroyoga combines exercises involving lifts, balance, and cooperation between partners.

Participants learn to communicate, trust each other, and work together to achieve different positions.

Some specializations, such as specific unicycle or ground and duo acrobatics courses, are offered subject to a sufficient number of registrations .

Adult courses

Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug also welcomes adults .

The courses, intended for people aged 18 and over, allow them to discover or continue practicing circus arts.

The school offers a flexible system with multi-session passes , allowing adults to participate according to their availability.

Free training time is also offered to people who are able to practice independently.

These time slots are separate from the supervised classes and allow experienced practitioners to work on their own techniques.

A commitment to accessibility

One of the important characteristics of Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug is its commitment to accessibility .

The school believes that circus arts can benefit children with very different abilities and needs.

His educational project encourages each participant to discover what they are capable of achieving, rather than comparing themselves to others .

The Gircus project

With this in mind, the school has developed the Gircus project, aimed at children and adolescents experiencing particular difficulties or living with a disability.

This activity provides adapted teaching in which circus techniques become primarily a means of sharing a collective experience.

The exercises are tailored to the participants' abilities in order to promote enjoyment, cooperation, and confidence.

The project also includes the possibility of presenting students' work to an audience.

The school thus wishes to promote a circus practice open to all, without imposing a single model of progression.

Teachers seek to create an environment in which everyone can experiment with different techniques and discover their own strengths.

Cooperation at the heart of pedagogy

Cooperation plays an important role in this approach.

Group exercises allow participants to develop their mutual trust and their ability to communicate.

The circus thus becomes a way to strengthen social relations while developing physical and artistic skills.

Workshops and interventions

Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug also offers discovery workshops for schools and groups.

These interventions allow participants to discover several circus disciplines within the framework of a collective activity.

The school works particularly with after-school programs and offers activities for children's birthday parties .

These activities provide an initial introduction to circus arts and may encourage participants to join regular classes.

The organization has also participated in social and educational projects aimed at different audiences.

Origins and partnerships

Its founder, Ralf van de Rhee , has experience in teaching circus arts and maintains links with other players in the sector.

The school notably benefited from the support of Stichting Vrienden van Poehaa during its creation.

This collaboration facilitated access to the equipment and educational knowledge needed to develop the initial activities.

Exchanges with other circus professionals also contribute to enriching the school's project.

Practice locations

The courses take place in different facilities in the region.

• Wageningen : a space located in the Broedplaats van de Waterlanders building, on Nolensstraat.
• Leersum : activities are organised in the De Binder sports hall.

The presence in several municipalities makes the courses accessible to families from different sectors of the region.

A pedagogy based on enjoyment and progression

Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug's pedagogy is based on several essential values: the pleasure of practicing , discovery , self-confidence and cooperation .

Students are encouraged to experiment with different techniques and progress according to their own abilities.

The school does not only seek to impart physical skills. It also wishes to use circus arts to develop autonomy , perseverance and relationships with others .

The diversity of disciplines allows everyone to discover activities that match their interests.

Some participants may develop a preference for juggling, while others are more interested in balances, acrobatics, or aerial disciplines.

With its multidisciplinary teaching, courses for different age groups and commitment to inclusion, Circus op de Utrechtse Heuvelrug is an interesting structure for discovering circus arts in the Netherlands.

His project combines technical learning , personal development and openness to diverse audiences , in an environment where everyone is encouraged to progress at their own pace.