Circuscool Memo

The Circuscool Memo

La Memô Circuscool is the circus school of MEMÔ , an artistic production center located at 215 rue des Solidarités in Maxéville , very close to Nancy. Opened in September 2020 , it grew out of several years of outreach activities, introductory and advanced workshops, and creative projects developed by the collective before the construction of new workspaces at MEMÔ .

The school promotes a playful , active , and creative approach to learning. Circus arts are not viewed solely as the acquisition of a series of technical skills: imagination , creativity , autonomy , initiative , mutual support , and teamwork occupy a central place in the educational project.

Routes and audiences

Today, Memô Circuscool offers a program ranging from discovering circus arts to specialized training and advanced instruction. Children can start as young as 3 years old in parent-child workshops. Multi-circus classes are then offered for 5-6 year olds , 7-8 year olds , and 9-11 year olds , followed by a teen group for 12-17 year olds .

Multi-circus course

Multi-circus classes allow participants to explore the main families of circus arts. The progression is adapted to the age, level, and desires of each participant.

• Juggling
• Acrobatics
• Balances on objects
• Aerial disciplines

Offer for teenagers and adults

MEMÔ also has a particularly strong identity centered around the flying trapeze . The regularly organized " Aerial Weeks " offer opportunities for both first-time experiences and those wishing to attend several sessions to further develop their skills in this discipline. Time slots can also be arranged for groups and schools.

Internships, workshops and specializations

• Wire
• Flying Trapeze
• Korean rocking chair
• Chinese pole
• Aerial fabric
• Smooth rope
• Fixed trapeze
• Clown
• Waterfalls
• Different forms of acrobatics

This diversity is made possible by the very way MEMÔ operates. The venue regularly hosts artists and companies in residence and calls upon specialized professionals to lead workshops. Students can thus discover different techniques and approaches to contemporary circus through contact with working artists.

Educational project and live performance

The educational project also extends more broadly to live performance. Participants are introduced to areas such as set design , costume creation , technical aspects, and prop construction . MEMÔ can also develop transdisciplinary projects integrating photography , street art , and other artistic practices.

The school aims to offer genuine opportunities for development to both beginners and experienced students. Its project specifically states its intention to allow the most dedicated young people to develop a level that could prepare them, if they so wish, for entrance exams to preparatory schools for circus arts. However, this is not a CPES (Preparatory Class for Higher Education) or a higher education degree program.

Holiday camps are another important focus. They allow children and teenagers to discover or further develop juggling, acrobatics, object balancing, and aerial disciplines in a more intensive format than weekly classes. Learning remains structured around initiative, creativity, collaboration, and autonomy.

International dimension — Memô Zirkus Tour

The international dimension is particularly interesting with the Memô Zirkus Tour . This Franco-German project brings together young people aged 10 to 17 and the Maccaroni Circus School in Karlsruhe. Depending on the year, it combines holiday camps, workshops, the creation of a joint show, and a summer tour.

The project thus allows young people to go beyond the traditional framework of the weekly course: they live a collective experience, meet other young European circus performers, participate in a creation and can go on tour.

Arts education and local initiatives

MEMÔ also develops a significant arts and cultural education program. MEMÔ Circuscool instructors work regularly in primary, middle, and high schools, as well as in facilities serving specific audiences.

• Initiation
• Discovery class
• A course dedicated to one or more disciplines
• Show creation project

The projects are custom-built with the teams from the institutions.

The year 2026 clearly illustrates this diversity. Weekly workshops were organized with four children aged 4 to 8 from the Toul day hospital to work on circus arts around psychomotor skills, self-confidence and confidence in others and concentration.

• Workshops with the Early Childhood Centre of Maxéville, bringing together childminders and children
• Introductory day for 42 students from CE1 to CM1 at the Chevreuils elementary school in Ancerville
• Activities with visually impaired audiences

This experience confirms the structure's ability to adapt its proposals to very different educational or specialized contexts.

MEMÔ also serves as a genuine hub for professional creation. Companies are hosted there in residence throughout the year. This close relationship between amateur schools and professional artists naturally fosters knowledge transfer, internships, and workshops.

The venue also develops a resource center for performing arts professionals. Occasional training courses are offered based on the needs of the local area and the skills of the artists and technicians present at MEMÔ.

This professional activity does not transform Memô Circuscool into a higher education institution, but creates a particularly rich environment for students: they practice in a place where shows are actually made and where artists, technicians and companies regularly work.

Cultural programming

The cultural programming of MEMÔ further reinforces this openness.

• Shows
• Residences
• Events
• Guinguette
• Michtô Festival

Memô Circuscool is thus a particularly original school in the circus landscape of Meurthe-et-Moselle. It combines a school for amateur practice with a true place of artistic creation, which allows for the creation of permanent bridges between learning, creation, live performance and professional practice.

From the first parent-child workshop to advanced training for teenagers, from the flying trapeze to acrobatic lifts, from multi-circus workshops to the Franco-German Memô Zirkus Tour, from school interventions to projects with the day hospital, the school uses circus arts as a tool for creation , autonomy , cooperation , encounter and cultural openness .