Circusschule Die Rotznasen – Hamburg

Circusschule Die Rotznasen is a non-profit circus school located in Hamburg and active since 1991. It is one of the historical structures dedicated to transmitting circus arts to children and young people in the city.

The school currently welcomes nearly 160 children and teenagers aged 4 to 20 in regular classes organized by age and level groups.

Children as young as 4 can begin their discovery with a particularly playful approach to the circus. The youngest children have plenty of time to experiment, play, and gradually discover their bodies and circus equipment.

As they grow up, participants discover a particularly wide range of disciplines.

Juggling is one of the fundamentals taught, alongside acrobatics and various balance techniques.

Trapeze and aerial techniques more broadly are also practiced.

The unicycle and the penny-farthing allow one to explore different forms of balance and movement.

Magic, clowning, fire shows, theatrical improvisation and performance complete this particularly multidisciplinary approach.

Therefore, the students are not only trained in the execution of circus techniques.

The educational project of Die Rotznasen places great importance on personal development , creativity and collective life .

Each participant is encouraged to progress at their own pace, to discover their abilities and to gradually learn to overcome certain difficulties.

Mutual support plays a vital role. Human pyramids, collective acts, and group creations require trust, cooperation, and responsibility towards others.

The enjoyment of practicing circus arts remains at the heart of the teaching.

The courses combine technical learning, play, group pedagogy and stage preparation.

From the intermediate groups onwards, children begin to work on stage presence through various exercises derived from theatrical pedagogy.

Artistic creation gradually takes on a more important role as students progress through their studies.

Young people are directly involved in the design of the shows.

They are encouraged to choose the themes they wish to address and to participate in the construction of the acts and the different scenes.

Die Rotznasen's productions thus combine circus, theatre and music in a form of circus-theatre .

The school also uses artistic creation to allow young people to address social or contemporary issues that concern them.

The shows are one of the important moments of the year.

The different groups have opportunities to present their work in front of an audience and gradually acquire real stage experience.

One of the great special features of Die Rotznasen also lies in its circus travels .

Groups can travel for several days with their own production and present their show in different locations.

Teenagers also participate in festivals and meetings with other young circus performers.

Since 2000, the Cirque Mix youth group has been developing international exchanges with other circus schools and organizations.

These projects have taken young artists from Hamburg to different countries and allowed them to encounter other practices, cultures and approaches to circus.

Die Rotznasen also develops significant social circus work.

Since 2016, the " Zirkus der Kulturen " project has enabled refugee children and children living in Hamburg to practice different circus disciplines together.

The circus is used there as a means of encounter capable of partially overcoming language barriers.

The diversity of disciplines also allows each person's abilities to be valued without creating a competitive dynamic.

Since 2018, the association has also been developing intergenerational projects bringing together children and seniors around circus, theatre and music.

Inclusion is another important area.

Since 2019, Die Rotznasen has been working in particular with the Bildungszentrum für Blinde und Sehbehinderte in Hamburg to enable blind or visually impaired children to discover the circus arts.

The school has also maintained partnerships with various schools in Hamburg for many years.

It can organize weekly classes, themed weeks, artistic projects or shows directly in schools.

Cooperation with the Theodor-Haubach-Schule is particularly well-developed. The school notably hosts the office and some of the equipment of Die Rotznasen.

Circus arts are also used there as an educational tool to work on movement, health, self-confidence and various social skills.

This social and educational dimension is an integral part of the association's identity.

Die Rotznasen seeks to make the practice accessible regardless of the financial situation of families and can support those who have difficulty financing membership fees.

The school thus develops a particularly comprehensive conception of circus pedagogy: technical learning, artistic creation, physical activity, personal expression, cooperation and openness to others.

After more than three decades of activity, Circusschule Die Rotznasen is now an important amateur circus school in Hamburg, combining regular classes, shows, trips, school projects, social actions, inclusion and international exchanges.