Circuswerkplaats Boost

Circuswerkplaats Boost is a school, training space, and creative venue dedicated to circus arts located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Since 2004, Boost has been developing a project combining teaching, training, artistic creation, and performance presentation in its own space on Marcusstraat.

Boostschool

Boostschool is the educational component for children and young people. It offers a particularly comprehensive weekly program of circus classes, organized according to the age , experience and desires of the participants.

Children can start circus from the age of 6. The first groups, called "Circus spelen", favour a playful and multidisciplinary discovery.

The young people experiment with different techniques while discovering their own bodies, their physical capabilities, and how to work with others.

The subjects taught

The teaching combines several major families of circus arts: acrobatics , juggling , balance and aerial disciplines .

• juggle
• moving on a balance ball
• to practice different forms of acrobatics
• discover aerial apparatus

The wire is also one of the disciplines used by Boost, as is the unicycle.

Aerial techniques play an important role in the program. Children discover, in particular, aerial silks , trapeze , and aerial hoop .

From “Circus spelen” to “Circus training”

As they progress, students can move from discovery groups to groups called " Circus training ".

These training sessions are more physically demanding and allow for a deeper exploration of circus techniques.

Experienced students also begin to develop a specialization. They can devote more time to subjects that match their abilities and interests.

Boost organizes its groups taking into account the age, experience, and background of the participants. Beginners are grouped together as much as possible, as are advanced practitioners.

This organization allows for appropriate progression without confining students to an overly rigid path.

The school believes that learning circus arts remains virtually unlimited : when a technique is mastered, it becomes the starting point for new possibilities.

Groups specializing in aviation

The aerial disciplines also have entirely specialized groups.

The " Aerial Training " courses allow young people wishing to deepen their practice to dedicate an entire session to aerial techniques.

• A first group welcomes practitioners aged approximately 9 to 13 years old .
• A second one is aimed at teenagers and young adults aged approximately 14 to 20 .

This organization allows students who have developed a true passion for aviation to progress beyond the simple discovery offered in multidisciplinary courses.

Circus and theatre

Boost also places great importance on the link between circus and theatre.

A specific " Circus & theatre training " course allows students to combine learning circus techniques with acting and stage expression.

This approach is in line with the general philosophy of the structure, which considers the circus as a practice that is both physical and artistic .

The techniques learned during training gradually become tools that allow students to create, tell, and present something in front of an audience.

The creative group

The most motivated young people can join a group specifically dedicated to creating shows.

The “ Voorstellingsgroep ” welcomes young people and young adults wishing to explore this artistic dimension further and participate in creative projects.

Students develop their techniques while working on the construction of an act, stage presence and the relationship with other performers.

The shows

Boost regularly produces circus-theatre shows with its young artists.

These productions bring together different disciplines in a genuine creative process.

Acrobatics, aerial silks, aerial hoop, unicycle and tightrope can thus be integrated into the same performance and associated with theatre, movement and humour.

The shows are presented in Boost's own stage space but can also be developed for other venues.

This dimension allows students to discover concretely all the steps separating technical learning from the presentation of a creation in front of an audience.

Young people learn to work together, to take their place in a collective production and to use their circus skills in service of an artistic proposition.

Creativity and cooperation

Creativity is therefore an important component of teaching.

Boost doesn't just aim to teach predefined patterns. Teachers also encourage students to experiment and discover new possibilities.

Cooperation also plays a central role. The courses allow young people to understand what they can achieve individually, but also what becomes possible when they work together.

This approach helps to develop confidence , autonomy , listening skills and the ability to collaborate .

The teaching team is composed of several teachers, each with their own artistic specialties and sensibilities.

This diversity allows students to benefit from different approaches and discover several facets of contemporary circus.

The summer school and introductory workshops

Boost also organizes a summer school for children and teenagers aged 6 to 16 .

For several consecutive days, participants work on circus and theatre before presenting a creation at the end of the week.

• the air
• the balances
• juggling
• acrobatics
• the clown
• the work of short texts

Introductory workshops are also offered to children wishing to discover Boost before enrolling in weekly classes.

They allow you to experiment with several disciplines and to understand how a real regular course works.

A place for experienced practitioners and artists

Circuswerkplaats Boost also has a significant activity aimed at experienced practitioners and artists.

Open training sessions are organized every week in the gym.

These time slots are open to people who can practice independently. No teacher is present , and therefore they are not classes.

However, they allow experienced amateurs and professional artists to share the same training space.

Boost aims to promote exchanges and inspiration between different levels of practice.

The facility provides its space, landing mats, fabrics and various equipment necessary for circus training.

This activity helps to make Boost more than just a leisure school.

Boost also supports artists in the development of their projects.

This support can take the form of artistic coaching , advice on staging, access to a rehearsal space or opportunities to present a work in front of an audience.

The organization also collaborates with students from Dutch circus training programs as well as with professional artists.

However, this professional activity does not transform Boost into a higher education institution or a professional course: it corresponds more to a function of a resource center, creation and artistic support.

For Boostschool students, this proximity to the professional world nevertheless helps to create a particularly rich environment.

The young people practice in a true circus arts creation space where students, teachers, artists and creators can meet.

An important structure for the circus in Amsterdam

With courses organized from Monday to Saturday , several levels of progression, aerial specializations, a creative group and its own performance space, Circuswerkplaats Boost is today an important structure for learning circus arts in Amsterdam.

His project combines discovery , improvement , creativity and spectacle while maintaining a strong collective dimension.

Boost thus offers children and young people the opportunity to start circus from the age of 6 , to discover many disciplines, to specialize gradually and, for the most motivated, to participate in real circus creation projects.