Cirk'en Valet – Circus School of the Gaves Valleys

Cirk'en Valet is a circus school located in the Gave Valleys, in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Its activities are spread between Soulom , Cauterets and Argelès-Gazost in order to make the practice of circus arts accessible to the inhabitants of several municipalities in the area.

The association is developing a project dedicated to the transmission of circus arts, but also to magic, physical and stage expression and more broadly to artistic discovery.

Regular activities welcome children from the age of 4, then older children, teenagers and adults.

Activities by municipality

Soulom

In Soulom, the youngest children have access to a circus skills workshop specifically designed for 4-6 year olds . This initial introduction allows them to discover movement and circus arts through situations adapted to their age.

From age 7 , a workshop combines circus arts with the opportunity to practice magic.

Cauterets

In Cauterets, Cirk'en Valet offers circus classes as well as work more specifically dedicated to aerial disciplines .

A trapeze and aerial silks slot allows these techniques to be further developed, while children over 6 years old have a multidisciplinary circus course.

From age 10 and for teenagers, a longer workshop combines circus and aerial disciplines.

Argelès-Gazost

In Argelès-Gazost, the school has a marquee tent that can accommodate several groups. Children aged 6 to 10 and then 9 to 12 have classes adapted to their age. A group for teenagers and adults completes the program.

The subjects taught

Circus training is structured around several major categories: juggling , object balancing , acrobatics , body expression and aerial disciplines .

Aerial workshops allow participants to practice trapeze and aerial silks .

Juggling is also featured in the various activities developed by the team. The parallel activities offered by Trobairiz include juggling balls, diabolo, spinning plates, and flower sticks.

The educational project

Cirk'en Valet's objective is not limited to technical learning.

The educational project is organized around four axes : technical learning, physical and stage expression, creativity and collective creation.

The association seeks to develop the physical and psychological skills of participants, their autonomy and their capacity for initiative, but also cooperation, tolerance and openness to others.

Participants are encouraged to become active participants in their own learning .

The workshops and training courses are organized in an atmosphere of exchange and sharing, allowing everyone to progress at their own pace.

Creativity is an important dimension of the project. Circus techniques are used as tools to progressively develop personal or collective proposals intended to be presented to an audience.

Students are thus invited to participate in various projects and events.

An annual show brings together practitioners and gives a concrete objective to the work carried out during the season.

Cirk'en Valet also seeks to connect its members with professional live entertainment .

The association aims to promote the discovery of other techniques through outings and meetings with artists. Masterclasses can complement regular courses and allow practitioners to discover the experience and specializations of professional instructors.

Special devices

For teenagers

Teenagers benefit from a particularly flexible organization.

In addition to their weekly workshop, they can access another open practice workshop at no extra cost . Their program also includes several longer sessions organized throughout the year on weekends.

This formula allows the most motivated young people to have a greater volume of practice and to deepen their learning path without entering professional training.

For aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines also benefit from a special system.

An advanced workshop is offered to participants over 9 years old, depending on the availability of facilities and instructors. It complements regular classes and allows for more in-depth work on the apparatus.

Internships and five main areas of activity

In addition to weekly activities, Cirk'en Valet organizes workshops during school holidays .

These internships are part of the five main areas of activity defined by the association:

• the weekly workshops;
• internships during school holidays;
• the events;
• adult education courses;
• occasional short-term workshops.

School interventions and partnerships

The school also develops significant activity with educational institutions .

It offers " Circus in schools " interventions and discovery classes allowing the use of circus arts within the framework of educational projects.

The association can also work with other associations, communities and structures in the area.

Projects can take the form of one-off workshops, cycles, or actions organized around an event.

Circus practice can then be used to develop coordination , balance , expression , creativity , autonomy and cooperation .

A local role in the Gaves Valleys

The association primarily wishes to play a local role in the Gave Valleys.

Its area of operation corresponds mainly to the Pyrénées Vallées des Gaves Community of Municipalities and the organization of courses across several municipalities directly responds to this objective.

This territorial deployment allows families to practice in Soulom, Cauterets or Argelès-Gazost depending on their place of residence and the age of the practitioner.

The school also offers more occasional formats designed for families.

Birthdays can, for example, be organized around an introduction to circus arts directly at home.

Cirk'en Valet and Trobairiz: two distinct structures

The organization works closely with Trobairiz , a company run by Caryl Dumont and specializing in shows and entertainment.

Trobairiz handles the communication for Cirk'en Valet and simultaneously develops its own professional activities: introductory workshops, shows for young audiences, juggling, magic, stilt walking, street entertainment and fire shows.

It is therefore necessary to distinguish between the two structures.

• Cirk'en Valet corresponds to the association and school offering regular courses, workshops and educational projects in the Gaves Valleys.
• Trobairiz is the professional activity of shows, entertainment and event services which notably accompanies the communication of the school.

This proximity nevertheless allows students to develop in an environment directly linked to live performance and professional artists.

A local amateur circus school

Cirk'en Valet thus constitutes a regional amateur circus school offering a relatively complete course.

A child can start with circus motor skills from the age of 4 , continue in multidisciplinary workshops, discover acrobatics, juggling and balances, then deepen aerial disciplines with the trapeze and the silks.

Teenagers have an enhanced program and adults can also practice in Argelès-Gazost.

In addition to this regular activity, there are workshops, artistic meetings, masterclasses, an annual show, magic shows, school visits, discovery classes and occasional events.

Its location in Soulom , Cauterets and Argelès-Gazost and its desire to develop a local practice make Cirk'en Valet a structure dedicated to the transmission of circus arts on the scale of the Gaves Valleys.