Cirque Éclair

Cirque Éclair — presentation

Founded in 1988 , Cirque Éclair – École de Cirque d'Aquitaine is a non-profit school dedicated to the transmission, practice, and creation of circus and street arts. After many years in Bordeaux, notably at the Quai de Brazza from 2006 to 2024, the association is now located at the Centre Triboulet in Cenon, in the heart of the Parc du Loret.

This installation marks a significant new stage in the history of Cirque Éclair. The association has a long-term lease with the City of Cenon and is gradually transforming the former Centre Triboulet into a space adapted to circus arts, creation, and artistic encounters.

Identity and values

From its inception, Cirque Éclair has championed an alternative, community-based, and grassroots identity. Self-managed by its volunteers, the school promotes accessible circus arts for all and is rooted in the values of popular education. Artistic transmission, collective learning, mutual support, cooperation, trust, audacity, and respect for everyone are central to its mission.

Audiences and groups

The school welcomes children, teenagers and adults. For the 2026-2027 season, courses for young people are organized into four progressive groups.

• Sparks and Shards — for younger children.
• The Lightning Bolts — for children who have already begun to build their circus experience.
• The Thunders — for pre-teens and teenagers.

Pedagogy and disciplines

The teaching is intentionally multidisciplinary. Cirque Éclair seeks to cover a very wide range of techniques, either during regular classes or through specialized workshops and courses.

Juggling

• Balls
• Clubs
• Diabolo
• Devil's stick
• Bolas
• Scarves
• Rings

Balances on objects

• Balance ball
• Rolla-bolla
• Thread
• Unicycle
• Stilts

Acrobatics and aerial disciplines

Acrobatics is practiced on the ground, but also through acrobatic lifts and various explorations of body balance. Aerial disciplines include several apparatus, and their development in the new Triboulet Centre also depends on the gradual installation of structures adapted to the building's technical constraints.

• Trapeze
• Aerial hoop
• Fabric
• Rope

Clown and acting

Clowning and acting complement this approach. They allow us to go beyond purely technical learning to work on presence, expression, imagination, and the relationship with the audience.

Educational pathways by age

For children and teenagers, the teaching methods evolve with age and experience. Younger children discover the different circus arts through a playful approach. More experienced practitioners consolidate their knowledge and begin to develop a more personal approach.

The Les Foudres group thus places increasing emphasis on creativity, collective creation, and initial specialization in one or more disciplines. The teenagers in the Les Tonnerres group further develop their technique, autonomy, and artistic expression through the creation of acts and the exploration of more demanding disciplines.

Workshops, training courses and continuing education

The 2026-2027 season marks the development of a specific program focused on clowning. A clowning workshop for adults is organized two Mondays a month from October 2026 to June 2027. Led by Bertrand Mazère, actor, clown, and juggler, it explores physical humor, the absurd, play, and clowning techniques.

Adults also have access to weekly circus arts workshops. Two free trial sessions allow participants to discover how the school works before committing.

The courses organized during school holidays complement the regular curriculum. They allow students to explore certain disciplines that are not necessarily covered in depth during classes and also provide an opportunity to meet specialist speakers.

In the spring of 2026, Cirque Éclair, for example, offered two multidisciplinary workshops for young people aged 6 to 14. Ground acrobatics, apparatus practice, experimentation, self-confidence and presentation in front of an audience were part of the educational project.

Free training, companies and residences

However, the association does not limit its activities to classes and workshops. Open training has long been an essential component of Cirque Éclair. Time slots are available to amateur members as well as to professional artists and companies who are members of the association.

This opportunity to work freely helps make the space a vibrant place for practice where students, experienced amateurs, and professionals can interact. It also creates natural connections between learning, research, and creation.

Hosting companies is the second major focus of Cirque Éclair's artistic life. Professional teams can come and work at the venue, either occasionally or regularly, and develop their research or creations there.

Events and shows

The third focus is the organization of events. Since its inception, Cirque Éclair has offered cabarets, shows, concerts, juggling conventions, galas and various forms of artistic gatherings.

The "Flight and Testing Tracks" particularly embody this spirit. These evenings allow artists to present works in progress, short pieces, acrobatic, clownish or poetic research and various experiments in front of an audience.

The new venue in Cenon now hosts these events. Following an initial "Takeoff and Test Run" in November 2025, another event was organized on March 28, 2026. This event illustrates the desire to maintain the artistic laboratory spirit at the Centre Triboulet, a spirit that was already part of the identity of Cirque Éclair in Bordeaux.

The school also organizes end-of-year shows. After the resumption of children's classes, the 2025-2026 season concluded with a collaborative creation, allowing the young students to showcase their progress. Beyond technical skill, the school particularly emphasizes teamwork, active listening, mutual support, and the joy of creating together.

Accessibility and specific audiences

Cirque Éclair also occasionally welcomes specific audiences. The school states that it has worked or is able to work with autistic people, people with disabilities, homeless people, and deaf people. These programs are organized on an ad hoc basis according to requests and the team's availability.

Establishment in Cenon and future prospects

The move to Cenon also strengthens the association's local ties. Cirque Éclair now participates in various events in the town and develops links with local cultural services and stakeholders.

The Triboulet Centre is gradually becoming a true hub for exchange, sharing, practice, and performance dedicated to circus arts. To this end, the association is continuing the necessary renovations and upgrades to meet current standards and accommodate the public and support the development of the various disciplines.

Conclusion

With its permanent installation at the Triboulet Centre and the gradual redeployment of its activities, Cirque Éclair continues today its ambition: to introduce and practice circus and street arts to as many people as possible, while preserving the associative, collective and experimental spirit that has characterized the school for almost four decades.