Croc'en Cirque
25260 Colombier-Fontaine
Croc'en Cirque — presentation
Croc'en Cirque is a circus arts association based in Colombier-Fontaine, in the Pays de Montbéliard region of the Doubs department. Founded in 1999, it has spent a quarter of a century teaching, introducing, and passing on circus arts, primarily under the leadership of Chantal and Bernard Baudrey . The association's stated objective is to " awaken and introduce children from the age of 5 to the circus arts ."
Historical activities
For many years, Croc'en Cirque was a true amateur circus school in the Montbéliard region. Its activities revolved around regular classes, holiday workshops, student performances, and introductory programs to the circus arts. The school was based in Colombier-Fontaine, with activities held primarily in the Baumann hall and under a big top near the stadium.
Target audience
- Children (start of practice indicated from 5 years old in the association's purpose).
- Teenagers.
- Adults.
- People with disabilities (explicitly mentioned in the municipal archives).
Performances and presentations
The practice wasn't limited to technical training. Croc'en Cirque regularly organized end-of-year and end-of-workshop shows, allowing participants to develop and then present their work to an audience. Several of these performances have been documented over the years in Colombier-Fontaine.
Internships during the holidays
Holiday workshops have always been an important part of the project. Historically, they have taken the form of days or weeks allowing children to discover different circus arts before participating in a performance.
- July 2021: three weeks dedicated to discovering the circus.
- February 2023: Monday to Friday workshop under a big top, with a final performance on the last day (times mentioned for 2023).
- Example of organization in February 2023: 9:30am–4:30pm Monday to Thursday, extended until 6:30pm on Friday for the show.
Historical prices
The price mentioned for 2023 — €25 per day or €105 for five days, including license and membership — is purely historical and should not be given as the 2026 price.
External animations and collaborations
The association also participated in events and projects outside the Pays de Montbéliard region. Croc'en Cirque was involved in circus arts discovery activities, performances, and collaborations with other cultural and social organizations in the area. For example, an event combining clowning and workshops is documented in Bavans, and in 2024, Croc'en Cirque participated in a cultural street performance organized with several associations and organizations in the Pays de Montbéliard.
References and contact
Federal recognition and contacts are important factual elements to retain.
- Referenced by the French Federation of Circus Schools (FFEC), within the FREC Grand Est, approval no. 25285.
- Contact indicated by the FFEC: Chantal Baudrey — 06 78 91 84 19 — croc.en.cirque25@gmail.com.
- The official page of the associations of Colombier-Fontaine specifies: "Training during the holidays only".
These elements make it possible to identify the structure and its interlocutors, but it is advisable to check the current arrangements directly with the association.
A major change since June 2024
It is essential, however, to distinguish the school's history from its current situation. In June 2024, after 25 years dedicated to circus arts, Chantal and Bernard Baudrey decided to end regular classes at Croc'en Cirque. The school's final performances took place on Saturday, June 15, 2024, under the big top set up behind the Colombier-Fontaine stadium. The local press at the time presented the event as the end of regular operations for the only circus school in the Pays de Montbéliard region, while also indicating that summer workshops would continue and that a potential successor was still hoped for.
This information is essential because directories that still present Croc'en Cirque as a school offering weekly courses no longer accurately reflect its operation.
Situation in 2026
In 2026, the association remained active. The official website for associations in the town of Colombier-Fontaine now explicitly states for Croc'en Cirque: "Workshops during school holidays only." A municipal publication from spring 2026 indicated: no Croc'en Cirque workshops in the spring, see you in July, which confirms that the occasional workshop activity did indeed survive the closure of the weekly school.
Presentation for the 2026-2027 season
For the 2026-2027 season, Croc'en Cirque should therefore be presented as an association offering occasional discovery and practice workshops in circus arts during the holidays, and not as a school currently offering a year-round course schedule.
People with disabilities
This information should also be included in the school's historical record. Municipal documents explicitly identified Croc'en Cirque as welcoming children aged 6 to 12, teenagers, adults, and people with disabilities. Therefore, I would add the filter "people with disabilities: yes, historically," but I would specify that the current accessibility conditions must now be verified directly with the association for any ongoing workshops.
A structure that remains federated
So there is a rather particular situation in 2026: Croc'en Cirque has not been operating as a weekly school since June 2024, but the association continues to exist, still organizes workshops and remains currently listed by the FFEC with its approval no. 25285.
