De Vliegende Mier – Ronse Circus School

De Vliegende Mier is a circus school located in Renaix , East Flanders . Created in 2017 by Ilse De Vylder and Marie Lambert , it was born from the desire to develop a genuine amateur practice of circus arts in the region.

The first classes were held in a tennis club before the school moved to a sports hall.

The rapid development of activities, particularly aerial disciplines, quickly revealed the limitations of these shared spaces.

The team then began searching for a location that would provide more height and, above all, enough anchor points for the trapezes and fabrics.

This research led the association to a particularly original location: the former swimming pool of the Heynsdaele estate in Renaix.

Unused for many years, this former aquatic space has gradually been transformed with the help of many volunteers into a veritable circus hall.

Since 2022 , this " Mierenzwembad ", literally the " ant pool ", has been the main venue of De Vliegende Mier.

This space has allowed the school to significantly expand its offerings, particularly in aerial disciplines.

Today, De Vliegende Mier welcomes a particularly wide audience, as activities start from the age of three and continue for children, teenagers and adults.

Circus motor skills constitute one of the first entry points into the world of the circus.

It allows young children to explore their motor skills, balance and coordination through playful situations inspired by different circus disciplines.

Parent-child sessions also allow families to share their first circus experiences together.

The multi-circus then constitutes one of the pillars of the teaching.

Students can discover several major families of techniques and experiment with different apparatus before possibly choosing a discipline to study further.

Juggling also benefits from specific courses.

Balls, clubs, flowersticks and diabolo are among the objects used by the young jugglers at the school.

Participants can thus gradually develop coordination, precision, rhythm and creativity.

Acrobatics also occupies an important place in the programming.

De Vliegende Mier offers courses combining individual acrobatics and acro-support , allowing you to learn to work alone but also in groups.

The 2026-2027 season also includes a course specifically designed for teenagers who already have advanced experience in acrobatics.

Flexibility and adaptability now have their own learning path.

However, aerial disciplines constitute one of the school's major specialties.

Aerial silks is taught in several groups and allows participants to progressively learn climbs, positions, figures and sequences.

The trapeze also benefits from regular classes.

Students can discover both the technical work and the pleasure of gradually building sequences in the air.

De Vliegende Mier has above all a discipline that is still relatively rare in amateur circus schools: the flying trapeze .

The school organizes courses and workshops allowing participants to discover this spectacular practice in which they launch themselves from a platform and perform their figures in motion.

Intensive flying trapeze courses are also organised during the holidays.

The summer program sometimes combines flying trapeze, teeterboard, acrobatics and trampoline, allowing practitioners to discover more dynamic techniques.

For the 2026-2027 season, the school is further enriching its program with the arrival of the Chinese pole .

This discipline complements an already particularly extensive offering in the acrobatic and aerial field.

Teenagers also have a new multi-circus group aimed at those aged 14 and over .

The goal is to allow young people to pursue a versatile circus practice without necessarily having to specialize immediately.

Adults are also fully integrated into school life.

Some classes, particularly those involving the trapeze and aerial silks, bring together different generations and demonstrate De Vliegende Mier's desire not to limit the circus to childhood.

The school thus welcomes both adult beginners and people wishing to deepen their knowledge of a discipline already practiced.

This diversity of ages helps to create a real community around the place.

Above all, De Vliegende Mier wants the circus to remain a space for pleasure, experimentation and encounter.

Participants can try different disciplines, progress at their own pace and gradually discover the techniques that suit them best.

Transmission is not limited to weekly classes.

During school holidays, the school organizes various courses adapted to different ages and levels.

Younger children can participate in fun and multidisciplinary discovery weeks.

Older children have access to multi-circus camps allowing them to practice several techniques for a full week.

Teenagers and adults can participate in more specialized courses, particularly around the flying trapeze and acrobatic disciplines.

De Vliegende Mier also participates in the cultural life of Renaix.

The association participates in local events and offers introductory workshops allowing the general public to discover circus arts.

In particular, it collaborates with the city's cultural stakeholders to offer activities and workshops during family events.

The school also maintains links with the rest of the Flemish circus sector.

It is recognized by Circuscentrum as one of the active circus workshops in Flanders and participates in exchanges and discussions around the development of amateur circus education.

His story also particularly illustrates the difficulties encountered by small schools in having a suitable place for circus disciplines.

The transformation of the former swimming pool in Heynsdaele has become an example of the original reuse of an existing building for circus practice.

Thanks to this new space and the significant investment of its volunteers, De Vliegende Mier has been able to continue its development and offer disciplines requiring specific facilities.

Today, the school has a particularly comprehensive offering combining multidisciplinary discovery, juggling, acrobatics, partner acrobatics, aerial silks, trapeze, flying trapeze, Chinese pole, flexibility training and family practice.

De Vliegende Mier thus constitutes a true amateur circus school allowing one to start from early childhood and then to continue and deepen one's practice in adolescence and adulthood.

Its unusual location, the diversity of its disciplines and the strong involvement of its community give it a particularly original identity in the Belgian circus landscape.