Fabigan

Presentation

The Fabigan Circus School is a circus arts school located in Saint-Gervais, in the Vendée region of France. It is the educational arm of the Fabigan Company , a Franco-Spanish company founded in Spain in 1999 by Marga Garcia and Fabien Tudoce . After several years dedicated to creating and performing shows, the two artists wanted to share their experience and make circus arts accessible to a wider audience. In 2007, they created their first traveling school, called Firkus, before settling in France in 2013 and then permanently in the Vendée.

Audiences and project

Today, Fabigan is developing a multidisciplinary circus school in Saint-Gervais, welcoming children from kindergarten onwards, teenagers, and adults. His project combines amateur practice, advanced training, creation, workshops, educational programs, adapted circus , and encounters with live performance.

Education

The program introduces students to the main branches of circus arts. Juggling is particularly well represented, featuring scarves, balls, bouncy balls, rings, clubs, diabolo, devil sticks, bolas, and spinning plates. This diversity allows students to develop coordination, precision, rhythm, concentration, and manipulation skills while experimenting with various objects before developing their preferences.

• Scarves
• Balls
• Bounce balls
• Rings
• Clubs
• Diabolos
• Devil sticks
• Bolas
• Chinese plates

Balances on objects

Acrobatics

Acrobatics complements this learning with adapted equipment such as the AirTrack and various safety mats. It allows for the development of body awareness, motor skills, impulse, coordination, and movement control in a safe environment.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines are another important aspect of the school. Fabigan teaches trapeze, aerial hoop, silks, and cocoon. These apparatuses help develop strength, flexibility, positioning, confidence, and artistic expression. Advanced training workshops specifically focused on aerial arts are also offered occasionally during school holidays.

Diabolo and specialized training courses

The diabolo is also the subject of serious refinement work. In addition to recreational circus workshops open to children, Fabigan occasionally organizes specialized workshops in diabolo or aerial disciplines, allowing practitioners who wish to do so to go beyond a simple multidisciplinary introduction.

Pedagogy and founders

Fabigan's teaching methods draw heavily on the artistic experience of its founders. Marga Garcia comes from a family of artists and began her career as a dancer before training in aerial disciplines. A circus and dance teacher and choreographer, she has developed an approach where circus technique, movement, and stage presence converge. Fabien Tudoce, for his part, trained through the BAFA (French youth work qualification) for children and circus instructors before becoming a professional artist. He joined Cirque Medrano in 1997 and then Il Circo di Pinocchio in 1999 before co-founding Compagnie Fabigan.

Relationship between school and entertainment

This professional experience explains the particularly strong relationship between the school and the performing arts. The Fabigan Company has historically been built on the fusion of dance and circus arts, creating visual productions for cabarets and festivals, before developing family shows for schools, local communities, public celebrations, and businesses. Students thus thrive in an environment where circus arts remain directly connected to creation, performance, and audience interaction.

Regular group classes

The school offers regular classes organized by age and level, from preschool children to adults. Recreational teen groups allow them to continue practicing, while a creative collective provides the opportunity to further develop the artistic and collective aspects of circus arts.

Internships

During the holidays, Fabigan also organizes workshops. Some are dedicated to the general discovery of circus arts and are accessible from age 4, while others allow participants to perfect their skills in a particular discipline, notably aerial arts or diabolo.

• Discovery workshops – accessible from age 4
• Advanced training courses – aerial arts, diabolo, etc.

School projects and "Circus in schools"

Fabigan's educational work extends far beyond its classes in Saint-Gervais. The company develops "Circus in Schools" projects for all school levels. These projects can be hosted at its own facilities or directly in schools. They are led by qualified instructors accredited by the French Ministry of Education.

School projects can last from eight to twelve weeks and culminate in the creation of a final performance or a simpler presentation. Children explore different disciplines while developing balance, motor skills, agility, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, and teamwork. The objective is both educational and artistic: each child is encouraged to explore their own abilities and interests within a fun and collaborative project.

Circus at home

Fabigan also offers intensive "circus at home" programs where the team travels with its equipment. These projects can last several days and accommodate up to thirty students. The company can provide the circus equipment and, when the project includes a performance, various elements necessary for the show. The culmination can be a full-fledged performance for an audience.

Adapted circus

Another particularly important feature of Fabigan is its adapted circus program. The organization explicitly develops projects for people with disabilities, vulnerable populations, and senior citizens. Circus arts are used as tools to maintain and develop functional abilities, coordination, memory, concentration, and balance.

These interventions also aim to preserve autonomy, promote well-being, and create social connections. Circus arts are therefore not only considered a spectacular activity; they become an adaptable tool for working with people whose abilities, ages, and needs can vary greatly.

Artistic and event-based activities

The Fabigan Company also remains very active in creation and event production. Its shows blend juggling, acrobatics, magic, dance, cabaret, burlesque, comedy, fire, and visual arts, depending on the project. The company also offers street performances with jugglers, stilt walkers, and acrobats, as well as entertainment for community groups and events.

This professional activity provides an engaging environment for the school's students. Fabigan does not completely separate teaching and creative work: students may be involved in group projects and performances, particularly in the teen groups and the creative collective. Specific productions have already allowed the school's young people to present their own work to an audience.

Networking and meetings

A member of the FFEC and affiliated with FREC Atlantique, the Fabigan Circus School also participates in the activities of the national network. In particular, it was present at the Regional Meetings of Circus Schools of Western France, held in May 2026 at Le Plongeoir – National Circus Center in Le Mans. These meetings allow students from different schools to share their practices and present their creations within a national framework.

Conclusion

With its school, workshops, educational projects, adapted circus program, and the company's artistic activities, Fabigan has developed a particularly comprehensive project. The curriculum covers everything from juggling and diabolo to unicycling, balancing, acrobatics, and aerial disciplines. This diversity allows everyone to discover circus arts at their own pace, and then potentially develop a more specialized skill.

In Saint-Gervais, the Fabigan Circus School is a place for discovery, practice, and creation open to several generations. Its Franco-Spanish identity, the professional experience of its founders, its membership in the FFEC network, and its commitment to educational, social, and adapted sectors make it an important player in the transmission of circus arts in the Vendée region.