Freiburger Projektzirkus FROG – Freiburg Circus School

The Freiburger Projektzirkus FROG is a circus school and educational project located in Freiburg im Breisgau , in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany.

The organization was founded in 2015 by Jenny Zinnecker and Daniel Brauer , two professionals from the world of circus, notably from the Lamberti family circus. They bring together several decades of experience in circus disciplines, clowning, performance and artistic transmission.

Their project is based on a conviction: circus arts are a powerful tool for education , personal expression and collective development .

Initially specializing in itinerant projects for schools, municipalities and facilities that welcome children, the Freiburger Projektzirkus has gradually developed a permanent activity.

In September 2019 , he opened the FROG Academy on his own land in Freiburg-St. Georgen, in Sarahof.

This facility allows the school to offer weekly classes under a real big top, heated during the winter months.

The FROG Academy welcomes children from the age of six and offers several groups adapted to different age ranges, including 6 to 11 years and 6 to 16 years .

The teaching is based on a multidisciplinary exploration of circus arts.

Students can learn juggling and gradually develop their coordination, concentration and dexterity through the manipulation of objects.

Balance techniques also play an important role, particularly with the rola-bola and the balance wire.

The school also offers instruction in aerial disciplines .

Participants can discover the trapeze , aerial silks and aerial hoop , then deepen their practice over the course of the sessions.

This diversity allows everyone to experiment with several techniques before developing an affinity for certain apparatus.

Specific aerial acrobatics courses are also offered to adults, in small groups, to promote individualized support.

The Freiburger Projektzirkus pedagogy favours a progression adapted to the age and abilities of each participant.

The school relies in particular on the principles of experiential pedagogy, inspired by the work of Kurt Hahn .

Circus training is thus seen as a way to develop self-confidence , autonomy , creativity and the ability to take on new challenges .

Competition and traditional school assessments are not the driving force behind this approach.

Students are encouraged to identify their own strengths, gradually overcome their apprehensions, and participate in a collective achievement.

Group work plays a central role in learning.

Mutual support , cooperation and respect for others accompany the development of technical skills.

The stage dimension is also an integral part of the teaching.

Students in regular courses participate in at least two public performances per year , traditionally before the summer holidays and before Christmas.

These shows allow them to showcase the techniques they have acquired and to experience the circus ring in front of their families and a real audience.

In parallel with its permanent courses, the Freiburger Projektzirkus organizes numerous workshops during school holidays .

These courses are designed to accommodate children aged 7 to 16 over several consecutive days.

Participants discover different disciplines such as juggling, balancing, aerial silks, aerial hoop, clowning, and even magic.

The program is built around a common goal: to prepare in a few days a circus show to be presented to the public at the end of the course.

The association also develops a significant itinerant educational activity.

It works directly with preschools and elementary schools, secondary schools, leisure centers, youth associations and local authorities.

Projects can take the form of a simple introduction, a discovery day, three days of learning or a full week devoted to the circus.

During school projects, children choose from several disciplines and participate in the creation of a real collective show.

The performances may include juggling, acrobatics, trapeze, aerial silks, aerial hoop, tightrope walking, magic and clowning.

To make these activities accessible in places without aerial anchors, the Freiburger Projektzirkus also has self-supporting structures allowing the installation of certain equipment.

The association also has its own big top of about twenty meters , sound and lighting equipment, training equipment and a large collection of circus costumes.

This material autonomy allows it to organize complete projects, from the first workshops to the final performance.

The interventions of the Freiburger Projektzirkus extend beyond the borders of Freiburg.

Over the years, the team has developed projects in different regions of Germany, but also in Switzerland and Austria .

The educational approach emphasizes an inclusive and intercultural dimension, with the circus being used as a collective language allowing children from different backgrounds and experiences to create together.

The Freiburger Projektzirkus FROG thus has a dual identity: that of a permanent circus school offering weekly courses under a big top and that of a traveling structure specializing in educational projects and participatory workshops.

This complementarity makes circus arts accessible to a particularly wide audience, while retaining the experience of live performance as a central element of learning.