Gipsy Circus – Arlon Circus School ASBL

Gipsy Circus is the circus school in Arlon, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. Present for over forty years, it is one of the historical structures for learning circus arts in the region and welcomes children, teenagers and adults every year around a practice that is at once playful, technical and artistic.

The school has been a non-profit organization since 1991. Its history is marked by a strong transmission between generations: several current members of the team themselves started as students before becoming artists, facilitators and then leaders of the association.

This continuity helps to create a true school culture . The instructors are familiar with the different stages that the participants go through, since some of them followed the same path a few years earlier.

Circummotor skills: first discovery

The discovery begins with circus-based activities, offered to children in their second and third years of preschool. The world of the circus then serves as a support for the development of motor skills, balance, coordination, and body confidence.

Children can then join different circus skills groups. Organized mainly by age group, these workshops allow for a multidisciplinary and progressive discovery of circus arts.

The subjects taught

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is one of the disciplines offered and allows young practitioners to develop their body control, coordination and ease of movement.

Juggling

Juggling has historically held an important place at Gipsy Circus. Several instructors at the school specialize in this discipline and practice juggling with balls and clubs.

The diabolo also features in the history and practice of the school. It allows students to develop coordination, precision, perseverance, and creativity through a technical progression adapted to each individual's level.

Balances

Balancing acts are also part of Gipsy Circus's identity. Tightrope walking, in particular, is practiced by some experienced members of the team.

Unicycle

Unicycling now benefits from a dedicated workshop combined with juggling. Accessible to children aged 9 and up, as well as adults, it allows those who wish to do so to dedicate more time to these disciplines.

Aerial techniques

Aerial techniques also have their own workshop. Intended for practitioners aged 9 and up, this workshop allows them to delve deeper into aerial work in a setting different from multidisciplinary classes.

A welcome open to beginners

The school aims to remain accessible to beginners. No prior experience in circus arts is necessary to join the groups: the instructors review the basics and support new students in their progress.

The groups can therefore bring together practitioners with different levels of experience. Each person progresses according to their own skills and knowledge, with the support of the teaching team.

Gipsy Circus has all the necessary equipment for its activities. Students with their own equipment, such as a unicycle, are also welcome to bring it to the sessions.

A team with diverse backgrounds

The current team brings together instructors with very diverse backgrounds. Juggling, tightrope walking, diabolo, unicycle and aerial disciplines are among the specialties represented.

Several instructors are former students of the school. Some started at Gipsy Circus in the 1990s before becoming instructors themselves, while younger practitioners are now following the same path, gradually moving from student to instructor status.

Creation and performances

Creating and performing for an audience are also part of school life. Gipsy Circus has developed various acts and shows throughout its history for private and public events.

When a show is organised, the students involved participate in additional rehearsals and dress rehearsals in order to build a true collective presentation.

In addition to weekly workshops, the school traditionally organizes circus camps during the holidays. These periods allow children to dedicate themselves more intensively to the various circus techniques.

Gipsy Circus is now a member of Fédécirque , the network bringing together circus schools in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

With over four decades of existence, a team partly composed of former students and an offering ranging from circus motor skills to specialized workshops in aerial arts, unicycle and juggling, Gipsy Circus is a circus school that is permanently established in the associative and cultural life of Arlon.