Imhotep Circus

Imhotep Cirque is a non-profit school located in Villenave-d'Ornon, in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Established as an association in 1987, it is now organized as a Circus Arts Promotion Centre and develops a particularly comprehensive project around learning, amateur practice, advanced training, creation and encounters with professional artists.

The association promotes circus arts practice that is accessible to all , without selection or competition . Its objective is not the pursuit of spectacular performances at all costs, but the progress of each participant within a safe environment.

Technical learning also becomes a way to develop self-confidence , autonomy , creativity , artistic expression and the ability to take risks thoughtfully.

This philosophy allows Imhotep to welcome practitioners with very different expectations: children simply coming to discover the circus, teenagers wishing to deepen their practice, beginner or experienced adults and students wishing to specialize in certain disciplines.

Progress from a very young age

Learning begins very early. Parent-child workshops welcome children aged 1 to 3 and allow them to gradually discover their body, space and the world of the circus in the presence of an adult.

Baby Circus then takes over for children aged 3 to 5. The sessions are adapted to the motor skills and concentration of the youngest children and allow them to gradually experience several different disciplines.

From the age of 6 , children can join multidisciplinary workshops in which the practice gradually becomes more technical.

Several groups are then organized by age group and skill level:

• 6-10 years old
• Groups for 8-10 year olds who already have some experience.
• 11-14 years old
• 15-18 years old

Adults also have access to recreational classes. The school therefore allows for continued regular circus practice beyond childhood and adolescence.

A wide variety of disciplines

Acrobatics and trampoline

Floor acrobatics is one of the fundamentals. It is complemented by the mini-trampoline and the large trampoline , allowing for the progressive development of momentum, coordination, body positioning and mastery of acrobatic elements.

The work can also incorporate hand balances, acrobatic lifts, and human pyramids.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines play a significant role in the school. Imhotep offers the opportunity to practice, in particular:

• the trapeze
• the vertical fabric
• the aerial rope
• the hammock
• the aerial hoop

The diversity of the equipment allows practitioners to discover different sensations and techniques before, for those who wish, further developing their aerial practice more specifically.

Juggling and balancing

Juggling is another important aspect. Students can manipulate balls, scarves, rings, Chinese plates, devil sticks, bolas and various juggling objects.

Balancing on objects allows you to work on balance balls, spools, American rollers and balance wires.

The unicycle has a sufficiently important place to warrant a specific specialization course.

This diversity allows us to maintain a multidisciplinary approach during the early years while offering real opportunities for improvement to more experienced students.

Specialization and advanced training programs

Imhotep does indeed offer specialized workshops:

• in aerial disciplines
• in ground acrobatics and large trampoline
• on a unicycle

An advanced acrobatic training course completes this offer.

The school can thus support a student from their first introduction to circus arts to a much more intensive and specialized practice. This possibility of progression is one of Imhotep's key characteristics.

The association nevertheless clearly maintains a philosophy of leisure-based learning . Its educational project affirms that teaching is conducted without elitism or competition . A student therefore does not need to aspire to become a professional artist to find their place in the school.

A strong link with the professional world

At the same time, Imhotep's history has forged particularly strong links with the professional world. Several members of the early generations of the Imhotep Troupe have become professional artists. Some have remained close to the association and still participate in its artistic and educational activities today.

This journey has gradually led Imhotep to become a Circus Arts Promotion Centre , capable of creating a link between amateur practice and the professional world.

The association currently welcomes professional and aspiring artists, providing them with training slots. These artists can come and work on the premises during the day or evening, sometimes alongside school activities. This presence allows members and their families to interact regularly with artists and gain firsthand experience of the realities of a circus performer's profession.

The Imhotep Troupe

The Imhotep Troupe provides another link between learning and creation. It has a long history within the association and has seen many practitioners pass through its doors, some of whom went on to pursue artistic careers.

The troupe is still accompanied today by artists from the history of Imhotep and develops a genuine creative and performance-based practice. The choreography and direction of the troupe have been handled for many years by Karine Ciantar , a specialist in aerial disciplines, partner acrobatics, and pyramids.

An artistic team with diverse specialties

Imhotep's artistic team itself possesses a wide variety of specialties.

• Eric Videau , a founding member of the association, specializes in juggling and unicycling.
• Isabelle Videau , who has been involved with the association since its inception, specializes in aerial disciplines and contortion.
• Karine Ciantar mainly develops her work around aerials, lifts and pyramids.

This presence of specialists directly contributes to the diversity of practices offered in the school.

Internships and Masterclasses

In addition to weekly classes, Imhotep develops a significant range of internships during school holidays.

Multidisciplinary introductory workshops welcome children and teenagers, allowing them to experiment with object balancing, floor acrobatics, trampoline, trapeze, juggling, partner acrobatics, and pyramids. Baby Circus workshops are organized for children aged 4 and 5.

Imhotep also offers themed workshops allowing participants to choose a particular discipline. They can thus dedicate their half-day to aerial arts, juggling and balancing, unicycling, or acrobatics.

For students with prior experience, advanced training courses offer the opportunity to delve deeper into aerial disciplines or acrobatics. Aerial courses may focus on the trapeze, vertical silks, rope, and hammock. Acrobatic training may combine ground acrobatics, handstands, mini-trampoline, large trampoline, partner acrobatics, pyramids, and physical conditioning.

The supervision of these internships is provided by qualified instructors, including BPJEPS, BE and BAFA depending on the activities.

Imhotep also offers Masterclasses . These two- or three-hour sessions are primarily intended for teenagers and adults with some prior experience. Led by established and specialized artists, they provide an opportunity to delve into specific techniques with an expert instructor.

The themes may include aerial disciplines, hand balancing, or the seesaw.

These Masterclasses are also accessible to people who are not members of the association, which allows Imhotep to play a resource role for practitioners in the region.

Interventions outside the home and with specific audiences

The association also has a significant activity outside of its regular classes. It works with early childhood centers, schools, and various organizations wishing to develop projects around circus arts.

Imhotep also works with people with disabilities. Recent association documents demonstrate collaborations with several specialized organizations and support services.

This dimension allows the use of circus arts as a means of developing motor skills, expression, confidence and relationships with others, by adapting the practice to the abilities and needs of the participants.

A dedicated space: the House of Circus Arts

All activities take place mainly at the Maison des Arts du Cirque in Villenave-d'Ornon.

Having a space specifically dedicated to circus arts allows Imhotep to offer a wide variety of equipment and practices, from introductory activities to disciplines requiring more extensive technical facilities.

The season is also punctuated by various community and artistic events. The performances by the Imhotep Troupe, in particular, highlight the creative dimension of the project. Workshops, meetings, masterclasses, and internal events complement the weekly classes and contribute to creating a vibrant community life around the circus.

A unique positioning after nearly forty years of activity

After nearly forty years of activity, Imhotep therefore has a rather unique position. It is clearly an amateur circus school , open to all and claiming a pedagogy without competition or elitism .

But the structure's long history, the diversity of its disciplines, its specialist groups, its acrobatic development, its troupe and its relationships with professional artists also allow the most motivated practitioners to go much further.

A child can begin with a parent-child workshop from the age of one, continue with Baby Circus, join multidisciplinary classes, choose a specialization, and eventually progress to more advanced programs. Adults can also discover or continue their circus arts training and benefit from workshops and masterclasses.

Imhotep Cirque thus constitutes a true place of transmission and practice of circus arts in the Bordeaux metropolitan area, where amateur practice, technical progression, artistic creation and encounters with the professional world coexist within the same project.