Jugend Circus Basilisk – Basel Circus School

The Jugend Circus Basilisk (JCB) is a circus school for children and teenagers based in Basel, Switzerland. Founded in 1969, this association offers a particularly comprehensive experience of circus arts, combining technical training, artistic creation, performances and community living.

The project was born from the desire to allow young people to discover the circus by becoming the artists of a real show themselves.

Each year, approximately fifty children and teenagers aged 7 to 17 participate in the association's activities.

Unlike a traditional leisure school, the Jugend Circus Basilisk organizes its educational year around the creation of a complete show , presented to the public during a summer tour.

Training begins in the autumn and continues until the beginning of summer in the association's permanent facilities, located on Freiburgerstrasse in Basel.

Depending on their level and specialty, young artists train once or several times a week .

The training allows you to discover different families of circus arts: ground acrobatics, group figures, human pyramids, juggling, diabolo, aerial disciplines, balances and acts using wheels or other accessories.

Participants gradually learn to master their techniques while developing coordination, concentration, confidence and a sense of responsibility .

Entry into the association follows a specific educational path.

Interested children, aged 7 to 13 at the time of their application, are invited to participate in two trial sessions organized after the autumn holidays.

These sessions allow them to discover the circus environment and to test their motivation.

The selected candidates then join the Grundtraining, an initial training organized with weekly training sessions until the July tour.

During this period, they discover the basics of circus arts and prepare their first group act.

This act is presented to the public during the summer tour, giving the newcomers their first experience on stage.

At the end of this training, the artistic committee decides on final admissions to the Jugend Circus Basilisk, based on the progress of the participants and the places available.

Young people admitted can then continue their journey in the association until the age of 17 .

The creation of the annual show is a central element of the educational process.

Starting in the fall, a group in charge of the staging works with the artistic direction to imagine the theme, the universe and the structure of the future program.

Children and adolescents are thus involved in a genuine process of collective creation .

During the Easter holidays, a week of intensive training allows students to develop their skills with the trainers.

The following months are devoted to rehearsals, choreography, costume preparation, music selection, and prop making.

The project culminated in a three-week tour during the summer holidays.

The young people then present one or two performances daily under the association's big top, while sharing a collective living experience.

This immersive experience allows you to discover how a real traveling troupe operates.

The Jugend Circus Basilisk has a particularly well-developed infrastructure for this purpose: a big top that can accommodate up to 500 spectators , additional spaces, technical equipment, accessories and transport equipment.

The association operates without structural public subsidies , thanks to membership fees, donations, public contributions and the voluntary commitment of many families.

Parents actively participate in the life of the circus: setting up and taking down the big top, preparing meals during the tour, costumes, communication and various organizational tasks.

This collective involvement is an integral part of the educational project.

Beyond circus technique, the Jugend Circus Basilisk wishes to transmit to young people the meaning of teamwork , tolerance , autonomy , commitment and responsibility .

Life on tour is a particularly formative experience, as participants must learn to balance training, performances, daily organization and group life.

In 2026, the association presented its 57th tour with the show "Lumaris", bringing together 46 young artists.

After several performances in Basel, the troupe continued its tour in Zug.

Twelve new young artists also completed their initial training and joined the troupe in July 2026.

With more than half a century of existence, the Jugend Circus Basilisk occupies a unique place in the Swiss circus landscape.

It offers children and teenagers much more than technical training: a true artistic, associative and human experience , from the first training sessions to the presentation of a full show in front of several hundred spectators.