Kantonsschule Schüpfheim – Gymnasium Plus, Circus Arts sector

The Kantonsschule Schüpfheim is an upper secondary school located in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Since 2001, it has been developing the Gymnasium Plus program, an educational model that allows talented young people to combine a demanding academic education with intensive practice in an artistic or sporting field.

From the 2026-2027 school year, the institution is expanding its offering with the creation of a new program specifically dedicated to circus arts, entitled " Zirkuskunst ".

This program is a new addition to the Swiss German-speaking educational landscape. It allows young people practicing circus arts at an advanced level to continue their technical and artistic development while preparing for the Swiss high school diploma.

The curriculum is based on the " Profil 5 Plus " model, which spreads schooling over five years instead of the usual four years of the short gymnasium.

This organization allows school time to be arranged to leave significant space for training, creation and physical recovery.

• Students benefit in particular from four afternoons without compulsory schooling , reserved for the development of their talent and personal work.
• Classes also start later in the morning , in order to better accommodate the physical and organizational demands of intensive practice.

Partners and educational support

The Circus Arts program is developed in collaboration with the Tortellini Circus School in Lucerne, an educational partner specializing in teaching circus disciplines.

• Ursi Caflisch , head of Tortellini, brings his expertise in circus training and participates in the development of the new program.
• Dominik Holl , a coach specializing in acrobatics, accompanies the technical training and artistic development of the students.
• Reto Ambauen , director, theatre educator and talent coordinator of the Gymnasium Plus program, provides educational coordination for the program within the Kantonsschule Schüpfheim.

This collaboration makes it possible to combine the requirements of general education with those of intensive artistic practice.

Personal development and health

The training is not limited to learning circus techniques. It also seeks to support young people in their personal, physical and creative development.

The Gymnasium Plus program pays particular attention to health, injury prevention, and the balance between academic and artistic demands.

Students benefit from individualized support provided by various professionals: talent coordinators, mentors, teachers and educational advisors.

• Periods of independent work and flexible scheduling allow for the organization of training and artistic projects alongside studies.
• The institution also maintains close ties with external stakeholders, coaches and partner organizations involved in student training.

This organization is based on the concept of a dual pathway: enabling young people to simultaneously pursue their artistic ambitions and their academic training.

A complement to the Gymnasium Plus courses

The creation of the Circus Arts program complements the courses already offered by Gymnasium Plus in the fields of music , theatre , dance , sport and visual arts .

It thus offers a new opportunity for young circus artists wishing to develop their practice at a sustained level without giving up general training leading to maturity.

The Kantonsschule Schüpfheim thus constitutes a particular structure in the landscape of circus training: halfway between a general school and a specialized artistic development program, it accompanies teenagers in building a path that can lead them towards higher artistic studies or other professional orientations.