Kinder- und Jugendzirkus BIRIKINO

The Kinder- und Jugendzirkus BIRIKINO is an educational project dedicated to circus arts supported by Don Bosco Sachsen in Chemnitz, Saxony.

It is part of Don Bosco's actions in support of children and adolescents and uses circus arts as a tool for meeting , learning , expression and personal development .

Regular training and age-based access

BIRIKINO offers regular training sessions during the school year.

• Children can join the project as soon as they enter primary school and participate in training until the age of 14 .
• A specific group also welcomes teenagers aged 12 to 18 .

Accessibility and registration procedures

One of the project's distinctive features is its accessibility : training sessions for children are free and can be joined without prior registration .

Teenagers also have access to specific weekly training, for which a short prior registration is required.

Disciplines and activities offered

The sessions allow participants to discover and experience different disciplines of circus arts .

• Juggling and object manipulation play a particularly important role in the activities.
• The diabolo is part of the equipment regularly used by BIRIKINO.
• Children can also try out hula hoops , jump ropes and various forms of skill and balance games.
• Mini bikes and various circus equipment allow you to work on balance, coordination and body control.
• Acrobatics is also part of BIRIKINO's universe.

The training sessions are designed as spaces where children can try different disciplines, discover their abilities and progress gradually.

The collective dimension and the shows

The collective dimension plays an important role in the project. The circus allows participants to learn together, help each other, and prepare joint performances.

BIRIKINO regularly organizes shows allowing young artists to showcase the skills acquired during training.

These performances constitute a genuine educational objective and give children the opportunity to discover the stage, the preparation of an act and the relationship with the public.

The project is supervised by instructors trained in circus pedagogy .

Circus and Big Top Weeks

BIRIKINO also organizes circus weeks during certain school holiday periods.

During these more intensive courses, children and teenagers can spend several days learning the disciplines and collectively preparing a show.

Since May 2026 , BIRIKINO has had its own big top tent installed in the Sonnenberg district of Chemnitz.

• This true circus space allows for training and performances in an environment particularly suited to the practice.
• The marquee was also renovated in 2026 to improve the conditions for welcoming participants and the public.

Itinerant activities and presence in public spaces

However, the project is not limited to this fixed location. BIRIKINO develops itinerant circus activities throughout the year in the Sonnenberg district and in various sectors of Chemnitz.

The team travels to playgrounds in particular with circus equipment.

Diabolos, jump ropes, hula hoops, mini bikes, giant soap bubbles and various circus exercises allow the children and teenagers present to participate freely .

This presence in the public sphere is an important dimension of the social project . It allows us to directly engage with young people, including those who would not spontaneously attend a circus school or cultural institution.

Events and collaborations

BIRIKINO also participates in events organized in Chemnitz and beyond.

Young artists and their supervisors can thus offer demonstrations or participatory workshops allowing the public to discover the circus arts.

The project also collaborates with other youth circuses in the Don Bosco network in Germany.

An educational and social mission

Beyond technical learning, BIRIKINO is fully in line with the educational and social mission of Don Bosco Sachsen .

Don Bosco Sachsen supports more than 1,000 young people daily through its various youth, education, inclusion, and social and professional support initiatives.

The circus is used here as an educational tool to enhance the abilities of each child.

• The practice encourages perseverance , concentration , self-confidence , creativity and cooperation .
• The non-competitive approach allows everyone to progress according to their abilities and to find a discipline in which they can express themselves.

BIRIKINO is therefore much more than a one-off activity offered by Don Bosco.

With its weekly training sessions, age groups, workshops, shows, traveling performances and its own big top, it is a true structure for practicing and transmitting circus arts for children and teenagers in Chemnitz.