KoMoNò CirCuS
Circus school in the Arcachon basin offering courses from early childhood to adults, workshops and specialisation courses around acrobatics, aerial arts, juggling, balances and body expression.
33260 La Teste-de-Buch
The KoMoNò CirCuS
KoMoNò CirCuS is a circus school located in La Teste-de-Buch , on the Arcachon Bay in Gironde. Run by the KoMoNò Collective , it offers weekly classes throughout the year, holiday workshops , advanced training workshops , and various artistic projects related to circus arts.
Areas of activity
Since 2017, the KoMoNò Collective has been developing a project dedicated to the promotion of circus arts and, more broadly, live performance. Its activity is based on three main complementary axes.
- Teaching and pedagogy
- Support for artistic creation
- Company activity
The school: public and educational mission
The school forms the heart of the educational program. It welcomes a particularly wide range of participants, from toddlers accompanied by their parents to adults. Classes are adapted to the age, level, and experience of the participants so that everyone can discover the circus arts or continue a practice already underway.
Multidisciplinary approach
The teaching is based primarily on a multidisciplinary approach. Except in groups specifically dedicated to a specialization, students are led to experience different major families of circus arts.
- Acrobatics
- Aerial disciplines
- Balances on objects
- Juggling
- Body language
Acrobatics
Acrobatics can be practiced on the ground, but also using various equipment and techniques. The school specifically mentions trampolines , Chinese poles , and acrobatic lifts among the practices that can be explored.
Aerial disciplines
Aerial disciplines also play a significant role. Students can discover or further develop their skills in trapeze , silks , aerial hoop , and rope . Certain groups and workshops then allow for further specialization in aerial arts.
Balances on objects
Object balancing encompasses a wide variety of practices. The school's equipment allows for work on balance balls , tightropes , beams , American rollers , unicycles , and stilts .
Juggling and body expression
Juggling complements this multidisciplinary approach and allows for the development of coordination, precision, rhythm, and object manipulation. In addition to these technical skills, there is work in physical and theatrical expression designed to bridge the gap between mastery of a discipline and artistic creation.
Pedagogy and progression
The KoMoNò pedagogy is based on a modern and supportive approach to learning. The school encourages students to try , try again , and progress without seeing failure as a punishment. Risk awareness, self-confidence, listening to others, and the joy of practice are integral to the learning process.
Technical progress remains important, but it is not considered in isolation from creativity. Students are progressively encouraged to use the techniques they have acquired to develop personal expression and create artistic proposals.
This desire to create bridges between amateur learning and professional creation is one of the distinctive features of the KoMoNò project. Students develop in an environment also frequented by professional companies and artists in residence.
Residencies and support for creation
The collective supports artistic creation by making its spaces and equipment available to companies. Residencies allow artists to work on their shows while participating in the artistic life of the venue.
Amateur creations and performances
For young practitioners already initiated, KoMoNò also develops amateur creation projects. These allow them to go beyond the traditional technical course and to experience more directly the different stages of constructing an artistic proposal.
Internships
In addition to regular classes, the school organizes workshops during all school holidays, except for the Christmas holidays. These workshops welcome both beginners and children who already have some experience.
- The multidisciplinary workshops allow children to practice acrobatics, object balancing, aerial disciplines, juggling, and physical expression over several consecutive days. They are organized into groups adapted to the children's ages.
- The youngest children, aged 4 to 6 , participate in two-hour sessions every morning.
- Children aged 7 to 14 have a more intensive format organized over the course of the day.
- At the end of the week, the trainees participate in a small performance or a public session so that families can discover the work done.
- Advanced training courses are also organized on an ad-hoc basis to further develop disciplines such as acrobatic lifts and hand-to-hand, with specialist instructors.
Some of these events are accessible to experienced teenagers, adults, and even young artists on the path to becoming professionals.
Adult pathways
Adults have a wide range of options. A multidisciplinary group allows beginners and experienced practitioners alike to discover or deepen their skills in acrobatics, aerial arts, object balancing, juggling, and physical and theatrical expression. A second adult program is more specialized in aerial disciplines as well as acrobatic and physical expression. KoMoNò also develops programs adapted for adults seeking a different kind of physical activity, notably through gentle circus classes.
Arts, social and inclusive education initiatives
The school also develops numerous arts and cultural education initiatives. The KoMoNò Collective works with diverse audiences and local partners to introduce circus arts outside of regular classes. Its activities also include projects with a social and inclusive dimension.
- Workshops with adults with disabilities .
- Activities with children followed by the Charles Perrens hospital in Biganos .
- Internships intended for adults and minors from the Gradignan penitentiary centre .
This diversity of audiences reflects a conception of the circus as a tool for transmission and encounter: developing technical and physical skills, but also confidence, listening, cooperation and expression.
The Teste à Têtes festival
The KoMoNò project also has an important cultural dimension thanks to the Teste à Têtes festival. Organized in La Teste-de-Buch, this event dedicated to circus and street theatre welcomes professional companies and offers shows, music and various activities.
Company activity
The KoMoNò Collective has its own independent business. It develops shows, performances, and various artistic projects for communities, festivals, and events. This ongoing collaboration with professional artists enriches the environment in which the students learn and grow.
Establishment in Biscarrosse
Since 2024 , KoMoNò has also been developing its activities in Biscarrosse, in the Landes region, in partnership with Odysca . Regular classes are now offered there for children.
For the 2026-2027 season, the Biscarrosse courses welcome children from 1 and a half years old with the parent-child Babycircus, then different groups for 4-5 year olds , 4-6 year olds , 6-8 year olds and 9-13 year olds .
This facility is set to take on a new dimension in spring 2027 with the installation of classes under a permanent marquee at the Stade Triscos in Biscarrosse Bourg. This marquee will feature a high ceiling, new equipment and apparatus, a wooden track, and bleachers.
Conclusion
KoMoNò CirCuS is characterized by a project that goes far beyond the scope of a simple leisure school. Amateur teaching remains at the heart of its activity, but it is in constant dialogue with artistic creation , hosting companies, cultural and social initiatives, and the programming of shows.
From initial parent-child sessions to adult groups, including multidisciplinary courses, specializations, workshops, and amateur creations, the school allows students to develop a long-term practice. Through this project, KoMoNò aims to transmit both the techniques of circus arts and a taste for experimentation and creation: learning to try , to understand the risks , to listen to others , to start again , and to gradually transform technical practice into a means of artistic expression.
