La Guixera – Escola de Circ

La Guixera is a school and training space for circus arts located in Salt , in the province of Girona .

The project is led by the Col·lectiu de Professionals de Circ de Girona , an association created to structure, represent and develop the circus sector in the Girona comarques.

La Guixera is located within the Factoria Cultural Coma Cros , an important cultural center in Salt.

The project was developed with the collaboration of different cultural and associative actors in the territory, notably the Federació d'Entitats Socioculturals de Salt and the Center de Creació d'Arts Sceniques El Canal .

Today, La Guixera is simultaneously a circus school , a training space , and a place for continuing education for professionals.

A circus school for children and teenagers

The school welcomes children and teenagers through regular courses organized during the school year.

The training allows you to gradually discover several major families of circus techniques.

The main families of techniques

• Acrobatics is one of the fundamental disciplines offered to students. It helps develop coordination, strength, mobility and body awareness.
• Balancing objects is also an important component of learning.
• Juggling helps to develop coordination, rhythm, concentration and manipulation.
• Aerial disciplines also occupy an important place: aerial silks are practiced in various courses and activities, the trapeze is also among the apparatus used, and the aerial hoop completes this discovery of suspension techniques.

The school seeks to offer a multidisciplinary approach allowing children and young people to discover several facets of circus arts.

This diversity is particularly visible in the internships and activities organized during the holidays.

Circus clubs allow children and teenagers to practice juggling, balancing, aerial arts and acrobatics in an intensive and fun format.

Play and experimentation occupy an important place in this educational approach.

The practice allows young participants to discover new challenges and gradually develop their autonomy .

Courses for adults and an intensive program

La Guixera also offers regular classes for adults .

They allow one to discover certain disciplines as well as to continue a practice already acquired.

The regular offering is complemented throughout the year by intensive courses and training programs .

These internships allow participants to explore specific disciplines with specialized artists and educators.

• The Chinese pole is one of the techniques offered in intensive training courses.
• Training courses focusing on flexibility and contortion are also organized.
• Verticals and hand balances can be the subject of specific training.
• Hand-to-hand combat is one of the techniques covered during training courses.
• The clown is also featured in the program.
• Dynamic fabric training allows more experienced practitioners to deepen their aerial technique.

This programming allows La Guixera to complement weekly classes with encounters with different approaches to contemporary circus .

A hub for professional development and continuing education

However, the training is not only aimed at the amateur public.

Professionalization and continuing education in the sector constitute an essential aspect of the project.

La Guixera organizes courses, workshops and seminars throughout the year for artists , trainers and other circus professionals .

• These training courses can be devoted to specific circus techniques.
• They can also address transferable skills related to professional activity.

The goal is to enable professionals to deepen their practice, acquire new tools and pursue their artistic and professional development.

The programming evolves throughout the year according to the needs identified in the sector.

A professional training space

This continuing education is complemented by a genuine professional training space .

La Guixera makes its facilities available to artists from different circus disciplines.

The space has the equipment and materials necessary for practicing several specialties.

• Members of the Col·lectiu de Professionals de Circ de Girona can access it in particular.
• Professionals outside the collective can also use the space under different conditions.
• Students in regular courses also have access options adapted to their needs.

Open training promotes encounters between artists and practitioners.

It allows participants to work independently while sharing a common space.

The exchange of knowledge between disciplines is encouraged.

La Guixera thus plays the role of a meeting point for the Circassian community of Girona and its surroundings.

A school born out of a need in the sector

This function corresponds directly to the objectives of the Col·lectiu de Professionals de Circ de Girona.

The collective was born in particular from the observation of a lack of spaces suitable for the training of circus artists in the territory.

The creation of a permanent venue makes it possible to meet this need while simultaneously developing amateur training .

This coexistence between school and professional practice is one of the distinctive features of La Guixera.

• Children and teenagers discover the circus in a place also frequented by professional artists.
• Adults can practice in an environment directly connected to the circus sector.
• Professionals have a space to train, meet other artists and continue their training.

A community and cultural dimension

La Guixera also has an important community dimension .

The project seeks to make circus arts accessible to the inhabitants of the area .

The Circ en Família program allows families to discover different circus techniques together.

These activities create spaces for intergenerational practice.

Some actions are organized in public spaces in order to directly engage with residents.

The circus then becomes a tool for encounter and cultural participation .

These activities help to create links between people of different ages and backgrounds.

La Guixera participates more broadly in the cultural life of Salt and the Girona comarques.

The project collaborates with various cultural, social and institutional actors in the territory.

Students can also participate in presentations and events to showcase the work done during the year.

The encounter with the public thus constitutes an extension of the learning process.

Events dedicated to the circus sector

The Col·lectiu de Professionals de Circ de Girona also organizes various events dedicated to the sector.

• La Trobada de Circ de les Comarques Gironines helps bring together the region's circus community.
• The Gala de Circ de les Comarques Gironines helps to showcase local artists and creations.
• Professional days also provide an opportunity to reflect on the challenges of the sector and to promote exchanges.

A landmark venue for circus arts

La Guixera is therefore part of a much larger project than that of a simple leisure school.

• It serves as a training tool for children, adolescents and adults.
• It allows families to discover the circus arts together.
• It hosts specialized training courses .
• It provides a training space for professional artists.
• It contributes to the continuing education and development of the sector.
• Finally, it participates in the development of a structured circus network in the comarques of Girona.

This combination of amateur learning , professional practice , continuing education and community action makes La Guixera a reference point for circus arts in Salt and the Girona region.