La Reid Youth Centre – Circus Workshops

The La Reid Youth Centre is a youth centre located in the municipality of Theux , in the province of Liège . Among its extensive cultural, sporting and creative programming, it has developed a dedicated centre for circus arts with weekly workshops for children and teenagers.

Circus arts are an integral part of the regular activities at the Youth Centre. For the 2026-2027 season, four programs allow children to start as young as 5 and continue practicing throughout their childhood and adolescence.

Weekly routes

The Bambino Circus (ages 5 to 7)

The Bambino Circus is the first step. Aimed at children aged 5 to 7 , it offers a first discovery of the circus world through play , movement and imagination .

At this age, the goal is less about seeking technical performance than about allowing children to experiment , move , and gradually become aware of their physical capabilities.

Circus workshop for ages 8 and up

From the age of 8 , children can join a real circus workshop . This course allows them to discover different circus techniques while developing creativity and coordination .

The approach is multidisciplinary : it allows young practitioners to discover several facets of the circus rather than immediately specializing in a single technique.

The teen workshop (ages 12 and up)

Teenagers also have access to a multidisciplinary circus workshop . Open to those aged 12 and over, it is aimed at young people wishing to continue their training and explore circus disciplines further.

This continuity between the different groups therefore makes it possible to support a child from their first discoveries to a more autonomous and in-depth practice in adolescence.

Aerial arts

The Youth Centre also offers specific instruction in aerial arts . An aerial circus workshop is offered to children aged 8 to 12 .

Aerial practice allows you to work on body awareness , coordination , strength and movement control in a different way, while developing an aesthetic and artistic dimension.

Previous seasons' programming also included an aerial workshop for those over 12 years old. The content of the program may change from year to year depending on projects and registrations.

A pedagogy through action

The teaching methods at the Youth Centre are largely based on learning by doing . Participants are encouraged to try, experiment, make mistakes and try again.

This way of learning is particularly suited to circus arts, where progress naturally comes through experimentation , repetition and the gradual understanding of movement .

The workshops are led by professionals who guide the young people in their discoveries and gradually pass on the necessary techniques.

The Youth Centre also emphasizes a fun and progressive learning approach. Methods and objectives are adapted to the age of the participants so that everyone can progress at their own pace without the pressure of competition.

Cross-cutting objectives

Self-confidence is one of the overarching goals of the workshops. Learning a new technique, encountering a difficulty and then gradually overcoming it allows the young person to become aware of their own abilities.

Coordination and body control naturally occupy an important place, but the project is not limited to physical development.

Creativity is also encouraged. The circus becomes a space to experiment, imagine and develop one's own way of moving and expressing oneself.

Team spirit is another key element. The workshops are designed as meeting spaces where participants learn together, exchange ideas and participate in a collective dynamic.

Kindness and respect are among the principles promoted by the organization. Activities take place in suitable spaces and aim to create a safe and inclusive environment.

One pole among others

These workshops are part of the larger project of the Youth Centre, which also develops music , dance , stage expression , creativity , climbing and various sports activities.

This diversity allows young people attending the facility to discover several forms of expression and possibly create bridges between circus , movement , music and stage .

The Youth Center also bases its activities on the CRACS values: developing Responsible, Active, Critical, and Supportive Citizens . Artistic and sporting activities thus become a means of fostering autonomy , curiosity , openness to others , and collective engagement .

Internships during the holidays

In addition to weekly workshops, the organization organizes numerous training courses during school holidays.

Circus arts feature regularly in this program. For the autumn holidays of 2026 , a circus-based motor skills workshop for children aged 3 to 5 allows the youngest children to explore circus techniques while developing motor skills, balance and creativity.

These internships further broaden the audience reached by the project since some circus activities are accessible from age 3 .

A truly structured offer

The La Reid Youth Centre is therefore not an independent circus school in the institutional sense of the term. Circus arts represent one of the various aspects of its youth program.

However, the presence of several weekly courses organized by age, a path from discovery to adolescent improvement, a specialization in aerial arts and regular circus workshops allows us to speak of a truly structured offering of learning circus arts .

For children and teenagers from La Reid , Theux and surrounding municipalities, the Maison des Jeunes thus constitutes a regular place for discovering and practicing circus arts in an associative , educational and non-competitive environment.