Nose in the Stars – Bourges Circus School

Le Nez dans les Étoiles is a non-profit circus school located in Bourges , in the Cher department. Founded in 1997 , it has been developing the learning and practice of circus arts for children, teenagers and adults for almost thirty years .

The association was created with the aim of developing a multidisciplinary circus school open to all, without distinction of age, sex, social or religious background.

In its early days, the school welcomed around forty students in weekly classes. Today, it brings together more than 260 members each week and also reaches more than 1,000 children, teenagers and adults through introductory sessions and one-off events organized throughout the year.

The school is approved by the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the heading of Youth and Popular Education .

Le Nez dans les Étoiles welcomes children from the start of primary school (CP), with no upper age limit. Teenagers and adults can therefore also discover or further develop their circus arts skills there.

Three levels of education

The teaching is structured around three complementary levels : discovery, initiation and improvement.

This organization allows us to welcome both people who are completely new to the circus and practitioners who already have several years of experience and wish to deepen their techniques.

A multidisciplinary approach

Multidisciplinarity is one of the important characteristics of the school.

Le Nez dans les Étoiles offers a particularly wide range of circus techniques based on acrobatics , skill , balance and aerial disciplines .

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is one of the fundamentals of this practice. It is complemented by various forms of jumps and body work that develop coordination, positioning, and control of movement.

Balances on objects

Balances on objects are very common.

Students can work on balance balls and American rollers , but also discover wire walking and stilts .

Cycling is also an integral part of the curriculum. Unicycles , in particular, are used by students and regularly appear in the creations and shows presented by the school.

Juggling

Juggling is another major family of disciplines taught. It allows students to develop dexterity , coordination , rhythm , and creativity through the manipulation of different objects.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines are particularly diverse.

The trapeze , aerial silks , aerial hoop and rope are among the apparatus offered by the school.

The Chinese pole complements this offering and allows for a different vertical technique than suspended aerial apparatus.

The school also teaches more unusual disciplines in leisure settings, such as Russian bar .

This diversity allows students to discover a very wide range of circus arts before gradually developing an affinity for certain techniques.

Creation and presentation in front of an audience

The proposed course does not stop at technical learning.

Le Nez dans les Étoiles places great importance on the creation of acts and their presentation in front of an audience .

The students participate in galas during which acts based on the work done during classes are presented.

These events are an integral part of school life and allow practitioners to experience the stage dimension of circus arts.

The creative process can then combine technique , stage presence , music , composition and relationship with the audience .

The Students' Gala

The Student Gala is one of the association's regular events.

For the November 2026 edition, several performances are organized under the school's big top to present a selection of acts prepared by the students.

A specific representation also highlights young practitioners and adult amateurs .

A mobile dimension

The practice is not limited to the big top in Bourges.

Le Nez dans les Étoiles also has a mobile dimension and can teach under a fixed or mobile big top, in function rooms, gymnasiums or outdoors.

This mobility allows it to develop discovery activities and projects outside its permanent location.

The school also participates in projects with other cultural organizations in the area.

In Menetou-Salon , for example, she participates in the Carroi workshops to offer introductory circus arts courses for children.

Internships

Internships represent another important aspect of how the school operates.

During school holidays , Le Nez dans les Étoiles organizes discovery workshops allowing participants to explore different techniques.

Specialized internships are also offered.

They allow for in-depth study of a particular discipline or field and can be supervised by invited professional artists .

This openness allows students to encounter other teaching methods and artistic approaches than those encountered during their regular classes.

Clowning and body expression can also be the subject of specific workshops.

The school can thus occasionally expand its teaching to practices more oriented towards play , improvisation , the expression of emotions and stage presence .

Link with professional artists

The link with professional artists is also maintained by hosting artistic projects .

The big top can accommodate artists or companies in residence and serve as a creative space.

In April 2026 , the Terremoto Cultural association, for example, carried out an artistic residency at Nez dans les Étoiles, accompanied by a clown workshop and performances.

This activity helps to make the place not only a school for amateur practice, but also a meeting place for students, teachers and artists .

The circus tent, an element of identity

The big top is, in fact, an essential component of the school's identity.

Le Nez dans les Étoiles is located at 34 bis rue Henri-Sellier in Bourges , near the Rives d'Auron .

This place allows practice in an environment directly associated with the world of the circus and has the necessary facilities for the many disciplines offered by the school.

The technical diversity of the teaching is also apparent in the performances produced by the students.

During a tour organized in July 2026 in Nérondes , the young artists of the school presented trapeze , aerial pole , unicycle , rope , silks , hoop , wheel , balance balls and American roller .

This diversity illustrates the desire to maintain a truly multidisciplinary approach to the circus.

A project for all ages

The association's project thus combines several levels of practice.

A child can enter the school from the first year of primary school to discover the major circus families, continue their learning for several years and then gradually access more advanced practices.

Teenagers can continue to develop their techniques and participate in the school's creations.

Adults also have a real place in the project and are not considered solely as chaperones for young practitioners.

Specialized internships and interventions by professional artists finally allow students wishing to go further to benefit from occasional more targeted teaching.

A school rooted in Bourges

After nearly thirty years of activity , Le Nez dans les Étoiles has become a well-established amateur circus school in Bourges.

Its long history , its permanent marquee , the large number of practitioners and above all the great diversity of disciplines offered make it possible to build a practice ranging from simple discovery to perfection.

Weekly classes, workshops, student performances, external interventions, meetings with artists and creative projects all contribute to making Nez dans les Étoiles a vibrant place dedicated to the transmission and practice of circus arts .