Ouistiti Circus

Ouistiti Circus is a non-profit circus school located under a big top in Blasimon , Gironde, in the heart of the rural Entre-deux-Mers region. Founded in 2005 in Frontenac, the association has been developing the teaching, practice and dissemination of circus arts in rural areas for over twenty years.

The origins of the project

The project originated with a group of parents who met in front of their children's school in Frontenac. From this local dynamic, the association Le Ouistiti Circus was born in 2005, with the aim of promoting artistic expression in rural areas and simultaneously developing shows and events around the performing arts.

The school gradually developed before settling in 2020 in Blasimon , where its big top is located on the site of the municipal stadium.

This permanent location under a big top gives the school a strong identity today. Students practice directly in a space dedicated to circus arts, which hosts regular classes as well as workshops, family gatherings, events and shows.

Twenty years in business and a growing school

In 2025-2026, the school reached a symbolic milestone by celebrating twenty years of operation . The previous season had welcomed over one hundred students aged from 4 to 57 years old , and the twentieth anniversary year began with 125 students enrolled .

For the 2026-2027 season, Le Ouistiti Circus announces thirteen weekly courses , organised by age group or by specialty.

The school is open to children from the age of 4 and allows them to continue practicing during adolescence and then into adulthood.

Pedagogy: Creativity and Psychomotor Skills

The teaching method developed by the team is based on two main axes: creativity and psychomotor skills .

The circus is viewed as a rich and open artistic space in which the student must gradually acquire the means to invent and develop their own creativity.

The diversity of circus situations also constitutes a particularly interesting tool for psychomotor development . The different techniques confront practitioners with varied actions, constraints and sensations, and gradually lead them to better understand and control their bodies.

The association associates several values with this practice: self-improvement, perseverance, concentration, body control, complicity, knowledge of one's limits, cooperation, respect and autonomy.

The practice is therefore not organized around a logic of competition . Circus is used as an artistic and physical activity that simultaneously promotes individual progress and cooperation.

This philosophy is reflected in the courses offered to both children and adults.

The subjects taught

Students discover different disciplines and can gradually develop their preferences and skills. The school also offers specialized courses , allowing those who wish to delve deeper into specific techniques.

The disciplines taught cover the major families of circus arts: juggling and object manipulation , balances , acrobatics , aerial disciplines and group practices .

Aviation has a specific place in the school's programming, with dedicated groups.

Creation and representation

Circus work is also geared towards creation and performance . Students are regularly given the opportunity to present their work in shows.

The twentieth anniversary celebration organized in May 2026 particularly illustrates this dimension: thirteen student performances were programmed during the weekend, from groups of young children to teenagers and adults.

A performance course for 9-15 year olds also presented their own work.

This event combined student creations with professional shows, guest artists, concerts, workshops open to the public and a cabaret.

A professional activity of production and distribution

The presence of professional artists is not exceptional in the Ouistiti Circus project. The association also has a production and distribution activity for live shows alongside the school.

It can therefore offer shows for all audiences, stilt walkers, shows combining fire, light and pyrotechnics, or various artistic forms intended for events.

The association holds a performing arts entrepreneur license and clearly distinguishes these professional services from its non-profit teaching activities.

This coexistence between amateur school and professional artistic activity nevertheless allows students to practice in an environment directly connected to live performance.

Internships during school holidays

The Ouistiti Circus also develops a significant activity during school holidays .

The association regularly organizes workshops allowing children and teenagers to discover or deepen their knowledge of different disciplines.

During the 2024-2025 season, the school organized 35 days of internships during school holidays, which shows the importance of this activity in addition to weekly classes.

Early childhood and parenthood: Baby Circus workshops

Another distinctive feature of Ouistiti Circus is its work around early childhood and parenthood .

The Baby Circus workshops welcome children from 0 to 4 years old accompanied by their parents .

They are offered under the big top in a specially designed space so that toddlers can experience new sensations and gradually discover movement and the circus environment.

These sessions are not designed as technical circus classes for babies. They are more about discovery , motor skills , parent-child relationships , and family gatherings .

The project benefits in particular from the support of the CAF of Gironde and the MSA as part of actions related to parenthood.

The association also organizes meetings for families and thus develops an approach to the circus that goes far beyond the traditional functioning of a school offering only weekly classes.

The adapted circus

Adapted circus is another important area.

Ouistiti Circus has been working for several years with specialized organizations that come to practice under the big top. The association explicitly identifies people with disabilities among the target audiences for its activities.

The proposals are adapted to the abilities of the participants and allow the use of circus disciplines as supports for motor skills , relationships , confidence and shared enjoyment .

School without walls

The school also operates outside of its big top .

It can build projects with schools, leisure centers, early childhood structures, associations, communities and specialized structures.

These interventions can take the form of activities, introductions to circus arts, or more developed projects.

This mobility is particularly important in the rural context of Entre-deux-Mers : it makes it possible to bring circus arts to communities and audiences who do not necessarily have a specialized school nearby.

"Stilts in Freedom": an original traveling activity

The "Stilts in Freedom" project is probably the most original example of this itinerant activity.

The Ouistiti Circus has mobile equipment specifically dedicated to traditional stilts.

The association owns thirty pairs of traditional stilts and twelve pairs of arm stilts . Its mobile unit includes a van equipped with benches allowing participants to put on the stilts.

Fifteen pairs intended for adults and fifteen pairs intended for children, with heights ranging from approximately 50 cm to one meter , can thus be transported to the intervention site.

The team offers discovery sessions, introductory courses, workshops and stilt walks.

Once the basics are acquired, the practice can be used for walks in nature, visits, carnivals, costumed parades, dance, street theatre, acrobatics or even group games.

The goal is to gradually guide each participant towards greater autonomy while using this practice as a tool for meeting and cooperation.

This activity illustrates well the general philosophy of Ouistiti Circus: circus techniques are used to learn , create , share and meet others .

A team of speakers and volunteers

The school relies on a team of professionals with complementary skills.

For the twentieth anniversary season, classes were notably taught by Kevin Mofy , Matt Dussol and Fabien Ratier .

Alison Stey has also joined the team. Coming from a family of circus performers and specializing in aerial disciplines, she has notably enriched the offering available to students, particularly adults.

The organization remains largely run by associations . Alongside the professionals and speakers is a team of administrators and numerous volunteers who participate in the life of the place and the organization of major events.

The association also emphasizes conviviality and opportunities for members, families and local residents to meet.

The twentieth anniversary: a unifying event

This dimension was particularly visible during the twentieth anniversary of the Ouistiti Circus in May 2026.

For two days, the big top and its surroundings hosted student performances, a Baby Circus area, workshops open to the public, cabarets, guest artists, professional shows, concerts and social gatherings.

Students of almost all age groups were thus able to present their work in a true event dedicated to circus arts.

A school rooted in its rural territory

After more than twenty years in existence, Le Ouistiti Circus is therefore much more than a simple weekly workshop.

Since its creation in Frontenac and its subsequent move to Blasimon, the association seeks to make circus arts accessible in the Entre-deux-Mers region and to create a local artistic and social dynamic around this practice.

Children can start with parent-child experiences in Baby Circus , then join regular classes from the age of 4 , continue during adolescence and possibly deepen their knowledge of certain disciplines.

Adults also have access to courses and can participate in various artistic projects.

Internships, shows, actions with specialized structures, external interventions and itinerant projects complement this regular practice.

Ouistiti Circus is thus an amateur circus school particularly rooted in its territory , where technical learning is closely associated with creativity, cooperation, collective life and the pleasure of practicing circus arts.