Sarakasi – Circusatelier de Denderbelle / Dendermonde

Circusatelier Sarakasi is a Flemish circus school created in 2007 in the Dendermonde region of East Flanders. Starting as an initiative by a few young circus enthusiasts, it has gradually become an important amateur circus arts teaching structure.

The first courses were organized in Dendermonde , in the premises of the former Heilige Maagdcollege.

The rapid growth in the number of participants led Sarakasi to seek its own space. In 2011 , the school moved into the former Gildenhuis in Denderbelle , which became its main practice location.

Today, Sarakasi welcomes more than 320 children, young people and adults from around forty municipalities and develops activities in the Dendermonde , Lebbeke and Aalst region.

The organization aims to create an open community in which anyone interested in the circus can find their place, discover the different disciplines and progress gradually.

The multi-circus: a foundation of teaching

The multi-circus form one of the foundations of his teaching.

Children discover different families of techniques and gradually learn to use both circus equipment and their own bodies.

• For younger children, the approach is largely based on play and experimentation .
• As you progress, the exercises gradually become more technical and the game alternates with more precise learning of the different disciplines.

Juggling

Juggling is one of the important aspects of this discovery.

Students can work with balls , Chinese plates and various manipulatives.

The balances

Balances constitute another major family of techniques offered within the school.

Participants gradually learn to master their bodies on different apparatus and to develop balance , coordination and concentration .

Acrobatics

Acrobatics also plays an important role in the program.

Sarakasi offers, in particular, specific acrobatics courses allowing young people who wish to do so to deepen their knowledge of this discipline beyond the general multi-circus program.

A progression adapted to each age

The school organizes its groups according to age and experience in order to offer a progression adapted to the different participants.

Teenagers can continue their practice for several years and gradually access projects that are more technically and artistically demanding.

Sarakasi indeed places great importance on retaining teenagers in circus arts.

The organization has developed various projects to offer them more opportunities for progression , creation and encounters with other practitioners.

The objective is, in particular, to allow the most motivated young people to gradually move from the status of student to that of trainee , then assistant and possibly circus teacher .

Artistic creation

Artistic creation constitutes another important dimension of the project.

Young people are encouraged to go beyond mere technical mastery to use their skills in the construction of acts and shows .

They regularly participate in performances and events that allow them to present their work to an audience.

Sarakasi is notably closely linked to the CIRK! festival in Aalst .

Young people from the school can present their own creations alongside professional Belgian and international companies.

This confrontation with live performance allows a true artistic dimension to be given to the learning done during the year.

Studio CIRK! and the Aalst branch

Since 2019 , Sarakasi has also been developing Studio CIRK! in Aalst in partnership with the City of Aalst and the De Werf cultural center.

This branch offers around thirty courses during the school year and allows children and teenagers to gradually discover juggling , balance , acrobatics and other circus techniques.

The youngest learn primarily through play before gradually progressing towards a more technical practice.

Courses and projects are also offered to adults .

Sarakasi therefore does not limit its educational project to childhood and seeks to create a community in which different generations can discover and practice circus arts.

Internships and outdoor activities

The organization also organizes internships during school holidays.

These workshops allow for more intensive practice of several techniques and complement the weekly classes.

External activities represent another important aspect of Sarakasi's work.

• The association participates in events, parties, festivals and educational projects with introductions to circus arts .
• It can provide various equipment and offer supervised workshops allowing participants to choose a discipline and benefit from the advice of an instructor.
• Sarakasi also works with schools and various cultural or social partners in the region.

Accessibility and philosophy

Financial accessibility is one of the association's concerns.

The organization participates in the UiTPAS scheme, which allows people with modest incomes to benefit from a significantly reduced rate for activities.

The school primarily advocates a non-competitive approach to circus arts.

The practice is not organized around rankings or competitions but around learning , enjoyment , creativity and personal development .

The circus thus becomes a way to work on strength and balance , but also self-confidence , imagination , perseverance and relationships with others.

The collective dimension is particularly important: participants learn together, help each other and gradually build a real community around the circus.

2026: Structural recognition

The year 2026 marks an important milestone in the history of Sarakasi.

Nearly twenty years after its creation, the association obtained structural recognition as a Flemish circus workshop within the framework of the Circusdecreet.

This recognition should allow it to continue its professional development , further expand its offering and develop new projects.

Among its ambitions are the development of inclusive activities for people with disabilities and projects to better welcome non-native French-speaking children and adults.