Spelati – Circusatelier of Halle-Zoersel

Spelati is an amateur circus school located in Halle-Zoersel , in the province of Antwerp. It offers regular instruction in circus arts in a friendly atmosphere where technical learning, fun, creativity and group life take center stage.

The Circusateljee Spelati vzw association has officially existed since 2010 and has gradually established itself as one of the circus workshops in the Flemish landscape.

Spelati defines itself first and foremost as a true circus school in Halle-Zoersel.

An open conception of practice

His project is based on a very open conception of the practice: the circus should allow people to be together while leaving each person the possibility to develop their own personality.

The school welcomes both beginners and more experienced practitioners .

Students have the opportunity to explore several families of disciplines rather than immediately specializing in a single technique.

The subjects taught

Juggling is one of the skills offered.

Students can also discover the diabolo and gradually develop coordination, precision, concentration and perseverance.

The unicycle is another important discipline in the workshop and allows students to work on balance, body control and movement.

Various balance techniques complement this practice.

Acrobatics is also part of the program and allows participants to develop their physical abilities, body awareness, and confidence.

Clowning, on the other hand, brings a dimension more focused on expression, play and relationships with others.

This diversity allows each participant to experience several facets of the circus before discovering the disciplines in which they develop the most interest.

One of Spelati's important principles is precisely to allow everyone to find their own passion within a diverse range of circus offerings.

A pedagogy centered on pleasure and expression

Pedagogy is not based solely on technical performance.

Spelati places great importance on the pleasure of practicing together , personal expression and respect for each individual's personality.

The circus thus becomes a way to gradually confront new challenges, overcome certain apprehensions and discover one's own possibilities.

Group practice also promotes mutual support .

Students develop in an environment where individual progress can be shared with the group and where everyone can learn from each other.

Training of future supervisors

The school has been developing a genuine educational continuity for many years.

Beyond the teaching given to students, Spelati also participates in the training of future supervisors.

Young practitioners can gradually progress to roles as assistants and then circus entertainers .

Spelati is involved in training programs for the Flemish circus sector aimed at assistants and future teachers.

This involvement is significant enough that Circuscentrum cites Spelati among the workshops that have sent the most participants to BIC training in recent editions.

The school thus contributes not only to passing on circus techniques to children and young people, but also to training a new generation of instructors.

This internal transmission contributes to the continuity of the association and its anchoring in the landscape of the Flemish amateur circus.

Workshops, shows and life in the studio

Internships and various activities also complement the regular courses.

This gives students the opportunity to practice circus arts in different contexts and to devote more time to certain techniques.

Presentations and performances also constitute an important dimension of the workshop's life.

They give participants the opportunity to showcase what they have learned and to discover the performance dimension of circus arts.

Spelati therefore develops an approach where the circus is simultaneously a physical practice , a means of artistic expression and a collective activity .

A local and sectoral focus

The school is deeply rooted in the local life of Halle-Zoersel while also being integrated into the wider network of circus workshops in Flanders.

Circuscentrum is the official reference among structures dedicated to circus training and Spelati actively participates in training schemes in the sector.

With its multidisciplinary approach, its openness to different levels, its work around the training of young supervisors and its permanent establishment in Halle-Zoersel, Spelati constitutes a true school of amateur practice of circus arts in the province of Antwerp.