The Aviary

The Aviary

La Volière is an artistic and cultural venue entirely dedicated to contemporary circus arts, with a particularly strong specialization in aerial circus and aerial dance . Located at 60 rue de la Ville Halluard in Saint-Nazaire , it brings together in one space a circus school for amateurs, an artistic workshop, a residency and creation space, a professional training center, and a resource center dedicated to aerial disciplines.

Project History

The project's history is closely linked to the circus artist Fred Deb' , a graduate of the CNAC in 1992 and a pioneering figure in contemporary aerial circus. Based in Saint-Nazaire with her company Drapés Aériens since 2006, she has gradually developed a project centered on aerial practices.

The first Aerial Dance Encounters were held in 2009, before the opening of La Volière in 2020 with the support of the City of Saint-Nazaire and CARENE.

A circus school open to all

La Volière offers recreational circus classes throughout the year, from baby circus to adult classes. The school has been a member of the FFEC (French Federation of Circus Schools) since its opening in 2020 and has held the federation's "amateur practice" quality accreditation since June 2022. It is also a member of the Regional Federation of Circus Schools of the Atlantic.

Its educational approach is rooted in popular education and is based on the personal growth and fulfillment of each individual. Teaching combines group work and individual support to progressively develop autonomy, responsibility, and the ability of each student to make their own choices in their practice, while giving essential importance to safety .

Circus arts are seen as a way to develop body awareness , muscle tone , flexibility , agility , and balance , as well as confidence and self-esteem . Working in a group encourages mutual support, cooperation, and the ability to find one's place within a group.

For younger children, circus arts also serve as a tool for developing motor skills and socialization. Imagination, play, and creativity thus occupy an important place in the sessions.

many circus disciplines

The courses and workshops allow participants to discover the different major branches of circus arts. La Volière offers training in the following disciplines:

• Acrobatics
• Juggling and object manipulation
• Balances on objects
• Aerial disciplines

Equipment and apparatus used include the wire , balance ball , American roller , trapeze , aerial hoop , aerial silks and cocoon .

The venue's programming also allows for much more in-depth training in certain aerial specialties, including work with straps , rope and fixed trapeze .

This strong presence of aerial disciplines is one of the main characteristics of La Volière . The venue develops a genuine reflection around vertical and suspended forms of expression, at the intersection of circus, dance and the exploration of movement.

Internships during the holidays

In addition to regular classes, La Volière organizes workshops during each school holiday period for children and teenagers from the Nazaire area.

Some are accessible from age 3. They allow children to discover several disciplines over a few days: aerial arts, object manipulation, balance, acrobatics, and artistic expression. The activities are adapted to different age groups and emphasize a playful approach that develops creativity and teamwork while teaching essential safety rules.

• Disciplines offered: aerial arts , object manipulation , balancing , acrobatics , artistic expression
• Approach: age-appropriate activities, playful approach, safety

For teenagers and adults who already have some experience, weekend workshops are also organized to deepen their knowledge of a particular discipline, consolidate their technique and gradually develop their own artistic language.

Circus activities to enjoy as a family

La Volière also develops family circus workshops, some of which are accessible to children from 18 months old . Parents and children can practice different disciplines together such as aerial circus, juggling, partner acrobatics or balancing on objects.

A formula called Circus Tickets also allows you to come and practice occasionally for half a day without necessarily taking a course all year round.

An inclusive school

Inclusion is also an important aspect of the educational project. Classes are open to people with physical , sensory , intellectual , cognitive , or mental disabilities. The team can assess the specific needs of participants and offer pedagogical, technical, or supervisory adaptations. The facilities themselves are accessible to people with reduced mobility.

A practice that leads to creation

Teaching is not limited to technical learning. Students are also encouraged to develop their creativity, their relationship to performance, and their perspective as spectators.

Each year, the school's students present the work they have completed during the season at the end-of-year shows. These presentations allow the different groups to discover the stage and to transform their technical skills into artistic expressions.

An artistic workshop dedicated to contemporary circus

La Volière is also an artistic hub that welcomes and supports professional artists. The venue particularly supports emerging and original forms related to aerial circus and aerial dance, while remaining open to other forms of contemporary circus and to intersections with dance, urban dance, parkour, or acro-dance.

Artists can thus come to work in Saint-Nazaire as part of creative residencies, benefit from the spaces and equipment of the place and meet different audiences.

This regular presence of professional artists creates interesting bridges between amateur practice, teaching and professional creation.

A vocational training center

La Volière also has a significant continuing professional development activity. As a resource center specializing in aerial disciplines, it develops training programs that meet the needs of professionals in aerial circus and aerial dance.

These courses are aimed in particular at professional or semi-professional circus and dance artists, initiators and trainers working in circus schools, as well as students pursuing artistic training.

Depending on the program, participants can deepen their skills on different apparatus and work on technical and artistic aspects as well as pedagogical or methodological ones. For example, training sessions have been dedicated to aerial silks , aerial straps , or the contextualization and development of an artistic project.

La Volière also offers training dedicated to the production, distribution and administration of a circus show, developed with several major players in contemporary French circus.

The training organization has Qualiopi certification.

Aerial Dance Encounters

La Volière 's specialization is particularly expressed through the LRDA festival, the first edition of which dates back to 2009.

The festival welcomes amateur and professional practitioners who come to hone their skills in various aerial disciplines under the guidance of specialized artists and instructors. The event serves as a space for training, practice, international networking, and artistic discovery.

A meeting place for amateurs and professionals

La Volière is distinguished by the diversity of activities brought together in one place. Children discovering the circus, teenagers, amateur adults, professional artists, students and trainers can frequent the place for different reasons but come together around the same circus culture.

La Volière 's ambition therefore goes beyond that of a traditional school. The structure also defines itself as a laboratory for social connection , a platform for international exchanges and a resource center for the circus sector, while remaining deeply rooted in its territory in Saint-Nazaire.