The Cases of the Cyr

The Cases of the Cyr

Les Cas du Cyrque is a circus school created in Cahors in 2019 and active in the Lot department. The association develops circus arts through teaching, artistic support, workshops, arts and cultural education, and the organization or hosting of shows.

Territorial and itinerant dimension

Unlike a school where all activities are concentrated in a single room, Les Cas du Cyrque has a strong territorial and itinerant dimension. The association is administratively based in Cahors but operates in various towns in the Lot department, notably in Douelle, Salviac, and the Cazals-Salviac area.

This mobility is central to its project. It allows for regular circus arts practice in rural areas where access to a specialized school would be much more difficult. Les Cas du Cyrque thus works with:

• The municipalities
• The communities of municipalities
• Schools
• Cultural structures
• Event organizers

Amateur practice

Amateur practice is an important part of the activity. Weekly workshops are offered in various locations, allowing children, young people, and adults to discover or further develop their circus arts skills. The offerings vary depending on the location, the season, and partnerships.

Multidisciplinary teaching

Teaching is multidisciplinary. Recent interventions, in particular, confirm:

• Juggling
• Balances on objects
• The unicycle
• Acrobatics

At the Montcuq Street Arts Festival in September 2026, Les Cas du Cyrque, for example, will offer workshops combining juggling, object balancing, and acrobatic obstacle courses. At the Cazals Associations Forum in September 2026, the school will present juggling, unicycling, and acrobatics.

Pedagogy

The teaching approach is not limited to the acquisition of techniques. The school seeks to democratize circus arts and to use practice as a means of developing autonomy , expression , confidence , cooperation and social connection .

Internships and stays

Workshops are also an important historical activity. Since its inception, Les Cas du Cyrque has organized introductory and discovery workshops during school holidays. Several projects have also taken the form of stays and camps dedicated to circus arts and choreographic writing.

School interventions and EAC pathways

The association is very active in the school system. Projects can combine physical activity, artistic exploration, and the creation of a final presentation. In 2026, the association notably supported all students from kindergarten to fifth grade at the Andrée-Chedid school in Reyniès in a project dedicated to circus arts.

Les Cas du Cyrque also participates in artistic and cultural education programs built around encounters with professional artists. In March 2026, students from Salviac, Cazals, and Dégagnac met freestyle footballer Pablito Freestyle as part of a program conducted with the association around the cultural programming of L'Arsénic in Gindou.

Live entertainment and events

This relationship with artists and live performance is an essential characteristic of the school. Les Cas du Cyrque do not simply teach: they actively participate in the circulation of performances and in the cultural life of the Lot region.

In Douelle, the association notably develops the "Sors tes parents" event, combining workshops, meetings, and shows. In May 2026, its fifth edition offered another circus day for families.

In Gindou, Les Cas du Cyrque also organized "A Start to Summer in Gindou" in July 2026, a festival day featuring several professional shows. The program included:

• Theatre and unicycle
• Wire
• Clown
• Puppet
• Fire juggling
• Mime

The association also has a marquee that can be used for hosting artists. In May 2026, this was notably made available to the Sans Contours company for a stage of creation of the show by Lucile Schlieper, aka Pina Loches.

Les Cas du Cyrque thus intervene at different levels of the artistic chain: transmission to amateurs, cultural mediation, hosting of shows, support for creation and organization of events.

Relationships within the circus network

The association also maintains a particularly strong relationship with CIRCa in Auch. Les Cas du Cyrque has repeatedly coordinated the open mic nights at the National Meetings of the French Federation of Circus Schools during the CIRCa festival. This responsibility places the school at the heart of exchanges between young practitioners and educators within the federation's network.

Les Cas du Cyrque is also involved in professional artistic projects. The organization notably acts as a co-producer or partner in contemporary circus creations and supports artists in their development.

Inclusion and Adapted Circus

Inclusion is another important focus. Les Cas du Cyrque appears in the Réseau des Écoles de Cirque ExtraOrdinaire — RECEO, an Occitan network dedicated to providing access to circus arts for people with specific needs and developing adapted circus practices.

This involvement allows the school to be situated within a framework that goes far beyond traditional leisure activities. Circus arts can be used in tailored projects developed in collaboration with professionals in the medical, social, and educational sectors.

Social bond and territorial impact

Social connection is, in fact, part of the very identity of the association. Les Cas du Cyrque seeks to bring circus arts to life in their region and to create spaces for encounters between residents, practitioners, artists, and cultural stakeholders.

This aspect takes on particular importance in a rural department like the Lot. By transporting performers, equipment, and sometimes even the big top, the association helps make circus arts accessible in communities that do not necessarily have specialized facilities.

Networks and affiliations

The school belongs to the French Federation of Circus Schools and to FREC Midi-Pyrénées. This membership allows students and the teaching staff to participate in the regional and national activities of the federal network.

Project 2026

In 2026, Les Cas du Cyrque will thus pursue a particularly cross-cutting project:

• Weekly workshops
• Internships
• School interventions
• Arts and cultural education
• Adapted circus
• Family events and festivals
• Show hosting
• Support for artists
• Participation in major events of the circus network

More than just a school housed in a single building, Les Cas du Cyrque is a truly regional circus project. From Cahors to Douelle, from Salviac to Gindou, and in various towns in the Lot department, the association uses practice and performance to promote circus arts and create opportunities for encounters between amateurs, professionals, and local residents.