Woesh circusatelier – Bruges

Woesh is a major Flemish circus school based in Bruges, West Flanders. Active for about twenty-five years , it develops a project combining circus arts training, artistic creation, inclusion and social circus.

The organization offers weekly classes and workshops aimed at a particularly wide audience, from young children to adults.

From the 2026-2027 season onwards, Woesh has chosen to refocus its regular activity on Bruges in order to strengthen its local roots and develop sustainable collaborations with the city's social and cultural actors.

Classes for younger children

For younger children, multi-circus classes allow for a first gradual discovery of the different families of disciplines.

The groups are organized according to the age and development of the participants. The Dimmies thus discover the circus through a particularly playful approach adapted to their motor development.

Acrobatics , juggling , balance and an initial introduction to aerial disciplines allow children to explore different ways of moving and manipulating objects.

The Dummies continue this exploration by progressively deepening their knowledge of the various techniques. The training allows them to work on strength , coordination , and body awareness .

With the Durvers , young people begin to combine different disciplines more. Autonomy , responsibility , and creativity gradually take on a greater role.

The Kraks continue this progression with more in-depth work on technique , strength and flexibility .

The Woeshers group is aimed at teenagers and young adults and develops a dynamic multi-circus practice. Acrobatics, juggling, balance and aerial disciplines are combined with greater fluidity and intensity.

Specialization pathways

Woesh also offers courses allowing students to specialize in certain families of disciplines.

Acrofreaks: Intensive Acrobatics

The Acrofreaks are dedicated to more intensive acrobatic practice. Participants work in particular on complex acrobatic combinations , dynamic elements and teetering .

Teamwork is essential: students must learn to trust their partners, communicate and take responsibility within the group.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines also have specific courses.

Aerial silks , rope , trapeze , and aerial hoop are among the apparatus that can be practiced. The classes progressively develop strength, body control, flexibility, and the ability to move safely in the air.

The unicycle

Unicycling also has its own course. Beginners and more experienced riders can work on balance, steering, coordination and control of the device.

Juggling and manipulation techniques

Woesh naturally gives an important place to juggling and manipulation techniques , which are integrated into the multi-circus courses and can also be the subject of specific in-depth study.

The offer for adults

The practice is also open to adults. The adult program is offered primarily in the form of modules and semesters .

It includes acrobatics , including seesaw , tumbling and trampoline , as well as acroyoga combining partner acrobatics and elements from yoga.

Modules dedicated to specific techniques complement this programming.

Parent-child activity

The school also develops a parent-child activity centered around acrobatics. Parents and children can learn balances, lifts, and simple movements together.

This family practice places particular emphasis on trust , cooperation and the pleasure of sharing an activity .

The inclusive and social circus

But one of Woesh's strongest characteristics is its commitment to inclusive circus .

The school considers circus arts to be a particularly suitable activity for bringing together people with different abilities and backgrounds.

In particular, it develops a G-circus activity for young people in collaboration with VIRO .

For adults, Atelier Parade combines circus and theatre and is aimed at people with disabilities, with or without prior experience.

These workshops are led by professional artists and developed in collaboration with several partners in the cultural and social sector.

This inclusive approach is not conceived as a peripheral activity. It is an integral part of Woesh's project, which aims to ensure that everyone can find a place in circus arts practice regardless of their background or abilities.

A methodology of social circus

The organization operates according to a social circus methodology. The goal is to create an environment in which participants feel simultaneously safe and sufficiently stimulated to dare to progress.

Peer learning plays an important role. Participants learn from each other, develop mutual trust, and discover that some successes only become possible through cooperation.

Woesh thus considers the circus as a means of promoting creativity , motor development , personal growth and social cohesion .

Financial accessibility

The organization also seeks to make its activities financially accessible. In particular, it works with UiTPAS and various support programs to ensure that financial difficulties do not automatically prevent participation.

Internships and training

Internships are another important aspect of the activity. Circus camps and weeks allow for more intensive practice during the holidays.

Woesh is also developing a genuine training and transmission program for young people wishing to become more involved in the circus.

The organization supports young talents in their artistic development and organizes a youth production designed to allow them to deepen their creativity, collective work and stage experience.

She also participates in the training of young teachers and circus facilitators and organizes training and educational exchange sessions.

Even though its regular courses are now concentrated in Bruges, Woesh thus retains a mission across West Flanders for the development of young talent and teachers.

A shift towards a network of autonomous structures

After having long developed activities in Bruges, Ostend, Kortrijk and Roeselare, Woesh has chosen for 2026-2027 to transfer its external locations to new local structures.

The activities in Kortrijk are now taken over by Circus Moos , those in Roulers by Cirkomplex and those in Ostend by Circus Mirador .

This development allows Woesh to strengthen its local work in Bruges while participating in the emergence of a network of autonomous circus structures in West Flanders.

With its multidisciplinary courses, its specializations in acrobatics and aerial disciplines, its unicycle teaching, its internships, its adult activities, its creative projects and its particularly important commitment to social and inclusive circus, Woesh is today a major structure for learning circus arts in Bruges.