ZirkOS eV – Netzwerk Zirkus Osnabrück

ZirkOS eV – Netzwerk Zirkus Osnabrück is an association dedicated to circus arts and circus education in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. Its goal is to create opportunities for children, teenagers, and adults to discover, practice, and share the various circus disciplines.

The ZirkOS eV association was officially created on July 24, 2021 , before its registration in the register of associations a few months later. It developed from a network of juggling and circus enthusiasts and activities already present in Osnabrück.

ZirkOS doesn't operate exactly like a traditional circus school with a single building and a program organized exclusively into leveled courses. Rather, it's a local network that develops various circus activities in cooperation with schools, youth centers, and cultural organizations in Osnabrück.

BunkerZirkOS: the circus for children

For children, one of the main activities is BunkerZirkOS . This group is organized in cooperation with the Kinder- und Jugendzentrum Ostbunker and welcomes children from the age of 6. Training sessions take place every Monday during the school term in the gymnasium of the Stüveschule .

Children can discover acrobatics, unicycling, juggling, diabolo and balance ball, as well as various other disciplines. The aim is to allow them to freely try out the activities and gradually discover those they enjoy.

A pressure-free approach to circus arts education

ZirkOS's teaching method is based on a concept of circus arts without pressure or performance obligations . Each participant is encouraged to practice the disciplines that interest them and to progress at their own pace.

For the association, circus pedagogy combines artistic learning with educational action . The various disciplines allow participants to work on perseverance, concentration, body awareness, and self-confidence while developing relationships with other participants.

Collective work therefore plays a vital role. Individual ideas can be developed within the group and integrated into shared activities. The circus thus becomes a tool that fosters cooperation, tolerance, and a sense of belonging.

The major families of disciplines

ZirkOS distinguishes several major categories of juggling disciplines. Juggling includes balls, clubs, rings, scarves, plates, diabolo, devil sticks, and cigar boxes. The association also practices various forms of group juggling, including passing.

Acrobatics encompasses both ground techniques and certain forms of aerial acrobatics. Balance disciplines include unicycling and tightrope walking, while Flow Arts allow for the use of props such as hula hoops, poi, and levisticks. Clowning and theatrical performance complement this multidisciplinary approach.

Training sessions open to teenagers and adults

For teenagers and adults, ZirkOS also organizes open training sessions . These allow practitioners to meet up to juggle, work on acrobatics, practice hula-hoop, diabolo, poi or other disciplines, learn new techniques and exchange their knowledge.

An open training session is organized in cooperation with the Haus der Jugend in the Rosenplatzschule sports hall. Accessible to those aged 14 and over, it is free and allows participants to discover different sports without pressure or obligation to achieve results.

Another ZirkOS-Treff takes place at Bühne 11. It functions as an open meeting where anyone can come to practice, learn to juggle, try out new props or simply meet other people interested in circus arts.

This aspect of interaction is particularly important for ZirkOS. Open training sessions are not based solely on a traditional teacher-student relationship: participants also learn from each other and share their techniques and experiences.

The Mitmachzirkus, a mobile participatory circus

The association also organizes a Mitmachzirkus , a mobile participatory circus that performs at local festivals and events. Balls, scarves, plates, clubs, rings, diabolos, poi, rola-bola and balance balls can be made available so that the public can directly discover different practices.

Since its creation, this Mitmachzirkus has participated in numerous events in Osnabrück and the surrounding area. This presence in the public sphere allows ZirkOS to make circus arts accessible to people who might not otherwise have walked through the doors of a specialized school.

Educational projects and collaborations

ZirkOS also develops circus arts education projects with schools and organizations that work with children and teenagers. These collaborations use circus arts as educational tools to develop motor skills, concentration, creativity, personal expression, and social skills.

The association also participates in meetings, workshops and events within the youth circus community. It has notably been involved in national gatherings of young circus performers and promotes training opportunities allowing teenagers and young adults to further develop their skills in certain disciplines.

A contemporary circus without animals

ZirkOS ultimately champions a contemporary vision of the circus without animals . The project focuses on the artistic and physical abilities of the participants and on the numerous possibilities of combining juggling, acrobatics, balance, Flow Arts and clowning.

With its BunkerZirkOS for children, its open training sessions for teenagers and adults, its participatory circus , its educational interventions and its network of practitioners, ZirkOS constitutes a true meeting point around circus arts in Osnabrück, accessible to both beginners and people who already have experience.