Zirkodomoa – Escuela de Circo de Barakaldo

Zirkodomoa is a school and space dedicated to circus arts located in Barakaldo , Biscay , in the Basque Country .

The organization is developing a project combining learning circus techniques , education , artistic practice , activities for young people and the dissemination of live performance .

Learning open to all audiences

The school welcomes diverse audiences, from children to adults.

For younger children, learning can begin with circomotricity.

This initial approach uses play and the imaginative world of the circus to support the child's motor development .

The activities allow participants to work on coordination , balance , strength and body awareness .

As children grow up, they gradually discover several major families of circus arts.

The multidisciplinary courses combine, in particular, juggling , aerial disciplines , acrobatics and balancing .

This diversity allows students to develop different physical and artistic qualities without having to specialize immediately.

The major technical families taught

Acrobatics

Acrobatics forms one of the foundations of the training.

It helps to develop strength , coordination , mobility and body control .

Juggling

Juggling, in particular, develops precision , rhythm , concentration and coordination .

The balances

Balance exercises allow us to explore stability , posture , and the relationship between the body and different objects .

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines also occupy an important place in the school.

• Aerial silks are among the techniques taught.
• The trapeze allows one to discover and deepen the work of suspension.
• The aerial hoop completes this offering.
• The rope is also one of the apparatuses used in teaching.

Aerial courses combine technical learning and physical preparation .

Strength , flexibility and balance are gradually developed to support the learning of the different figures.

Teenagers and adults can thus specifically delve deeper into aerial techniques.

Youth projects related to the city

The school also welcomes young people as part of projects developed with the municipality of Barakaldo.

Zirkodomoa collaborates in particular with Giltzarri , the municipal service dedicated to educational leisure and the participation of teenagers .

Acrobatics and juggling activities are organized in this context for young people aged 12 to 18 .

These collaborations make it possible to use circus arts as a support for educational and cultural activities aimed at young people.

Some projects go beyond learning a single, isolated discipline.

Young people can participate in the creation of a show by discovering different dimensions of stage production.

This allows them to work on ground and aerial acrobatics or juggling while discovering staging , scriptwriting , sound and lighting .

The circus then becomes a medium for understanding the entire process leading to a performance.

This approach promotes creativity and collective participation .

An educational and socio-educational dimension

Zirkodomoa also develops a relationship with schools and educational projects in the area.

The organization participates in activities that allow young people to discover circus arts outside of regular classes.

These actions help to make the practice accessible to people who do not necessarily attend school throughout the year.

Zirkodomoa's membership in the Federación Española de Escuelas de Circo Socio Educativo places the project within the Spanish network of structures using the circus as a pedagogical and socio-educational tool.

This dimension is reflected in the attention given to the physical , emotional and social development of the participants.

Circus arts allow for individual progress while developing collective skills .

Learning requires perseverance , concentration and the ability to accept the different steps necessary to acquire a technique.

Group disciplines simultaneously promote trust , mutual support and cooperation .

A meeting place for the circus community

Zirkodomoa also provides a meeting place for the circus community of the Basque Country.

The school participates in meetings bringing together students and teachers from different circus schools.

These events allow practitioners to discover other pedagogical and artistic approaches.

They also help to strengthen the links between circus structures in the territory.

Students may be required to present their work to an audience.

These presentations give an artistic dimension to the learning that takes place during the courses.

The acquired techniques then become elements that allow for the construction of a performance or a collective creation .

The Calle de Bagatza Theater Festival

Zirkodomoa also plays an active role in the cultural programming of Barakaldo.

The association notably organizes the Festival de Teatro de Calle de Bagatza .

This event offers street performances , circus acts , workshops and various activities for the public.

The festival welcomes professional companies and proposals from circus schools .

Workshops allow children to discover ground acrobatics and aerial disciplines .

Meetings between students from Basque circus schools are also organised on this occasion.

Students can present demonstrations and participate in galas.

This presence of professional performance near the school makes it possible to link learning and contemporary creation .

Practitioners can discover different companies and different ways of using the techniques they learn.

The Zirkodomoa space thus becomes simultaneously a place of training and a place participating in local cultural life .

A strong territorial presence

The school maintains a strong link with Barakaldo and its various neighborhoods.

Its collaborations with municipal services allow the circus to be integrated into local policies dedicated to youth , culture and educational leisure .

This territorial presence allows us to reach different audiences.

• Some participants join the school directly to follow a regular training program .
• Others discover the circus through a municipal activity , a workshop or an event .
• Teenagers can explore certain techniques further through projects specifically designed for their age group .
• Adults have access to courses specifically dedicated to aerial disciplines .

This diversity allows the project to maintain a great deal of openness.

The practice is not reserved for people wishing to become artists.

Circus arts can be practiced for fun , to develop physical abilities , to discover an artistic activity , or to participate in a collective experience .

A direct link with creation and performance

The structure nevertheless maintains a direct link with creation and performance.

Festivals, galas and presentations allow students to gradually understand the stage dimension of circus arts.

Creating a show requires different skills than those needed for technical learning.

It is necessary to organize the movements , build a stage presence and work with the other participants .

Some projects also allow us to discover the technical aspects of the show, such as lighting and sound .

This approach helps to give young people a broader vision of the performing arts.

An actor in the development of circus arts in Barakaldo

Zirkodomoa is thus developing a project in Barakaldo in which the circus simultaneously constitutes a physical, artistic , educational and collective practice .

Acrobatics , juggling , balancing and aerial disciplines are the main tools of this approach.

The school offers a space to discover these techniques and then progress at one's own pace.

Partnerships with youth programs allow this action to be extended beyond students enrolled in regular courses.

Events and festivals simultaneously open up the space to the city and to live performance.

This combination of school , socio-educational action , creation and dissemination helps to make Zirkodomoa an actor in the development of circus arts in Barakaldo and more broadly in the Basque Country.