Zirkus FRITZantino – Dortmund Circus School

Zirkus FRITZantino is a circus school for children, teenagers, and young adults located at the Fritz-Henßler-Haus in Dortmund. Founded in 1977 , it is one of the oldest youth circus projects still active in Germany.

The school is run by the Jugendamt , the youth service of the city of Dortmund, and has been an important part of its cultural activities for children and young people for several decades.

Today, approximately 160 participants aged 6 to 25 are integrated into the various FRITZantino groups.

The activity is particularly intense as training sessions are organized five days a week .

Several levels allow participants to progress gradually according to their age, experience, abilities and the disciplines they wish to explore further.

FRITZantino offers a particularly multidisciplinary approach to the circus, with around twenty different disciplines .

Acrobatics is one of the major disciplines taught at the school.

Juggling also occupies an important place and allows young people to develop coordination, precision and creativity through different forms of object manipulation.

Balance techniques are also part of FRITZantino's world. For example, introductory days allow new participants to discover tightrope walking.

Magic is also among the disciplines offered, which helps to broaden the training beyond just acrobatic and physical practices.

This diversity allows young people to discover several techniques before finding the disciplines that best match their desires and abilities.

FRITZantino's objective, however, goes far beyond technical learning.

The school views the circus as a space for personal development , participation , and cultural education .

Individual progress of each member is encouraged, but collective life occupies a central place in the project.

Students learn together and the more experienced practitioners can pass on some of their experience to the younger ones.

This collective dimension extends beyond training sessions.

With the support of the FritzantinoFreunde eV association, participants take part in parties, outings, trips, group activities and external performances.

Creation and performance are an important component of the training.

FRITZantino organizes several weekend performances each year at the Fritz-Henßler-Haus.

The young artists participate in the creation of real productions presented to the public.

In 2026 , the ensemble notably presents " Die ultimative Liveshow ", a new production scheduled several times in September and December.

FRITZantino also participates in the development of contemporary circus for young people.

The school is associated with the national festival Zeit für Zirkus , dedicated to contemporary circus in Germany.

A Nachwuchs-Gala, or gala of young talents , brings together young artists from various youth circuses in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Participants develop their own acts in different disciplines and are encouraged to experiment with contemporary forms of creation.

Acrobatics, aerial disciplines, dance, balance and juggling can thus become the tools of a true artistic exploration.

Open training sessions are also organized several times a year.

They allow children and teenagers from the age of 11 to come and discover FRITZantino's activities for free before possibly joining the project.

Supervised by the school's coaches, new participants can try their hand at juggling, balancing, and various circus techniques.

This open policy makes it easier for new audiences to discover the circus.

After nearly half a century of existence, Zirkus FRITZantino combines a circus school , a cultural project for young people and a creative space .

Its long history, 160 participants , five-day-a-week training sessions, the diversity of its disciplines and the importance given to collective creation make it one of the most well-established youth circus structures in Dortmund and the Ruhr region.