Zirkusviertel – Bremer Center for Artists and Zirkus

Zirkusviertel – Bremer Zentrum für Artistik und Zirkus is a circus school and pedagogy center located in Bremen , in northern Germany. Run by the KULTURcirqueL eV association, the organization has been developing activities dedicated to circus arts and their use as an artistic, educational, and social tool for over fifteen years.

The school supports children from preschool age and then offers a progression allowing young people to continue their practice for several years.

Discovery and circus disciplines

The first courses allow children aged 4 to 6 to discover the circus in a fun way, in groups adapted to their age.

The multidisciplinary courses then allow students to explore different families of circus disciplines.

• Acrobatics is one of the important aspects of this learning and helps to develop strength, coordination, mobility and body awareness.
• Juggling is also very present in the teaching. Students can experiment with different forms of object manipulation, including scarves, balls, flower sticks or even Chinese plates.
• Balance disciplines complement this discovery. Activities may include balancing on a ball, a tightrope, various balancing objects, and other techniques that develop stability, concentration, and body control.
• Aerial arts are also part of the program. Specific workshops allow participants to discover vertical silks, trapeze, and aerial hoop.
• Unicycling also benefits from specialized activities, with groups allowing beginners to learn to ride and more experienced riders to continue their progress. The Zirkusviertel even offers an introduction to unicycle hockey.

A progression by age groups

Regular classes are organised by age groups so that children can progress together over several years.

As participants grow and gain more experience, the technical and artistic possibilities become more significant.

With older groups, the work is no longer limited to circus techniques. Theatre , dance and other forms of stage expression can gradually be integrated into the creations.

Artistic expression and autonomy

However, the primary objective is not to pursue athletic performance .

The team seeks to help each participant discover their own abilities and develop the disciplines that correspond to their desires and personality.

Artistic expression therefore occupies an important place in learning.

• Improvisation, body expression, gestures and stage presence gradually become part of the students' work.
• Children and teenagers are encouraged to take part in designing their own acts and presentations.
• This approach allows for the development of creativity and autonomy while giving participants a better understanding of the artistic creation process.

Personal and social development

The Zirkusviertel pedagogy also places great importance on personal and social development .

Certain acrobatic figures and group activities can only work with mutual support, trust, and consideration for others.

The circus thus becomes a medium for working on cooperation and collective responsibility .

• The school also wants to develop self-confidence and a sense of personal efficacy .
• Children can gradually face new challenges, see their progress and present their achievements to an audience.
• With age, they are gradually led towards greater autonomy in their training.

The supervision remains intentionally important in order to be able to take into account the individual needs of children and adolescents.

The activities are led by professional artists and educators specializing in circus arts.

Social accessibility and inclusion

The Zirkusviertel also develops a social accessibility policy. The fees charged for courses can be chosen from a price range depending on the financial situation of families.

The Bremen-Pass can be used and the structure also works with the Stiftung Starke Kinder so that financial difficulties do not systematically constitute an obstacle to practice.

This social dimension is directly linked to the identity of the association, recognized as an organization for the protection and support of children and young people.

Inclusion is also part of the projects developed by the school. Workshops bring together children with and without disabilities and combine circus arts, movement, theatre and collective creation.

Families, holidays and school interventions

Families also have specific activities available.

Parent-child classes often use acrobatics as a way to practice together. Winterzirkus also offers families with children as young as 4 an approach inspired by circus-based motor skills.

During school holidays, the Zirkusviertel organizes courses allowing children to practice different disciplines more intensively.

These weeks can lead to the collective creation of a show presented to families.

The school intervenes in parallel within educational institutions .

It organizes weekly workshops, discovery days and project weeks during which students can work on acrobatics, juggling, balance and various circus techniques before participating in a group performance.

A specific program is also being developed for nurseries and kindergartens .

From the age of 3 , children can thus experience different circus-related activities, juggling, acrobatics and balance adapted to their development.

A comprehensive project combining learning and pedagogy

The Zirkusviertel therefore goes far beyond the functioning of a simple leisure course.

It combines circus school , artistic pedagogy, school projects, social actions, family activities, inclusion and the creation of shows.