Zirkuswerkstatt Pforzheim eV

Zirkuswerkstatt Pforzheim eV is an association dedicated to circus arts based in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. It offers activities for children, teenagers and adults, from the first lessons to independent and regular practice.

Origins and foundation

The association was founded in November 2013 by several collaborators and friends of Zirkus Globulini , the school circus of the Freie Waldorfschule Pforzheim. Their goal was to create the first circus association in Pforzheim and to offer an accessible practice beyond the strictly school setting.

The Zirkuswerkstatt thus developed around a simple principle: to create a space allowing people of different ages to regularly practice circus arts, develop their skills and pass on their knowledge to others.

The association's statutes explicitly define the development of motor, creative, and artistic skills in children, adolescents, and adults as its objective. They also emphasize mutual understanding and the ability to cooperate within a group.

The children's group

For children, the association offers a group starting from age 8. The sessions begin with games as well as group warm-up, flexibility and strengthening exercises before moving on to learning different circus techniques.

Young people discover, among other things, the trapeze, ground acrobatics, the balance ball, the rola-bola, juggling, the diabolo, the unicycle and spinning plates.

Theatrical games and presentation exercises complement this instruction. The goal is for children not only to practice a technique but to gradually learn how to present it in front of an audience.

The children's group is preparing a performance for parents, families, and friends. This event gives a collective purpose to the learning that has taken place throughout the year.

The Youth Group

For teenagers and young adults, the Zirkuswerkstatt offers a Jugendgruppe accessible from the fifth grade of the German school system.

Its structure gives participants greater autonomy. Young people can choose the disciplines they wish to explore further and gradually define their own training priorities.

The transmission of knowledge between practitioners plays an important role in this group. The young people learn a lot from each other, while also benefiting from the presence of adults who are able to guide and explain the different techniques.

Disciplines offered

Ground acrobatics are particularly developed there, including somersaults, flips, parkour, as well as various forms of acrobatics in pairs and groups.

Aerial disciplines include trapeze, aerial hoop, vertical silks, and vertical rope. They allow young people to develop strength, coordination, and creativity in a specially equipped environment.

Juggling includes balls, clubs, diabolo, and devil sticks. Participants can again choose the accessories and techniques that best suit their preferences.

Free training

The association also offers open training dedicated to juggling and acrobatics. This currently welcomes participants ranging from around 15 years old to over 60 .

This open training session is not structured like a structured class. Everyone can work on the disciplines that interest them, but experienced participants and coaches are happy to share their knowledge.

This format creates a meeting space for different generations of practitioners. Participants can train individually but also work together on acrobatic figures, juggling patterns or various circus games.

Entertainment activity

The Zirkuswerkstatt also has a performance activity. Some artists and groups from the association may perform at events in Pforzheim and the surrounding area.

A specialized team develops fire shows . Poi, staff, jump rope, diabolo and clubs can be used to create different choreographies adapted to outdoor events.

Aerial disciplines can also be presented outside the training hall thanks to a self-contained aerial gantry that allows trapeze and vertical fabric to be installed in different locations.

The association also hosts acrobats from Guinea who train in Pforzheim and offer their own acts and shows.

Link with Zirkus Globulini

The links with Zirkus Globulini naturally remain important. The latter is the school circus of the Freie Waldorfschule Pforzheim and historically constitutes the starting point for the creation of Zirkuswerkstatt.

Circus pedagogy

The circus pedagogy developed in this environment emphasizes body control, concentration, coordination, responsibility towards partners, autonomy, creativity and imagination.

The Zirkuswerkstatt thus offers Pforzheim a continuity of practice beyond school circus programs. Children, teenagers, and adults can discover new disciplines there and then continue their training for several years.

Zirkuswerkstatt Pforzheim is therefore both a school of discovery for children, a space for progression for teenagers and a place for training and exchange for adults, with a philosophy strongly based on collective practice and transmission between artists.