Zmam

ZMAM — Circus School

ZMAM is a circus school based in Mazamet, in the Tarn region, and has been active for over twenty years. Now also present in Castres, Aussillon and Viane , it develops a project for transmitting circus arts based on popular education, cultural accessibility, diversity and cooperation .

Audience and attendance

The school welcomes a particularly large number of students each week. In 2026, ZMAM reported receiving between 200 and 300 students per week and having approximately 200 members . Children, teenagers, and adults can discover circus arts, improve their technical skills, and, for some groups, participate in creative and performance projects.

Practice and disciplines

Aerial activities have a significant place in ZMAM's history. Trapeze and silks have been regularly offered in workshops, and the venue has extensive experience with aerial rigs. Balancing acts may include work on a ball and a tightrope , while the various juggling workshops help develop coordination, dexterity, and object manipulation.

Values and transmission

However, transmission is not limited to learning figures. ZMAM promotes values of kindness, tolerance, respect, self-awareness and awareness of others, cooperation, and inclusion . Mutual support is presented as one of the school's most representative values.

Performing arts practice allows this approach to be extended. Collective creation is used to develop self-confidence , trust in others , creativity , and the ability to co-create an artistic project.

Local roots and partnerships

ZMAM now has a strong local presence. The school works with over thirty partners in the Tarn and Occitanie regions and develops activities in several municipalities. This network allows it to reach audiences who might not necessarily be able to travel to the main site in Mazamet every week.

School and educational interventions

School interventions have long been an important part of its activity. ZMAM works with preschools and elementary schools, as well as middle and high schools. The school has notably collaborated with ADDA du Tarn on educational and cultural projects.

• Interventions with leisure centers , youth centers, holiday centers and other structures in the area.
• The circus then becomes a tool for artistic education, allowing work on motor skills, creativity, confidence, cooperation and group relations.

Adapted circus

Adapted circus arts are another clearly defined focus. ZMAM works with special education institutions as well as with children and adults with disabilities. This activity is fully aligned with the association's inclusive project and its commitment to making circus arts accessible to as many people as possible.

Internships and special offers

The school also organizes workshops during school holidays and occasional sessions to discover or deepen your knowledge of circus arts. These workshops may combine juggling, acrobatics, object balancing, aerial work, and acting.

More specialized offerings can complement this program. In 2026, for example, ZMAM hosted a circus-inspired physical expression workshop for teenagers aged 14 and up, as well as adults. The workshop combined duo and group work, listening skills, interpersonal relationships, transitions, and group dynamics.

Venue, creation and artistic reception

ZMAM is also a place for artistic creation and hosting. Its space in Mazamet regularly hosts companies, performances, and residency showcases. This professional presence creates bridges between the school's students, artists, and the performing arts.

The space at 36 rue Saint-Jacques is therefore more than just a classroom. In addition to areas dedicated to practice, ZMAM has a garden and rooms for creating, tinkering, rehearsing, and developing collective projects. Other associations can also be accommodated there.

This dimension as a cultural hub is particularly evident with the Garden Circus events . These gatherings open the school garden to the public and combine circus arts, a friendly atmosphere, performances, and encounters. A new Garden Circus is scheduled for September 19, 2026, in Mazamet .

The school also organizes an annual festival or celebration. In June 2026 , this event took place in Bonnecombe Park in Mazamet and showcased the students' work and the artistic activities of the school.

Mobilization for the purchase of the premises

The 2026-2027 season, however, takes place in a particular context for the association. ZMAM mobilized in 2026 to preserve its historic location on rue Saint-Jacques and to become the owner of its premises.

A fundraising campaign has been launched to finance the purchase of the premises. For the association, preserving this space is essential to maintaining classes, adapted circus activities, educational programs, artistic residencies, and the numerous projects developed with local partners.

Organization, resources and recognition

This mobilization also demonstrates the importance of ZMAM in the local cultural landscape. With several hundred participants each week, three permanent employees , civic service volunteers, freelancers, volunteers, and numerous partners, the school is now a true cultural and social player in the Mazamet area.

• Membership in the network of the French Federation of Circus Schools .
• Member of FREC Midi-Pyrénées .
• Benefits from FFEC approval no. 81253 .

This federal recognition supports an educational project that combines amateur practice, creation, arts education, inclusion, and community engagement. The school also participates in circus network meetings and various events that allow students to meet other practitioners.

territorial network

ZMAM is finally part of a broader dynamic of cooperation between circus schools in the Tarn region. Along with Ivre d'Équilibre and Circ'Ô Dadou , it now participates in a territorial network that helps to raise awareness of circus arts offerings and develop joint projects.

Conclusion

After more than twenty years of activity, ZMAM has thus constituted a particularly complete circus school: regular courses, workshops, advanced training, creation, shows, school interventions, adapted circus, hosting of companies and cultural events all coexist within the same project.

In Mazamet, as in its other places of operation, the association advocates for an accessible and collective circus where technical learning also serves to develop confidence, creativity, autonomy, cooperation and mutual support .