Youth Circus Ages 11-18

Our Youth Circus ages 11-18 classes are suitable for both advanced students and newcomers to circus. We welcome everyone to get involved and you don’t need previous circus experience!

Our older Youth Circus students will develop their circus skills, and work on developing their own creative style to improve performance skills.

About Our Classes

In their weekly classes students will build strength and confidence and have fun exploring juggling, acrobatics, aerial, walking globe, and more. Our experienced circus practitioners will support and guide students to progress at their own pace.

Classes consist of a warm-up and conditioning session to start, introducing students to best practice for building strength and flexibility. Students will then work on core skills across a range of disciplines, as well as having the opportunity to focus on the skills that really interest them.

Many Youth Circus students also progress to study on our BTEC course from the age of 16, or our Degree course from the age of 18.

Youth Circus Equipment

Timetable

Classes for ages 11-18 run as follows:

Bristol (Portland Square)
Mon, Tue, Wed 6.45 – 8.15pm

Bristol (Kingswood)
Thu 7.00-8.30pm, Fri 6.45 – 8.15pm

Frome (Avanti Park)
Fri 6.00 – 7.15pm

Fri 7.15 – 8.30pm

Class Costs

£8/£6 concession per hour, paid termly or monthly

Our Youth Circus Access Scheme offers partially- or fully-funded places to students who would not otherwise be able to attend. We are currently revising our application form; please email youthcircus@circomedia.com to enquire.

Youth Circus ages 11 to 18 years

Useful Information

Below you’ll find full information on how to join us, booking terms and conditions, current term dates, and more. Click on a section to expand.

Youth Circus

We’re currently at waiting list capacity for most Bristol Youth Circus groups.

Wait times vary depending on location and age group, but are normally between 8 – 15 months. Wait times for Frome are not as long as for Bristol classes.

To join our waiting list for Youth Circus, fill out our online form.

Here are our 2023 – 2024 term dates for regular after-school classes in Bristol & Frome:

Autumn Term 2023 (Sep – Dec)

Mon 11 Sep – Fri 8 Dec 2023 (12 weeks)
Half term: Mon 23 – Fri 29 Oct 2023

Spring Term 2024 (Jan – Apr)

Mon 8 Jan – Fri 29 Mar 2024 (10 weeks)
Half term: Mon 12 – Fri 23 Feb 2024

Summer Term 2024 (Apr – Jul)

Mon 15 Apr – Fri 12 Jul 2024 (12 weeks)
Half term: Mon 27 May – Fri 31 May 2024

Please note that while we aim to keep to our planned term dates, we may sometimes need to make changes and will inform parents of any changes via email and text.

Due to high demand, students must sign up for at least one term of Youth Circus classes.

We run regular tasters, but if there are no scheduled sessions we can treat the first session as a taster.

Once booked, a student can keep their place indefinitely but parents/carers must rebook for the following term by the end of the current term in order to retain their space. Due to our long waiting lists, failure to rebook may result in losing your space.

If your child wishes to leave partway through a term, we may be able to cancel your space at the half term break but only if we have enough notice to fill the space.

Circomedia is a small charity. These terms and conditions are in place to ensure that we can cover our core costs and deliver an excellent, fun, and safe Youth Circus programme.

Does my child need previous experience or a certain skill level?

Students don’t need any previous experience, fitness level, or skill level. All regular after-school classes are mixed ability – tutors work with students to progress at their own pace, and students learn to skill-share and support each other as they develop their abilities.

Will my child get to focus on their favourite activity?

Students will take part in a varied programme, and over the course of a term they will have the opportunity to work on many different skills. Circomedia works to offer a well-rounded circus experience and demonstrate to students how different skills compliment each other – so even when you are working on tightwire, you’ll be learning balancing skills that transfer to trapeze!

Older students learn core skills as a group, and also have the opportunity to focus more closely on the skills that interest them most. Younger students follow a set programme but will have the opportunity to work on their favourite things on a regular basis.

 

Book for regular age 11-18 classes here

To book, click on the class to expand (please note, if a class is full booking will only be open to current bookers or those who have been offered a space).

Current bookers: If you see an error message when trying to book (‘The area you have chosen is unavailable’), make sure you have logged in to your account first and then navigate back to this page to book.