Empowering circus culture

Under the guidance of professional trainers, the young participants immerse themselves in the fascinating world of circus, face artistic and sporting challenges and discover hidden talents. In CABUWAZI’s special atmosphere self-developed circus shows are created within a week, which enchant both performers and their audience.
Training usually takes place from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm in our circus tents. Every Friday at 3 p.m. the children present their new skills to proud parents and astonished friends in a big show in our tents.
The shows are free of charge and everybody is invited to watch. Reservations should still be made on our ticket page. There you will also find the latest registration options for our courses.

In an acrobatic pyramid, everyone has to hold and support one another. Therefore these acrobatic experiences strengthen the sense of responsibility, the ability to work in a team. In our school project weeks the young artists grow – not only beyond their own limits, but also into a social structure that is supportive and strong. Our circus pedagogic concept aims to give children and young people the chance to discover new abilities and strengthen their creative self-perception.
Full of self-confidence and team spirit, the pupils can then show their development at the end of the week in a self-developed circus show.

The diversity of artistic disciplines on offer ensures that everyone can train according to their inclinations and interests. Our various tents and other rooms offer enough space and flexible climatic conditions for summer and winter periods. Our training is led and accompanied by professional artists, circus and social pedagogues.
We offer open training courses for beginners as well as fixed training groups of different levels. Some of these groups train several times a week and work together on new shows, which they present regularly to an audience.

Even though at many locations our fixed groups are often already fully booked, there are usually some courses with open spots. For all of them it is crucial that children and trainers get to know each other first in order to correctly assess previous knowledge and skills. Therefore every child and teenager from the waiting list first gets invited to an obligatory test training.

Corresponding to their developmental stage, the training sessions are calm and imaginative. Movement sequences are conveyed in simple visual images, strength, coordination, mobility and endurance are trained in a playful way. We also incorporate small role plays to practice acting skills that are useful when building an act and performing in front of an audience.

Participation in the CABUWINZIG courses is subject to a fee and the courses are usually fully booked at most locations. Take a look on our booking page to get a spot on the waiting list for the desired course.

CABUFAMILY is a circus training course in which children – either from 2 to 4 years or 5 to 9 years, depending on the CABUWAZI location – train with a parent. They can try out all circus genres such as acrobatics, juggling, tightrope walking, ball balancing, mini trampoline, clowning and much more. Our trained instructors provide methodical support in each unit, which can be tried out with your own child. In this way, parents can always train safely with their little artists. In the course of the six months of training, a show can be created which can be performed in front of friends and acquaintances.
Through the versatile circus training, the course not only strengthens the social and physical skills of families, but also deepens the bond between them. Because the motto here is: learning from each other and with each other. In the arena, perspectives change, and children often learn quickly how best to walk on the ball, for example – parents can learn a lot from their children in the process! In a familiar, respectful atmosphere, parents and children see each other in a new light and children’s self-confidence is strengthened.
Families can expect an exciting course with varied content, aimed at circus newbies as well as experienced circus bunnies.

Several times a week young adults train self-organised for their own shows – performed throughout the year in the circus tents, at outdoor performances or festivals.

If you are interested in participating or, alternatively, booking our youth ensembles as show acts, please contact the locations offices.

Altglienicke

Children and young adults from the age of 14 work in Altglienicke‘s youth group in a participative and autonomous way on technical skills and their own shows. CABUWAZI trainers support and accompany them, especially in theatrical and artistic questions. The ensemble has set its own highlights in recent years with the musical “Anna and Felix” (2010 and 2011) and the two plays “Delecrea” (2012 to 2014) and “Mutatio” (2014).

Marzahn

The members of the Marzahn Formation “Da Capo” have been training in CABUWAZI‘s the advanced courses for many years and therefore have a very high level of circus technique and artistic skills. The group trains independently twice a week with great success.

At numerous competitions within Germany and beyond, “Da Capo” has won prizes and awards. The group is regularly booked for big events and parties and has already performed several times at the summer party of Berlin’s governing mayor.

Tempelhof

At the end of 2019, a new youth group was  founded at our Tempelhof site. The group  is currently training on Fridays from 18-19.30.

The special thing about the group is that they train and communictae in many different languages and share their experiences with diversity and migration beyond the boundaries of the group. In this sense the offer is open to all young people interested in circus. Previous experience in circus arts is not necessary.

Treptow

YOU’N’ME are teenagers and young adults between 14 to and 26 years. They work independently on productions incorporating acting, dancing, singing and lots of circus. The performances focus on social themes and the young people’s living environment.

Beyond training and performance, here they continue their education in circus pedagogy. All participants acquire the youth trainer’s certificate, complete an instruction, first aid training and certify as co-trainers. Their extraordinary group work and commitment already earned them the Youth Action Prize.

CABUWAZI Tempelhof

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we invite teenagers and young adults aged 16 and over to our circus arena to try out various circus disciplines in open training or to develop their existing skills. The training takes place from 19:30-21:30. There are trainers on site who can give advice and help even the inexperienced.

A single or optional ten-person ticket must be purchased for the training sessions at our information office. The regular price is 5€/training, reduced 3€/training.

Feel free to contact us if you have problems with financing, we are open to fair solutions!

CABUWAZI Treptow

CABUWAZI Treptow offers two circus courses for adults: Aerial Acrobatics and a mixed training! Have you always wanted to swing through the air like an aerial artist or are you interested in different disciplines, props and techniques? Then sign up! Both courses teach the basics as well as insights into the work of the act and are also suitable for beginners.

The aerial acrobatics course always takes place on Mondays from 19-20:30.
The mixed training course always takes place on Thursdays from 19:30-21 hrs.

Among regular events are final presentations of school project weeks and circus holidays as well as our now legendary “Manegenzauber” (stage magic) during the Advent season. In addition, there are workshop shows of our training groups, youth ensembles and guest performances of groups and circus artists* from all over Europe throughout the year.

Family Circus

Our location in Tempelhof regularly offers participatory circus for young adults and families with children. Both young and old artists can try out our equipment, learn different disciplines and simply get a taste of the circus. There will also be snacks, drinks and lots of fun – come on by!

ATTENTION: You can find out about current dates on our events page.

Open afternoon activities

Every Saturday, our site in Treptow becomes an arena for your ideas: In our open programme for children and young people (from 8 years), which is created by and with you. From the Kiez Clean-Up, making stick bread around the campfire to costume parties and a children’s parliament – there are almost no limits to your imagination.

You can find the current programme here.

Tag des offenen Zeltes

Our locations regularly open their tents to anyone who would like to get to know us and our offerings, or just like to spend a nice day with us. In addition to participatory circus, creative activities, delicious food and drinks, visitors can enjoy circus shows and let themselves be infected by circus fever.

Freedom of Movement Festival

The FoM Festival takes place once a year in Tempelhof. The festival is an artistic exploration of the themes of flight, arrival and society and enables encounters with people from many parts of the world. In circus shows, creative workshops and performances in the areas of music, dance and theatre, we offer space for exchange about relevant social issues that also affect our children and young people in training. In addition, there will be culinary delights, participatory circus and much more.

On other occasions, too, our locations always invite people to join them. We celebrate spring and summer festivals and in Treptow, for example, flea markets and concerts take place in close cooperation with the neighbourhood initiatives. CABUWAZI Treptow also regularly takes part in the annual Tree Disc Festival.

At Bouchéstraße we open our small cozy circus café on weekdays (except during school vacations) offering fresh food and a good selection of hot and soft drinks. The smell of freshly baked cake invites you to enjoy, share and unwind.

Bring the circus ring into your home! Our CABUWAZI trainers show you short videos of exercises from a wide range of disciplines for you to practise.

We wish you a lot of fun!

Here pupils continuously learn different artistic disciplines, which will be presented in their own shows at the end of our workshops. In day-care centres, CABUWAZI trainers give pre-school children their first playful instructions in circus arts.
In order to support the cultural education of especially disadvantaged children and young people, CABUWAZI enters into educational alliances with schools and other institutions within the framework of the “Zirkus macht stark” programme, which has been approved by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as “Kultur macht stark. Alliances for Education”.

We would be happy to put together an individual offer for you and advise you on funding opportunities.

We bring our circus training to day care centers. Along with the typical props, equipment and customes our qualified trainers create training sessions wrapped in stories – circus pedagogical and age-appropriate. The children learn their first movements on the ball, practise juggling and building pyramids, play with scarves and discover the trampoline.

Kreuzberg

Circus charm in the day care centre! Once a week our trainers work with the children on their juggling-, acrobatics- and jumping rope-abilities. Accompanied by creative stories and games we develope motoric skills, awareness and strenghten the body in a playful way while also developing social skills.

At the moment, the Kreuzberg location has free capacities for ongoing half-year courses, but also for project days and project weeks. If you are interested, please contact Jessy Meden (contact at the end of the paragraph).

Treptow

With their colourful cargo bike full of circus props, the trainers from the Treptow location are on the road in daycare centres throughout the district, spreading their message: movement is fun and promotes friendships! In addition to age-appropriate circus training, a special focus of the Kita-Mobil is on raising awareness in the area of media use. Various movement activities are offered to prevent a sedentary childhood and to sensitise children, educators and parents to the topic through discussions and games. For a healthy and mindful approach to one’s own body and digital media.

If you are interested, please contact the Infobüro Treptow at [email protected].

The staff are there for you with their circus mobile: you can try out the individual circus disciplines in selected recreational facilities and parks: Whether floor acrobatics, mini tramp, juggling, hula hoop, ball running, rola bola or diabolo – there is something for everyone! We bring all the circus props with us in our circus mobile to the parks and facilities, all you need are trainers and sportswear.

Within the framework of CABUWAZI projects, refugee children, adolescents and young adults have the opportunity to gain an insight into circus artistry and thereby discover personal strengths, experience social interaction in community and create positive connections to their new surroundings.

The original mobile project “Beyond Borders” has a permanent place at the Tempelhof location since 2017. On the circus site, children and young people from Berlin accommodations can take part in inclusive circus weeks, attend open training sessions, courses for beginners and advanced students and present their newly acquired skills to an audience in a grand finale circus show, together with other children and young people. Since then, the three circus tents on Tempelhofer Feld have also regularly hosted inclusive project weeks with welcome and regular classes from all over Berlin as well as holiday school project weeks with german language support.