Almost two centuries have passed since this magical word first came to be associated with glamour, intense emotions and belly laughs. "Circus" means daredevil acrobats, gravity-defying jugglers and graceful trapeze artists, agile monocyclists, the power of the flying trapeze and, above all, the laughter of clowns.

Our school brings this world within students' reach. Everyone, from the very young to senior pupils, can learn one of the disciplines taught by our circus school. Flying trapeze, juggling with balls, rings or pins, balancing on a huge inflated ball, mastering the art of the diabolo: every child is given the opportunity to try out and learn each one of the disciplines on offer. In this sense the circus school Rustelli Confetti follows the example of other Waldorf schools, notably in Germany, that have made a place for the circus arts in the school curriculum.

On a practical level, Rustelli Confetti is run by a committee comprised of parents, friends and one representative each of the College of Teachers and the Management Council.

Any child from age five upward can take part in one of the eight weekly circus classes. Starting in class 7 (with some exceptions), students can join the "groupe spectacle". Although classes are in principle reserved for pupils of the Geneva Waldorf School, they are open to children from outside the school if there are vacant places.

For more than 10 years the classes have been taught by one of the school's teachers, Ms Sabine Schuster. She is assisted by trained circus instructors and by the most senior and most experienced students. There is no competitiveness, the emphasis being on the sharing and transmission of knowledge. Several years ago, a group of parent got together to help manage and organize classes and backstage support, and an annual circus show is now held every spring in front of a growing number of spectators who come to be enthralled by some 140 acrobats, trapeze artists, monocyclists, jugglers and clowns performing on stage.