Accademia Cirko Vertigo – Fondazione Cirko Vertigo

Accademia Cirko Vertigo is one of the leading Italian institutions dedicated to professional and higher education in contemporary circus arts.

Its historic headquarters are located in the Parco Culturale Le Serre de Grugliasco , in the Turin metropolitan area.

The Cirko Vertigo Foundation has over twenty years of experience in training circus artists, creating and producing shows and hosting professional artists.

Its development has led to particularly important recognition for contemporary Italian circus.

Since 2022, Cirko Vertigo has offered the first Italian course for contemporary circus artists whose title is recognized as equivalent to a Laurea triennale in DAMS, class L-03.

This recognition now places the Academy within the field of higher artistic education.

The three-year curriculum

The complete program takes place over three years .

Admission is by selection .

Candidates must demonstrate physical and artistic abilities appropriate to the course.

• The audition includes, in particular , physical and aptitude tests .
• The candidate also presents an artistic act related to circus disciplines.
• An interview completes the selection process.

The goal is to recruit students who already have the necessary foundations to undertake intensive training aimed at professionalization.

The first two years

The curriculum is built on the historical professional training path of Cirko Vertigo.

The first two years constitute a professional training for a contemporary circus artist.

This part of the course represents 2,400 hours of training, or approximately 1,200 hours per year .

Attendance is high .

• The school year begins in October and continues until July .
• Students usually work from Monday to Friday , with some activities also organized on the weekend.

This organization brings the curriculum closer to the daily functioning of a higher art school rather than an amateur program or a simple preparatory course.

At the end of the first two years, students take an exam.

Those who meet the requirements obtain a post-diploma Attestation of Specialization recognized by the Piedmont Region and the European Union.

Students can then continue into their third year .

The third year

This third year completes the academic curriculum.

It allows one to obtain the Diploma triennale in Circo contemporaneo, a title equivalent to a Laurea triennale in DAMS, class L-03.

This link between vocational training and higher education is a major characteristic of Cirko Vertigo.

An artist's training, not just an acrobat's training

The goal is not solely to provide technical training for acrobats.

The curriculum aims to develop true contemporary circus artists .

Technical training naturally forms an essential foundation.

Students develop one or more circus specialties.

But this specialization is integrated into a much larger environment.

• Physical preparation accompanies technical development.
• Dance and movement allow us to expand our physical vocabulary.
• Theatre and performance tools contribute to building stage presence.
• Dramaturgy allows us to reflect on how an act or a show produces meaning.
• Artistic research gradually becomes an essential component of the journey.

The student is therefore not only asked to master a piece of equipment.

He needs to learn to develop an artistic identity .

This orientation corresponds directly to contemporary circus, in which the boundaries between circus, dance, theatre, performance and visual arts are frequently crossed.

The theoretical teachings

Theoretical instruction complements this training.

• The history of the circus .
• The history of dance is one of the subjects offered.
• Dramaturgy and critical analysis of works allow for the development of artistic culture and tools for reflection.
• Understanding the organization and economics of the entertainment industry allows us to better understand the professional functioning of the sector.
• Technology applied to the arts and entertainment brings other skills necessary for contemporary creation.

These lessons help to make the artist a professional capable of understanding the environment in which he will develop his career.

Professional experience

The curriculum also includes significant professional experience.

The professional training program includes 720 hours of internship .

These internships are carried out with professional contemporary circus and theatre-dance companies.

This allows students to compare their learning with the actual workings of a professional artistic team.

• They discover the processes of repetition .
• They observe the relationships between artists and technical teams.
• They participate in a production environment.
• They gradually understand the practical constraints associated with the job.

This professional immersion constitutes a particularly important step between school and an artistic career.

A production and creation structure

Cirko Vertigo also has the advantage of being itself a production and creation structure.

• The Foundation produces shows .
• It hosts companies .
• She organizes artist residencies .
• She participates in projects in Italy and internationally.

Students therefore operate in an environment directly connected to the professional sector.

The Foundation notably hosts residencies designed to support young artists and contemporary circus companies.

The spaces are made available to allow for research and development of new creations.

Qualified teams can support the projects.

This close relationship between school, creation and production is one of the great strengths of the Academy.

• Students can meet artists already established in their careers .
• They can witness creative processes .
• They can discover different aesthetics of contemporary circus.

An international dimension

The international dimension is also important.

Cirko Vertigo works with artists, teachers and institutions from many countries.

The Foundation participates in European exchanges.

In particular, it develops Erasmus+ projects.

Students thus develop in an environment that goes far beyond the Italian context alone.

This openness is particularly important in the contemporary circus sector, where careers are often international.

Continuing education, masterclasses and advanced training

Cirko Vertigo is also developing a continuing education program.

Masterclasses provide the opportunity to work with international artists and professionals.

They can be devoted to a circus technique, to movement, to creation or to different practices of contemporary performance.

The required level varies depending on the proposals.

• Some are intended for artists and students who are already experienced .
• Others are accessible to external practitioners wishing to deepen their skills.

The Academy also offers Higher Education .

Individuals outside the three-year program may attend certain courses within the academic program.

When the prescribed conditions are met and the exam is passed, these courses allow students to acquire CFU/ECTS university credits.

This possibility further strengthens Cirko Vertigo's role as a higher education institution.

The courses offered in this context may concern dramaturgy, critical analysis of works, the history of the circus, the history of dance, the organization of the show or even the technologies of the show.

The Foundation also develops training programs for professionals in the field of knowledge transfer .

A professional specialization course for circus arts teachers notably involves educators from major international institutions.

Professionals from the Montreal Circus School , the Quebec Circus School , the ESAC in Brussels , and the Balthazar Circus Arts Centre in Montpellier participated in this educational initiative.

This activity helps to spread Cirko Vertigo's skills beyond its own students.

Implants

The company also has several locations.

The Parco Culturale Le Serre de Grugliasco constitutes the historical headquarters of the Academy in the Turin region.

It has several large workrooms adapted to training needs.

The Foundation also owns or uses spaces in Turin and several other cities in Piedmont.

A new permanent branch of the Academy is planned in Mondovì .

The opening of this new facility in the former Caserma Galliano is planned for April 2027 .

It is to accommodate new workspaces and the Academy's offices.

This development demonstrates the growing importance of Cirko Vertigo in the Italian landscape.

A clear positioning in the NetJuggler directory

For the NetJuggler directory, this structure must be distinguished from the numerous play-based educational schools that we have identified in Italy.

Cirko Vertigo clearly belongs to the level of higher education and professionalization .

• Admission is selective .
• The number of hours is considerable .
• The training is daily .
• Students undertake professional internships .
• They are taking exams .
• The course delivers recognized certifications .
• The third year leads to a diploma equivalent to an Italian Laurea triennale .
• The structure is also directly connected to the professional world through its productions, residencies and international network.

Cirko Vertigo thus constitutes a possible step for a young person who started in an amateur circus school and wishes to transform their practice into a profession.

It also represents a destination for foreign students wishing to study in Italy.

The Academy is finally playing a broader role in the development of contemporary Italian circus.

• She participates in the training of artists .
• It accompanies the creation .
• She supports the companies .
• It develops educational research .
• It also trains teachers .
• It creates international exchanges .
• It contributes to the academic recognition of the circus .

Obtaining university equivalency for the curriculum represents a particularly important development in this respect.

It officially places the training of the contemporary circus artist within the Italian landscape of higher artistic education.

Accademia Cirko Vertigo is therefore today an essential reference for understanding professional and higher education in contemporary circus in Italy.