Accademia Materiaviva – Scuola di Circo Teatro di Roma

Accademia Materiaviva is a circus-theatre school located in Rome, within the Teatro Furio Camillo. It develops a multidisciplinary approach combining circus arts, theatre, dance and stage creation.

The school caters to a wide range of audiences. Children can discover the circus from the age of 3 , teenagers have access to specific programs, and adults can practice various disciplines as amateurs. In addition, Accademia Materiaviva offers a genuine professional training program for young artists.

The circus-theatre school is managed by Roberta Castelluzzo and Alessandra Lanciotti .

A team of specialized professionals

The teaching is based on a team of professionals specializing in different disciplines:

• aerial acrobatics
• ground acrobatics
• vertical
• juggling
• balance
• Chinese pole
• theater
• dance
• physical preparation

Circus technique and artistic expression

One of the essential characteristics of Accademia Materiaviva is the importance given to the link between circus technique and artistic expression .

The goal is not simply to learn moves or master an apparatus. Students are also encouraged to consider how a technique can become a language for the stage.

This philosophy is particularly visible in the teaching of aerial acrobatics .

Aerial acrobatics

The school works with a wide variety of apparatus: aerial silks , aerial hoop , rope , trapeze and aerial net .

The courses are organized according to different levels to allow both discovery and improvement.

Technical learning is constantly associated with work on body expression , movement and artistic presence .

For teenagers aged 12 to 17 , specific aerial acrobatics courses are organized twice a week .

Adults also have many time slots available, divided between beginner , intermediate , advanced and mixed level groups.

Ground acrobatics and verticals

Ground acrobatics is another important component of the training.

It is notably integrated into the professional curriculum and complemented by specific teaching on verticals .

Hand balance exercises help develop strength , coordination , alignment and body control .

Advanced training in capoeira is also offered to enrich acrobatic work and movement possibilities.

Juggling

Juggling also has its own curriculum.

The students work with balls , clubs , rings , contact objects , sticks , hats and various unconventional manipulation objects.

For each technique, Accademia Materiaviva seeks to develop in parallel the mastery of the object and its artistic use .

Juggling is thus approached not only as a technique but also as a language that can be used in theatre and contemporary creation.

Guest jugglers and teachers regularly intervene to allow students to discover other approaches and techniques.

Balance, Chinese pole and training courses

Balance constitutes another family of disciplines taught within the Academy.

The Chinese pole also has a place in the program and can be explored further in courses or workshops .

Internships also allow participants to discover or perfect complementary disciplines such as Cyr wheel , acrobalance , clowning , Chinese pole , verticals and various forms of aerial acrobatics.

Theatre at the heart of the school's identity

Theatre occupies a fundamental place in the identity of the school.

The classes work on movement , coordination , rhythm , body language , breathing , voice , communication , listening and improvisation .

Theatrical work allows participants to better understand their stage presence and to integrate their circus skills into a genuine artistic proposition.

Improvisation is notably used to stimulate individual creativity while developing the ability to work in service of a group.

Representation is the possible outcome of this process, but it is not considered the sole objective of learning.

The process of research , experimentation and personal discovery remains central.

Contemporary dance complements this training and allows for a deeper exploration of movement, rhythm, and body awareness.

Specific physical preparation is also offered to meet the demands of the various circus disciplines.

Piccolo Circo: for the youngest children

For younger children, Accademia Materiaviva offers Piccolo Circo .

The first group: 3 to 6 years old

The first group welcomes children aged 3 to 6 years .

At this age, teaching mainly uses play and motor activities to gradually introduce the world of the circus.

Children experience juggling , balance and aerial disciplines in forms adapted to their age.

From the year 2026-2027 , the program for younger students will also incorporate more theatre .

This development allows us to work not only on psychomotor development but also on relationships with other children , creativity and expression .

The second group: 7 to 10 years old

A second group , Piccolo Circo, welcomes children aged 7 to 10 .

Teenagers aged 11 to 17 can then join a specific circus-theatre course.

They also have access, from the age of 12 , to specialized aerial acrobatics courses.

This organization therefore makes it possible to build a path from the first discovery of the circus to a much more structured adolescent practice.

Vocational training

Accademia Materiaviva has one particularly important feature: alongside amateur courses, it develops a genuine professional training program .

This course is intended for young actors , circus artists , athletes and dancers wishing to progress towards a career as a physical theatre and contemporary circus artist.

The specialization focuses particularly on aerial acrobatics and circus-theatre techniques .

Entry into this program involves an interview and auditions .

The management team then supports each candidate in building their educational program .

The training is intentionally personalized to take into account each student's prior experience, technical abilities and artistic goals.

Students can work:

• aerial acrobatics
• juggling
• verticals and acrobatics
• balance
• Chinese pole
• theater
• dance
• physical preparation
• staging

The training also incorporates the history of the circus and theatre, as well as concepts related to sound and lighting .

This approach allows future artists to gain a more complete understanding of the creation and production of a show.

The school pays particular attention to staging and self-staging .

Students gradually learn to construct their own artistic work rather than relying solely on external direction.

Italian and international artists and educators are regularly invited to supplement the ongoing teaching.

These meetings often take the form of intensive workshops dedicated to specific artistic disciplines or approaches.

The Academy also has spaces allowing artists to train and develop their own creations .

This function as a research space helps to create exchanges between students, professional artists and teachers.

A close link with the Teatro Furio Camillo

Accademia Materiaviva also maintains a particularly close link with the Teatro Furio Camillo .

This theatre has been hosting creations and events dedicated to contemporary circus for many years.

In particular, he organizes the international circus-theatre event BATTITI , which reached its thirteenth edition in 2026 .

The presence of professional programming in the same environment as the school allows students to be regularly exposed to the work of artists and companies .

A complete structure of the Roman Circassian landscape

Accademia Materiaviva thus constitutes a particularly complete structure of the Roman Circassian landscape.

It allows a three-year-old to discover their first circus activities, a teenager to delve deeper into circus-theatre and aerial acrobatics, an adult to practice as an amateur, and a young artist to build a real professional career path.

This continuity between discovery, amateur practice, improvement, professionalization and creation constitutes one of the main characteristics of the Academy.