Accademia d’Arte Circense – Verona

The Accademia d'Arte Circense in Verona is one of the historic institutions for training in circus arts in Italy.

A story born from an old project

Its story begins in the late 1980s with a project led by Egidio Palmiri , an artist and major figure in the Italian circus.

The idea of a true Italian circus school, however, was much older.

Egidio Palmiri recounts having discovered, during a stay in Latvia during the Second World War , a model of circus school which had profoundly marked him.

It will take several decades before this project can take shape in Italy.

The first Accademia d'Arte Circense finally opened in Verona.

It is then presented as the first Italian school specifically dedicated to the training of young circus artists.

Cesenatico and the circus college model

In 1990 , the Academy left Verona for Cesenatico .

She developed a veritable model of a "circus college" there.

The students then have an environment combining accommodation , schooling and circus training .

The project is therefore more inspired by a conservatory or a high-level sports school than by a simple leisure workshop.

Young artists can dedicate a significant part of their daily lives to their training while continuing their schooling.

This organization quickly produces top-level artists.

The Academy's students participate in various international festivals.

Some receive awards at major events in the circus world.

The return to Verona and the opening to the general public

After several years in Cesenatico, the Accademia returned to Verona in 2003 .

Activities resumed in September 2004 .

This new period also allows for a broader audience.

The school is no longer solely for children from Circassian families.

It is gradually opening its doors to young people from Verona and to anyone wishing to discover or deepen their knowledge of circus arts.

This opening represents a significant development .

The Academy retains its focus on professional training while simultaneously developing courses for external practitioners.

In 2012 , it moved to its current location on Via Tirso in Verona.

The establishment can thus combine training, education, schooling and accommodation in a stable environment.

In 2019 , a new institutional step was taken with the creation of the recognized non-profit foundation Accademia d'Arte Circense .

A leadership team drawn from the great families of the circus

Andrea Togni is currently in charge of it.

Coming from one of the great historical families of the Italian circus, he himself grew up in the Circo Americano of the Togni family.

His journey led him to practice many disciplines before specializing in the trapeze .

The Academy's teaching staff is largely made up of former professional artists .

This close connection with the world of entertainment is an important characteristic of the institution.

The goal is not simply to transmit a technique.

It is also about preparing students for the realities of the circus artist profession .

Training levels

The Accademia now offers several levels of training.

The Corso Base

The first is the Corso Base .

This course is designed for people discovering circus arts.

It allows you to experiment with several disciplines instead of specializing immediately.

Each session combines different workshops.

• Stretching contributes to physical preparation.
• Dance helps develop coordination, posture and expression.
• Groundwork provides the necessary foundation for acrobatic disciplines.
• The trapeze provides a first approach to aerial disciplines.
• Vertical exercises develop balance, core strength, and body control.
• The trampoline offers another approach to acrobatics and rotations.
• Juggling complements this multidisciplinary training.

The basic course primarily aims to develop the coordination and physical preparation necessary for circus practice.

It operates twice a week .

Specialization courses

Students wishing to go further can then access specialization courses .

These courses have a semi-professional orientation.

They allow you to choose a discipline and explore it in depth with much more personalized guidance.

The groups are intentionally small.

In aerial silks , for example, groups are limited to four students .

The school has fabrics that allow work at a height of six meters , thus enabling the use of more advanced aerial techniques, including certain falls.

Aerial hoop also has its own specialization.

The groups are again limited in order to allow for individual monitoring.

The trapeze benefits from an even smaller frame.

A maximum of two students work with one teacher.

Safety is integrated directly into the teaching system.

Contortion is another specialization.

It can be practiced as a discipline in its own right but also serves to develop the mobility necessary for other circus specialties.

Vertical routes also have a specialized course.

The teaching is adapted to the level of each participant.

Juggling allows you to work with different families of objects.

Clubs, rings and balls can be used, among other things.

Bouncing is also one of the possibilities.

The Cyr wheel has its own teachings.

The program also includes work on pole dance and Chinese pole .

After two years of attending a specialization course, the Academy issues a certificate of attendance .

The professional curriculum

But the most important aspect of the institution remains its professional curriculum .

This is aimed directly at people wishing to pursue a career in circus arts.

Vocational training lasts four years .

The student is supported in choosing their discipline and in constructing their act .

Physical preparation is a permanent component of the journey.

The specialized technique is progressively developed until it reaches a level compatible with professional activity.

Professional training sessions take place from Monday to Friday .

They start at 4pm and end at 7:30pm .

Boarding school and schooling

This organization is notably linked to the particular profile of some of the students.

Some enter the Academy while they are still in school.

For them, artistic training must therefore coexist with general education.

The Academy specifically offers a boarding school system.

Students from other regions or other countries can live on site.

This system reflects the spirit of the college historically developed in Cesenatico.

Boarding school students remain subject to compulsory education .

They attend public schools.

The Academy also provides homework support with a teacher.

Artistic training therefore does not replace general schooling.

It is an addition to that.

This organization allows young artists to train intensively without having to abandon their studies.

Diploma and support towards a career

At the end of the four years of vocational training, the student is assessed.

This assessment can lead to obtaining a diploma from the Accademia d'Arte Circense .

The support does not necessarily end with the diploma.

The institution also states that it helps its graduates enter the workforce .

This professional dimension is essential to understanding the nature of the Academy.

It does not simply offer a high level of technical skill.

She explicitly claims a mission of generational renewal for the Italian professional circus.

Its goal is to train young artists capable of joining professional stages and shows in Italy and abroad.

Over one hundred students have already graduated during the history of the institution.

Many former students now work in professional circuses.

Some have received particularly important international awards.

The school notably mentions former students who have been awarded prizes at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris.

Others have received awards at the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival .

Among the alumni highlighted by the Academy are the Bello Sisters .

This continuity between education and professional career is one of the main hallmarks of the institution.

A direct link with the professional circus

The Academy maintains a very direct link with the traditional professional circus .

But his teaching is not limited to a single aesthetic.

The disciplines offered cover several major circus families.

• Ground acrobatics form an essential foundation.
• The trampoline helps develop momentum, rotations and aerial awareness.
• Classical and modern dance have historically been part of the training.
• Verticals allow for deeper practice of handstands.
• Contortion develops a specialization based on flexibility and body control.
• Trapeze is a historical discipline of the institution.
• Throughout its history, different forms have been taught: fixed trapeze, Washington or flying trapeze.
• Aerial silks and hoop are now integrated into the specializations.
• Juggling constitutes another large family.
• The work can be done with balls, rings or clubs.
• Balancing and various acrobatic disciplines complete this range.

Historically, the Academy also taught antipodism and Icarian games .

This diversity reflects its very broad circus heritage.

The stage as an extension of training

The establishment also has a performing arts activity.

The students present their work to the public.

These performances allow technical learning to be compared with the realities of the stage and the ring.

Performing in front of an audience is indeed an essential dimension of an artist's training.

The student must learn to transform a succession of figures into a real act .

The technique must be mastered.

But it must also become readable and interesting for the viewer.

Therefore, constructing the number is part of the professional journey.

An opening to the general public

The Academy also seeks to introduce circus arts to the general public.

Its amateur and semi-professional courses contribute to this openness.

Children and adults who do not necessarily wish to become professional artists can thus benefit from the expertise of the school's teachers.

This coexistence between amateur practice and professional training is particularly interesting.

A person can discover the circus through the basic course.

She can then choose a discipline and join a specialization.

For some students, this progression may eventually lead to a vocational course.

For others, the circus remains simply a regular artistic and physical practice.

Therefore, school does not reduce education to the selection of an elite.

She also seeks to spread circus culture among the people of Verona.

A true school of life

The Accademia also has a genuine educational dimension.

The training of young people is not solely about artistic performance.

The institution itself describes it as a true " school of life ".

The boarding school system involves autonomy , discipline and collective living .

Students must organize their time between general school, training, homework, and daily life.

This organization requires a particularly high level of involvement.

Professional training is therefore very different from a classic leisure course.

She gradually builds a rhythm close to that which the student may encounter in their future career.

A story marked by hardship

The history of the institution also forms an important part of its identity.

The Academy has gone through several periods and several locations.

She has lived in Verona , Cesenatico , and then Verona again.

She has supported several generations of artists.

She also had to face some particularly difficult periods.

Following the death of its founder Egidio Palmiri in January 2020 , the health crisis profoundly affected the structure.

The activity was even forced to stop in March 2022 .

But the Academy has since resumed its activities.

It now has a full program again.

• Amateur classes are offered.
• Specializations work.
• Vocational training is open.
• The boarding school system is being proposed again.

The 2026-2027 season has its own schedule.

This revival confirms the importance of the establishment in the Italian circus scene.

A major structure for the NetJuggler directory

For the NetJuggler directory, the Accademia d'Arte Circense should therefore be considered a major structure .

It naturally falls into the category of amateur schools thanks to its basic course and its various specializations open to practitioners.

But above all, it needs to be listed among the professional training courses .

The four-year curriculum, the intensity of the training, the boarding school system, the academic support, the creation of an act, the final evaluation, the diploma and the support towards the world of work constitute particularly solid criteria.

Few Italian schools boast such a long history and such a direct link with the professional circus.

The Accademia d'Arte Circense is therefore both a school of discovery , a center of specialization and a true institution for the training of circus artists .