Arterego – Scuola di Circo / Spazio Eco

Arterego is an association dedicated to the development, teaching and dissemination of contemporary circus arts in the Bologna region.

His circus school is now mainly located at Spazio Eco , a cultural center located in Casalecchio di Reno, in the Bologna metropolitan area.

Since 2025, Arterego has been managing this historic site for the youth of Casalecchio, as part of a co-production with the municipality and the Esecreando association.

Spazio Eco has thus become a truly multidisciplinary place combining a circus school, cultural events, workshops, rehearsal rooms, artistic residencies and training spaces.

The circus school

The circus school is one of the main activities developed by Arterego.

It welcomes children, teenagers and adults.

The youngest children can start as early as four years old .

For the 2026-2027 season, the Piccolissimi group welcomes children aged four and five.

Children aged six and seven then have a specific group.

The eight to eleven year olds make up the Medi group.

Teenagers aged twelve to seventeen also benefit from their own curriculum.

This distribution allows the technical content, session duration and teaching methods to be adapted to the development of each age group.

The subjects taught

The younger groups work in particular on fundamental motor patterns .

Children learn to roll, move around and use their bodies in different ways.

Acrobatics gradually allows the introduction of rolls, cartwheels and other fundamental elements.

Verticals are also addressed gradually.

But school is not limited to acrobatics.

Balancing is one of the major technical families taught.

• Children can discover the balance ball .
• The rola-bola allows one to work on another form of instability.
• The taut wire is also one of the apparatuses used.
• Stilts help develop balance and movement at height.
• Unicycling is another discipline that is explicitly taught.
• Human pyramids allow for the introduction of a collective dimension.
• Acrobalance also develops trust, balance and cooperation between partners.

Juggling has a particularly important place in the school.

• Beginners can start with scarves .
• The balls then allow for the development of coordination and rhythm.
• Rings are also part of the equipment used.
• Clubs allow for more technical manipulation.
• The diabolo is taught.
• Chinese plates are used in introductory activities.
• Kiwidos or bolas constitute another family of manipulation.
• The hula hoop completes this particularly varied offering.

This diversity allows children to discover several techniques before possibly developing a preference for certain disciplines.

The clown is also an integral part of the teaching.

Individual and group exercises allow participants to explore their comedic potential.

Body mimicry is also used.

The goal is therefore not solely to acquire physical skills.

Students also learn to use their bodies as a means of expression.

Improvisational theatre complements this approach.

Participants can gradually develop their own character.

The staging is finally an important step in the process.

Students learn to present a discipline in front of an audience.

They discover how the scene works.

The relationship with the viewer is part of the job.

A typical session

A typical session usually begins with team games and a warm-up.

The students then work on a specific technique or apparatus.

The session ends with a group time and more free training.

This organization reflects the pedagogy developed by Arterego.

Circus pedagogy

The school explicitly claims an approach derived from circus pedagogy.

The teachers are trained in both circus techniques and educational work with children and adolescents.

Several participate in the training courses of the Italian project CircoSfera .

This network is a national reference in the field of recreational and educational circus.

Cooperation plays an important role in the school's methodology.

The circus is seen as an environment that allows one to experiment, play and gradually develop autonomy.

The 2026-2027 season

The 2026-2027 season confirms the vitality of this school.

Youth classes resumed at the end of September 2026.

The open days for the new groups were held on September 30th and October 1st .

Regular activities take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Spazio Eco.

The offer for adults

The school also has a particularly interesting offering for adults.

The first route is accessible to beginners.

It allows you to discover the circus in a fun and collective environment.

Arterego emphasizes the importance of the group and the game.

The goal is to create a space in which participants can experiment and express themselves freely.

The Experience Journey

But the school also offers a second, much more advanced level called Experience .

This course is intended for people who have already completed at least one year of Arterego's adult amateur course or who have prior experience in circus and performing arts.

The teaching team can assess the level of new participants before their integration.

The Experience program delves deeper into circus techniques.

Participants are working on creating more complex routines and choreographies.

The staging plays an important role.

The creation of the character is also discussed.

The group is also working on creating collective numbers.

The curriculum is directly geared towards the production of a show.

A first public presentation takes place during the first half of the journey.

The second part of the year is devoted to developing and finalizing the show.

The result is then presented as part of the Equilibri Contemporary Circus Festival .

The Experience course therefore represents a particularly interesting advanced amateur level.

It includes two training sessions per week.

Artistic research and technical development constitute the two main axes of the year.

Workshops and intensive training courses

Arterego also offers numerous intensive workshops.

These courses are accessible, depending on the case, to amateurs, advanced practitioners and professionals.

The association invites Italian and international specialists for this purpose.

• In 2026, an acrodance workshop was organized with Luca Lugari.
• Auro Bulba proposed a workshop dedicated to verticals .
• Roberto De Marchi has developed a body of work centered around the emotional body .
• Ernesto Terri was invited for a workshop dedicated to tightrope walking .
• The program also includes hand-to-hand training.
• The hula hoop is taught in specific workshops.
• Some workshops are even dedicated to teacher training .
• Comedy theatre and improvisation round out this program.

These meetings allow practitioners to discover techniques that are not necessarily offered every week in regular classes.

They also create a link between amateur schools and the professional world of contemporary circus.

Free training and community

Arterego also provides artists with a daily training space.

Spazio Eco thus welcomes independent and professional practitioners wishing to maintain or develop their technique.

La Giocolestra is another important event.

This weekly training session is intended for amateurs and enthusiasts.

It promotes skills exchange, independent practice and self-directed learning.

This community dimension is important in Arterego's identity.

The association seeks to bring together beginners, experienced amateurs, teachers and professional artists in one place.

Artistic residencies and creation

Spazio Eco also hosts artist residencies.

The Domus delle Arti venue allows artists and companies to develop new creations.

Arterego thus seeks to create bridges between artists and performance venues.

The association notably supports professional and emerging artists in the development of shows and performances.

His activity therefore extends far beyond teaching.

Arterego is directly involved in the creation and dissemination of contemporary circus.

The Circo Inzir artistic collective was actually born from a branch of the association.

Cultural programming and events

Arterego also develops a cultural program and several events.

Salt'in Circo takes the form of meetings and gatherings centered around circus arts.

The Equilibri Festival is an important event dedicated to contemporary circus.

In particular, it allows participants in the adult Experience program to present their creation in front of a real audience.

The association also develops activities outside of Casalecchio.

Shows, workshops and projects are organised in different municipalities of the metropolitan city of Bologna and the Apennines.

Arterego is involved in spreading circus arts in more rural areas.

This activity is accompanied by social and solidarity projects.

The association explains that it supports and promotes local, national and international initiatives in this area.

A horizontal and inclusive structure

Its internal operating method is itself intended to be horizontal and inclusive.

Members are involved in the organization and development of projects.

This collective conception is reflected in education.

The school seeks to create an environment in which the group is a resource for learning.

Spazio Eco reinforces this dimension today.

The venue is not just a circus hall.

It also hosts dance, music, rehearsals, art workshops, events and community initiatives.

The spaces are accessible and adaptable.

This versatility fosters encounters between different artistic practices.

For Arterego, the installation of his school in this cultural center therefore represents an important development.

A continuity between initiation and professionalization

Children can start at four years old.

Adolescents can continue until the age of seventeen in specific groups.

Adult beginners have their own curriculum.

Experienced practitioners can join the Experience program.

The artists have access to training spaces and residences.

Finally, workshops allow for in-depth exploration of specialized disciplines.

This continuity between initiation, regular practice, advanced amateur creation and professional environment constitutes one of the great strengths of the project.

Arterego – Scuola di Circo / Spazio Eco is thus today a true hub dedicated to circus arts in the Bologna metropolitan area.

Its activity combines a playful-educational school, advanced amateur practice, specialized courses, free training, artistic creation, residencies and the dissemination of contemporary circus.

The diversity of disciplines taught and the quality of the educational project make it a particularly interesting structure for discovering and deepening the circus arts in Emilia-Romagna .