Ateneu Popular 9 Barris – Escola de Circ

The Ateneu Popular 9 Barris is an iconic community cultural space in Barcelona, located in the Nou Barris district and deeply linked to the history of contemporary Catalan circus .

The project was born in 1977 following a mobilization of the residents of the neighborhood, who transformed a former asphalt factory into a cultural space.

From its citizen origins, Ateneu has developed a community management model combining culture, local participation, artistic creation and social intervention.

Circus arts, a pillar of the project

Circus arts are one of the main pillars of the project.

L'Ateneu simultaneously develops a circus school , social circus projects, educational training, artistic residencies and support, as well as a significant professional program .

The Circus School

The Escola de Circ welcomes children and teenagers in a progressive course adapted to their age and experience.

The youngest children start in groups allowing for an initial multidisciplinary discovery of circus arts.

They practice acrobatics, juggling, ball balancing, trapeze, theatre and stilt walking.

As students progress through the school, they discover new disciplines and deepen their understanding of techniques already encountered.

The intermediate groups combine dance and technical preparation, theatre, acrobatics, juggling, balance ball, trapeze, aerial silks and unicycle.

Progress then allows for an increase in the volume of weekly practice.

The most advanced groups in the school thus benefit from more learning time in order to deepen their technical and artistic mastery.

The subjects taught

Acrobatics forms one of the foundations of this training.

It helps to develop strength, coordination, mobility, body awareness and movement control.

Aerial disciplines also occupy an important place.

The trapeze is present from the very first levels.

Aerial tissues are gradually introduced into the pathway.

Juggling also accompanies students throughout their learning.

Balances allow us to discover different relationships between the body and objects.

The balance ball is one of the pieces of equipment used regularly.

Unicycling is integrated into groups with the necessary age and experience.

The cable also allows for the exploration of balance techniques.

Stilts complement this approach for some groups.

The artistic dimension

The training is not limited to physical techniques.

Theatre, dance and stage work allow one to develop presence, expression and creativity .

This artistic dimension allows students to gradually understand how circus techniques can become tools for creation.

Inclusion and accessibility

The school also places particular importance on inclusion .

Places are reserved for students with special needs.

A specialist professional can support students who require special assistance.

Situations are studied individually with families in order to identify the necessary adaptations.

This attention to diversity is part of a broader approach developed by Ateneu around the accessibility of circus arts.

The social circus

The social circus is indeed one of the historical and fundamental axes of the project.

L'Ateneu has been using circus arts as tools for socio-educational intervention and community development for several decades.

The projects are developed in collaboration with local residents, educational institutions, social services and associations.

The circus becomes a way to create spaces for encounters and to develop individual and collective capacities.

Generació Zirc

Generació Zirc is one of these projects.

It is aimed at young people aged twelve and over.

Participants meet weekly from October to May for regular practice.

They work in particular on acrobatics, aerial disciplines such as trapeze and silks, juggling, unicycle, balance ball and cable.

The project aims to offer teenagers a physical, artistic and social activity.

It also promotes alternative forms of leisure and active lifestyles.

Young people can participate in a public presentation at the end of the course.

The performance and the creative process thus become an extension of regular practice.

Gran Circ

Ateneu also develops projects aimed at the elderly.

Gran Circ notably welcomes people over sixty years of age .

Circus techniques are adapted to the needs and physical conditions of each participant.

Juggling, balancing, acrobatics, dance and theatre can be used.

The project considers that age is not an obstacle to discovering new practices.

It also seeks to promote overall health, autonomy and mobility.

The relational dimension is particularly important.

The sessions create common spaces allowing residents to meet.

The project thus contributes to the fight against loneliness and isolation among the elderly.

Gran Circ is developed in collaboration with various public health actors, community projects, educational institutions and structures for seniors.

This cooperation illustrates the territorial functioning of the Ateneu.

The social circus is not built in isolation but in relation to the actors in the neighborhood.

Functional diversity and disability

L'Ateneu also develops an in-depth reflection on functional diversity and disability .

Specific training courses are dedicated to accessibility, inclusion and functional diversity in circus teaching.

The Un Circ Universal program allows professionals to discover tools that make their activities more accessible.

The training course covers, in particular, the principles of universal design.

It also provides tools to adapt exercises and explore different uses of circus equipment.

The goal is to enable trainers to build activities that can accommodate people with different abilities and needs.

This thinking is directly reflected in the school, which reserves places for students with specific needs.

Inclusion thus constitutes both a pedagogical practice and a field of research and training.

Training for social circus professionals

L'Ateneu is also recognized for its work in training professionals in social circus .

The Formació de Formadores en Circ Social is aimed at artists, teachers and professionals in the social, educational and community sectors.

This training provides theoretical and practical tools to use circus arts in socio-educational intervention approaches.

It notably addresses pedagogy, the creation of community relationships, group cohesion and the support of participants.

The program is based on the experience accumulated by the teaching team of Ateneu in the field of social circus.

It is developed in collaboration with the Social Action department of Cirque du Soleil and the European Caravan network.

The training has also been recognised by the relevant Catalan institutions in the social field.

This activity helps to spread the methods developed in Nou Barris far beyond the neighborhood.

Artists, teachers and social sector professionals can therefore use these tools in their own structures.

L'Ateneu also participates in international networks and projects dedicated to social circus.

These exchanges allow for the comparison of teaching practices and the development of new methodologies.

Training thus constitutes a complementary aspect of the school and community projects.

Professional circus creation

L'Ateneu also plays a major role in professional circus creation.

The venue supports artists and companies in their research and creation processes.

It provides spaces and resources to develop new projects.

This activity maintains a direct link between amateur practice, pedagogy and the professional sector.

The Winter Circus

One of the most emblematic artistic projects of the place is the Circ d'Hivern .

Created every year, this show has been an important event in the contemporary Catalan circus for several decades.

Each edition brings together a new artistic team around a specific creative process.

The artists work on the premises before presenting their creation to the public.

This continuity allows Ateneu to actively participate in the renewal of contemporary circus forms.

The program also features various companies and artistic proposals throughout the year.

The public can thus discover contemporary circus, but also other forms of live performance linked to the cultural project of the venue.

The students at the school therefore develop in an environment directly connected to professional creation.

This proximity allows one to discover different aesthetics and different ways of using the techniques learned.

A place for meeting and diversity

L'Ateneu is also a meeting place for artists, residents, associations, educators and professionals in the social sector.

This diversity is an essential characteristic of the project.

Artistic practice is not isolated from the life of the neighborhood.

On the contrary, it becomes a tool for creating relationships between people and generations.

• Children can discover the circus through school.
• Teenagers can continue their practice or join projects like Generació Zirc.
• Older people can participate in Gran Circ.
• People with specific needs can benefit from tailored support.
• Artists can create and present their shows.
• Education and social sector professionals can come and train in social circus methodologies.

This diversity of backgrounds makes Ateneu a place where the circus is considered in all its dimensions: artistic practice, technical learning, creation, expression, health, inclusion and community building.

The Ateneu Popular 9 Barris thus occupies a special place in the circus landscape of Barcelona and Catalonia.

Its civic history, its school, its experience in social circus, its commitment to accessibility and its professional activity make it a place where training, creation and community action are deeply linked.