Barbamoccolo – Scuola di Circo

Barbamoccolo is a circus school , an artistic company and a social cooperative located in Scorzè, in the province of Venice.

The organization has been active since 2006 and is developing a project in which live performance, circus arts, theatre, clowning and education are closely associated.

Barbamoccolo therefore does not function solely as a school offering weekly courses.

His team also develops professional shows , performances, educational projects, social interventions, training programs and cultural activities.

This close relationship between teaching and artistic creation constitutes an important part of its identity.

The company notably uses theatre, mime, music and clowning as languages capable of touching both children and adults.

The clown: beyond technique

The clown occupies a particularly important place.

For Barbamoccolo, it is not just a performance technique.

Clown theatre is also a valuable educational tool .

The association uses this approach to develop creativity, communication, relationships with others, and each person's ability to find their own form of expression.

A circus school in Scorzè

This philosophy is reflected in the circus school developed on the premises of Scorzè.

Barbamoccolo has a dedicated and equipped space for this activity, specifically for learning and practice.

Circus arts are approached through several major technical families.

Juggling

Juggling is one of the fundamental disciplines taught.

It helps to develop coordination, concentration, precision and manipulation.

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is another important aspect.

It develops body awareness, mobility, coordination and gradually the mastery of more complex movements.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines also occupy an important place in the school.

Barbamoccolo specifically mentions aerial dance among the components of his circus career.

Theatre and clown

Technical practice is complemented by theatre and clowning.

This combination makes it possible to avoid limiting learning to the successful completion of tricks.

The body also becomes a means of expression.

This allows students to develop their stage presence, their imagination, and their relationship with the audience.

Artistic creation and circus technique remain linked.

A team with complementary backgrounds

This approach is consistent with the history of Barbamoccolo, whose members come from different artistic backgrounds.

The team brings together artistic, technical, pedagogical and organizational skills.

• Alberto Barutti is the founder and artistic and technical director of the organization. An actor and clown, he participated in the creation of Barbamoccolo in 2006.
• Manuela Polacco is also a founder of the organization. An actress and clown, she is now in charge of training and the circus school.
• Elena Miatto is notably responsible for production, organization and administration.
• Manuela Marassi works on scenography and the artistic laboratory.

This permanent team is supplemented over the course of projects by a network of collaborators and professional companies.

Training at the heart of the project

One of Barbamoccolo's most interesting characteristics is its willingness to use artistic practices beyond mere technical learning.

Training is explicitly one of the essential aspects of his project.

For the cooperative, training is not simply about transmitting a series of concepts or techniques.

An intervention in schools

This philosophy leads Barbamoccolo to intervene regularly in schools.

The organization runs theatre, clown and circus workshops in schools of different levels.

These interventions allow the performing arts to be used as educational tools.

Body language, imagination, and relationships with others then become as important as technical skills.

This experience clearly allows Barbamoccolo to be considered an educational circus structure.

A developed social dimension

But its action also has a particularly developed social dimension.

Barbamoccolo is legally a social cooperative .

His project explicitly includes activities for people experiencing physical or mental difficulties.

Artistic and training activities are organized in different contexts.

Disability

The organization works particularly with people with disabilities.

Its social report documents clown theatre and circus workshops in day centers and facilities for disabled people.

The goal is to start from each person's capabilities rather than viewing their limitations as an obstacle.

This philosophy is perfectly consistent with the educational approach advocated by the team.

Barbamoccolo believes that each individual has something to express and contribute to the group.

Theatre and circus thus become tools for enhancing individual abilities.

The socio-health contexts

Artistic practices are also used in socio-health contexts.

The cooperative develops forms of intervention intended for hospitalized people, reception facilities, retirement homes and various care settings.

Clowning naturally constitutes an important tool in these interventions.

Barbamoccolo has particular experience in training "clown doctors".

The organization has been providing this training since 2006.

She works with volunteers, groups and other people wishing to use clowning in social or care settings.

This activity confirms that the social dimension is not simply an indirect consequence of circus school.

It is truly part of Barbamoccolo's identity.

Socialization and events

The cooperative also develops projects aimed more broadly at socialization.

She performs at festivals, local events and community gatherings.

Art is then used as a tool to provoke encounters, curiosity, and participation.

The professional show

Professional entertainment remains very much present in parallel.

Barbamoccolo produces various creations intended particularly for families.

His shows combine, depending on the project, theatre, music, movement, physical virtuosity, interaction with the public and a clownish universe.

The company seeks to produce accessible theatre.

Some creations are intended for traditional venues.

Others can be performed in the street, in squares or in spaces not usually dedicated to performance.

This professional experience provides an interesting environment for the circus school.

The students attend a facility whose daily activities remain connected to live performance.

A scenography and costume laboratory

Barbamoccolo also has its own set design and costume laboratory.

The team manufactures sets, props, stage machinery and elements necessary for the various productions.

The structure also masters various technical aspects related to the show.

This autonomy reinforces its identity as a true artistic company rather than simply an association offering a few courses.

The CircoSfera network

Since 2016, Barbamoccolo has also participated in the CircoSfera network.

This network brings together structures in Italy working in the field of recreational-educational circus schools and social circus.

This affiliation perfectly matches the educational approach developed at Scorzè.

A relevant profile for the NetJuggler directory

For the NetJuggler directory, Barbamoccolo therefore presents a particularly interesting profile.

First and foremost, it is a genuine amateur circus school .

Students can discover several circus disciplines in a fully equipped space.

Juggling, acrobatics and aerial disciplines are important components of the learning.

Theatre and clowning bring an additional artistic and expressive dimension.

But Barbamoccolo is distinguished above all by its use of circus and live performance as educational and social tools .

The intervention in schools is clearly documented.

Projects involving people with disabilities are also being established.

The cooperative has experience working with people facing physical or mental difficulties.

It also intervenes in socio-health contexts.

This dimension allows Barbamoccolo to be classified not only among educational circus schools, but also among Italian structures with a genuine practice of circus and performing arts with a social purpose .

Its status as a social cooperative further reinforces this orientation.

This cross-cutting nature makes it a particularly relevant structure for the NetJuggler directory and a good example of how circus arts can go beyond leisure to become tools for education , inclusion , meeting and expression .