Center de les Arts del Circ Rogelio Rivel – Barcelona

The Rogelio Rivel Circus Arts Centre , commonly known as CAC Rogelio Rivel or "La Rogelio", is one of the main establishments dedicated to professional training in circus arts in Spain.

It is located in Barcelona, in the Roquetes area of the Nou Barris district.

The center was founded in 1999.

Its creation is directly linked to the history of contemporary circus in Barcelona and to the training activities developed during the previous years at the Ateneu Popular 9 Barris.

The objective was to have a structure specifically dedicated to training in circus techniques and arts.

Over the years, Rogelio Rivel has become a center of reference for many Catalan, Spanish and international artists.

His activities are not limited to teaching.

The venue is also dedicated to training, experimentation, creation, production, professional meetings and the dissemination of contemporary circus.

However, its main distinguishing feature remains its professional background.

CAC Rogelio Rivel is registered as a private education center with the Departament d'Educació de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

It bears the official center number 08075013.

Two levels of vocational training

Two levels currently structure his professional training.

The first is the Ciclo Formativo de Grado Medio de Animación en Circo.

This initial training provides a solid and multidisciplinary foundation in circus arts.

The objective is, in particular, to develop the physical, technical, artistic and creative skills necessary for a career in the circus sector.

Students are confronted with different families of disciplines.

This versatility allows one to build a general technical culture before gradually moving towards specialization.

The center then offers a Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior de Artista de Circo.

This higher education program allows for in-depth technical and artistic development.

The student gradually builds their own identity as a performer and circus artist.

The work therefore no longer consists solely of mastering figures.

Research, creation and stage presence are gradually taking on major importance.

The students are working on how to integrate their specialty into an artistic proposal.

The center thus seeks to prepare people capable of truly integrating into the professional sector.

An educational project rooted in values

This orientation is directly reflected in the educational project of the institution.

Rogelio Rivel defines his mission as that of a center offering quality training enabling students to achieve their goals in order to become circus artists.

Work discipline plays an important role in this pedagogy.

It is associated with values of respect, collaboration, responsibility and interculturality.

Diversity is also an important element of the educational community.

The center welcomes students with diverse backgrounds and origins.

This international dimension is well suited to the contemporary functioning of the circus sector.

Students can continue their studies in other European schools or directly join artistic projects.

The subjects taught

The disciplines represented at the CAC Rogelio Rivel are particularly numerous.

• Acrobatics is one of the fundamentals.
• Acrodance allows for the development of a relationship between acrobatic technique and choreographic movement.
• Acrobatic balances and lifts are also among the specializations represented.
• Verticals allow for the development of specific work around hand balance.
• Trampolining and various acrobatic techniques complete this family.

Aerial disciplines are particularly important.

• The fixed trapeze is practiced.
• Smooth rope is another specialty.
• Aerial straps are among the disciplines chosen by some students.
• The aerial hoop is also represented.
• The Chinese pole is another important specialty of the school.
• The Cyr wheel allows for the development of a completely different approach to circular motion.
• Hula-hooping and various forms of manipulation can also become primary artistic disciplines.
• Juggling is naturally part of the center's technical universe.

The diversity of specializations evolves with each graduating class and the individual projects of the students.

This is an important point: Rogelio Rivel is not a school built around a few fixed pieces of equipment.

The center gradually guides each student towards a discipline or artistic language that corresponds to their project.

Physical preparation accompanies this technical work.

A volume of professional training hours

The volume of professional training is significant and occupies the students' days.

The educational plan indicates a teaching schedule that can range from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This organization clearly distinguishes Rogelio Rivel from a leisure school offering a few hours of lessons per week.

This is a genuine training program designed to prepare students for entry into the profession.

Artistic creation and performance

Artistic creation is also central.

Students participate in projects that allow them to test their work on stage and in front of an audience.

The creations produced by the school are notably presented in various venues and festivals.

The Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona regularly hosts proposals developed with emerging artists from Rogelio Rivel.

These representations allow us to discover the diversity of specializations present within the same graduating class.

Acrodance, Cyr wheel, trapeze, acrobatic balances, Chinese pole, smooth rope, straps, hoop or acrobatics can thus coexist in the same creation.

This diversity perfectly reflects the workings of contemporary circus.

Students learn to go beyond technical demonstration to build a true stage language.

They are confronted with issues of dramaturgy, interpretation, composition and relationship with the public.

A space for meetings and collaborations

The center also serves as a meeting place.

External artists and educators may be involved in training courses or intensive programs.

Specialized internships allow students to explore or deepen their knowledge of certain disciplines.

Rogelio Rivel also participates in the more general development of the Catalan circus sector.

The center collaborates with various cultural institutions and structures.

He participates in discussions concerning the training, creation and recognition of circus as an artistic discipline.

This function is particularly important in Catalonia, a region with one of the most developed Circassian ecosystems in Spain.

Rogelio Rivel maintains links in particular with the Ateneu Popular 9 Barris , La Central del Circ , the Associació de Professionals del Circ de Catalunya and various cultural facilities.

Its location in Nou Barris is therefore not insignificant.

The territory has a particularly strong history around contemporary circus and community cultural practices.

An opening to the general public

Alongside professional training courses, Rogelio Rivel also maintains an openness towards the general public.

Workshops allow participants to discover circus arts without joining the professional curriculum.

The Family Circus program is a good example of this.

On some Sundays, children and adults can practice different techniques together.

Juggling, balancing, rope and other disciplines are approached in a logic of discovery.

The stated objective is also to develop teamwork and mutual trust.

This activity is still scheduled during the 2026-2027 season.

It helps to maintain a link between a vocational training institution and the residents, families and amateur practitioners.

The center also occasionally organizes intensive workshops.

These training courses may focus on a particular technique and accommodate different levels of practice.

Several complementary functions

Rogelio Rivel thus possesses several complementary functions.

• It is first and foremost a vocational school .
• It is also a space for creation .
• It is a training and meeting place for the sector.
• And finally, it is a space allowing the public to occasionally discover the circus arts .

Classification for the NetJuggler directory

Therefore, the classification of the NetJuggler directory deserves special attention.

The " Professional & Preparatory Training " category must clearly be checked.

But Rogelio Rivel goes beyond simply preparing students for entry into another school.

The centre itself delivers two professional courses recognised by the Catalan education system: a middle level course and a higher level course.

The upper level is explicitly titled “ Artista de Circ ”.

It is therefore a higher professional circus education establishment within the Catalan system.

For a NetJuggler category dedicated to higher education institutions directly training professional artists, Rogelio Rivel clearly has its place.

The centre is even a particularly important case in Spain due to the regulated nature of its courses.

Its history since 1999 and the generations of artists who have passed through the school further reinforce its importance.

Many former students have continued their education at other European schools or developed their own artistic careers.

This international circulation fully corresponds to the European ecosystem of circus schools.

A major institution of contemporary Spanish circus

The Rogelio Rivel Circus Arts Centre is thus a major institution of contemporary Spanish circus .

It combines intensive technical training, artistic research, creation, performances, professional exchanges and occasional opening to the general public.

Its intermediate-level curriculum allows students to build the fundamentals.

Its higher education program guides future artists towards genuine specialization and a personal artistic identity.

Its location at the heart of Barcelona's circus ecosystem allows students to develop in a particularly rich cultural environment.

For a European directory of circus schools like NetJuggler's, Rogelio Rivel is therefore a priority and essential entry for Spain .