Chapitombolo Academy – Scuola di Circo

Chapitombolo Academy is a contemporary circus school and dynamic arts center located in Monale , in the hills of the province of Asti , in Piedmont .

The structure presents itself as the first circus school of its kind in Monferrato and the province of Asti.

However, his project goes beyond the scope of a traditional circus school.

Chapitombolo defines itself as a Centro di Arti Dinamiche, a center in which circus arts meet different bodily and artistic practices.

The circus is at the heart of the project.

But the school also offers contemporary dance , theatre , parkour , climbing , calisthenics and magic .

This diversity makes it possible to create bridges between sporting practices, artistic expression and personal research.

The center has approximately 400 m2 dedicated to different activities.

It welcomes children , teenagers and adults .

The first circus lessons begin in childhood.

Circus motor skills allow younger children to discover their bodies, space and the first circus situations through movement and play.

Children aged five and over can join the circus courses.

Education gradually becomes more diverse with age.

Young practitioners discover the different families of circus arts before being able to delve deeper into certain disciplines.

Juggling is one of the areas taught.

It helps develop coordination, precision, concentration and manipulation.

Balancing acts constitute another important family.

The student learns to manage instability, body placement, and weight transfer.

Acrobatics helps develop strength, coordination, mobility and body awareness.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines also occupy an important place.

Aerial silks are taught.

Aerial rope is associated with this specialty.

Trapeze and aerial hoop also have specific instruction.

The students begin by discovering relatively simple shapes.

They can then progress to more complex sequences and passages.

The Chinese pole completes this circus offering.

This discipline allows you to work simultaneously on strength, mobility and acrobatic movement around a vertical axis.

Technique and artistic expression

Chapitombolo places great importance on the link between technique and artistic expression.

Contemporary circus is not presented as a simple accumulation of physical performances.

Technology must gradually become a language.

The artist learns to use their body to convey something.

This concept explains the place occupied by theatre in the school.

Physical theatre, in particular, allows us to explore the expressive possibilities of the body.

The teaching is inspired, among other things, by the approaches of Jacques Lecoq and the mime of Marcel Marceau .

Gesture, movement, action and stage presence thus become complementary to circus techniques.

Contemporary dance continues this exploration.

The students work in particular on floorwork, release technique, movement research and contact improvisation.

The goal is to develop personal movement while improving understanding of the body and its weight in space.

The Artistic Group

This cross-cutting approach becomes particularly important among adolescents.

Chapitombolo offers a course called Artistic Group .

It is aimed at young people aged thirteen to seventeen .

The program is developed over three days a week .

Its goal is to allow teenagers to experience training closer to that of a real artist.

Each week, the young people work on different disciplines.

• Theatre is part of the program.
• Dance is integrated into the training.
• Acrobatics plays an important role.
• The various circus techniques complement this teaching.

The goal is to build broad and cross-disciplinary knowledge rather than immediately specializing teenagers in a single piece of equipment.

The Artistic Group also has a genuine stage presence.

It functions like a performance group.

The students participate in the creation of the pieces.

They are working on their interpretation.

They learn to transform their technical skills into artistic expression.

These creations are then presented at Chapitombolo Academy events.

This allows young people to experience a real performance in front of an audience.

Some creations are intended to circulate at different events.

This experience allows students to gradually understand what distinguishes learning a figure from presenting it on stage.

Stage presence becomes important.

The relationship with the public is revealed.

Students also learn what it means to participate in a collective creation.

However, Chapitombolo does not present this path as an obligation to become a professional artist.

The philosophy remains centered on personal development.

The journey through the circus is also presented as a journey towards oneself.

The young person learns to build their own physical vocabulary.

He simultaneously developed his artistic sensibility.

Collective practice creates social relationships.

Successes bring confidence.

Difficulties require perseverance.

The circus thus becomes what Chapitombolo describes as a true "palestra di emozioni", a training room for emotions.

Adult classes

This philosophy is also reflected in courses intended for adults.

Adults can discover the circus even without prior experience.

The goal is not necessarily to become an artist.

The practice helps to develop strength, coordination and confidence in one's own body.

It also offers the satisfaction of progressing in an unusual field.

The center offers an evening circus class.

Part of the session is dedicated to physical preparation.

The other part allows for the practice of different circus disciplines.

Adults can also participate in certain specific disciplines offered by the center.

Chapitombolo therefore has an offer that allows both discovery and in-depth study.

• Children can start with a generalist approach.
• Teenagers can choose different specializations.
• Particularly motivated young people have access to the Artistic Group .
• Adults can discover or continue their practice.

Educational interventions

But one of the most interesting aspects of Chapitombolo concerns his educational interventions .

The school develops projects specifically designed for educational institutions.

These activities can be organised at Chapitombolo's premises or directly in schools.

The students concerned can range from kindergarten to high school .

Interactive laboratories are intentionally situated at the boundary between artistic practice and physical activity.

• They use movement to develop motor skills .
• They encourage personal creativity .
• They also seek to strengthen social relationships between students.

The circus thus explicitly becomes an educational tool .

Institutions can build different types of projects with Chapitombolo.

Some are organized around specific themes .

• School bullying is one of the topics that can be addressed.
• The school also offers courses related to disability .
• Other projects use cultural themes, such as the Divine Comedy .

This ability to combine circus techniques, movement and pedagogical reflection is an important characteristic of the structure.

Teatro Circo shows

Teatro Circo 's shows can also be used as educational materials.

They are not presented solely as entertainment.

Chapitombolo views them as genuine educational and formative works .

The topics covered may include:

• Relations between Italians and foreigners .
• The relationship between human beings and nature .
• Life presented as a journey through different experiences.
• Scientific progress as a source of creation.

The school is finally organizing educational outings in its Monale facilities.

Groups can discover different activities at the centre during a morning.

• Social games are used to improve relationships between students.
• Inclusion is an explicit objective.
• Responsibility towards others is being developed.
• Motor skills naturally remain present.

This educational dimension allows Chapitombolo to be clearly classified among educational circus structures.

The issue of disability

The issue of disability is also very much present in the project.

Chapitombolo explicitly mentions thematic school programs dedicated to disability.

However, it would be excessive to infer from this the existence of a permanent weekly adapted circus course .

For the directory, it is therefore preferable to distinguish between inclusive experience and projects and the possible existence of a regular section specifically adapted.

A project rooted in the local area

The Chapitombolo project also has a strong territorial dimension .

The structure claims to be located in the hills of Asti.

She wishes to contribute to the social and cultural dynamism of this rural area.

Monale's choice is not presented as a forced distancing from major cities.

He is part of the project.

Chapitombolo seeks to show that ambitious cultural and sporting activities can also be developed outside of major urban centers.

• The center hopes to help keep young people in the area .
• He seeks to promote local resources .
• The relationship between physical well-being, environment and social life is part of this philosophy.

This establishment does not prevent Chapitombolo from also developing activities in Asti .

The school thus has a presence that extends beyond its main site in Monale.

The shows and events also contribute to circulating the project.

Chapitombolo announces that it organizes or participates in numerous events and shows each year.

Artistic creation is therefore not separate from teaching.

Students can see their learning lead to a real stage experience.

This connection is particularly strong in the Artistic Group .

However, it exists more broadly in the philosophy of the school.

Profile for the NetJuggler directory

For the NetJuggler directory, Chapitombolo Academy therefore presents a particularly complete profile.

It's a veritable amateur circus school.

It welcomes children , teenagers and adults .

She teaches several major branches of circus arts.

• Juggling , balancing and acrobatics form an important foundation.
• Aerial silks , rope , trapeze and hoop allow exploration of aerial disciplines.
• The Chinese pole brings another particularly interesting specialty.
• Theatre and contemporary dance allow technique to be gradually transformed into an artistic language.

The Artistic Group offers the most motivated teenagers a much more intensive practice, three days a week, associated with creation and public performances.

Interventions in schools further reinforce the educational dimension.

Projects focusing on inclusion , disability , socialization , or harassment show that the circus is also used as a tool for reflection and collective development.

Chapitombolo Academy thus constitutes a true circus, artistic and educational hub in the Asti and Monferrato area.