Circo in Valigia – Scuola di Circo Vicenza e Schio

Circo in Valigia is a fun and educational circus school located in Vicenza and Schio, in the Veneto region of Italy.

The amateur sports association Circo in Valigia ASD was founded in 2013 by a team bringing together different artistic, educational and social skills.

The team includes professional circus artists who have worked in Italy and internationally, circus educators, social workers, specialist teachers, dance therapy and drama therapy professionals, actors and directors.

The association advocates a concept of circus in which technical learning is closely linked to personal and social development .

Circo in Valigia is registered in the Italian national register of recreational and educational circus schools and participates in the AltroCirco network, dedicated in particular to social circus and adapted practices.

A pedagogy based on play

The school's pedagogy is largely based on play .

This is used as a means to explore new physical, creative and relational possibilities while retaining the pleasure of practice .

The learning environment is intentionally non-competitive .

Teachers seek to value the potential of each participant rather than to make a comparison between students.

Solidarity , mutual support and cooperation thus occupy an important place in the sessions.

The objective is to simultaneously develop technical skills, motor skills, body awareness, self-confidence, autonomy, creativity and relational skills.

Children's and teenagers' courses

Regular schooling begins from the age of 4 .

Microcirco (ages 4 to 6)

Microcirco welcomes children aged 4 to 6. Stories, music, rhythms, colors and games allow for a first discovery of juggling, balance and acrobatics on the ground and in the air.

At this age, circus arts serve in particular to enrich children's motor repertoire, develop coordination and body awareness, and support early experiences of cooperation.

Circo Bambini (ages 7 to 10)

Children aged 7 to 10 continue with Circo Bambini .

Play retains an essential place, but teaching gradually begins to introduce the specific techniques of the different apparatus and accessories.

Students discover new materials, develop their individual abilities and begin to acquire real technical foundations.

Circo Giovani (ages 11 to 13)

Circo Giovani welcomes young people aged 11 to 13.

At this age, students gradually begin to specialize in one or more disciplines.

The teaching aims to support this period of development by combining technical progression, creativity, teamwork and the building of self-esteem.

Circo Ragazzi (ages 14 and up)

From the age of 14, the Circo Ragazzi program allows students to continue until approximately 20 years old.

The relationship with the teacher then gradually evolves: the teacher intervenes more as an advisor and facilitator while the teenagers gain autonomy.

Young people are encouraged to share their knowledge, help each other, and actively participate in school life.

The curriculum for teenagers also has an important theatrical dimension.

Students can participate in shows, contemporary circus festivals, national and international meetings between circus schools.

The most experienced can also begin to act as assistants to teachers during certain classes or activities.

This transmission allows adolescents to gradually become more responsible and constitutes a first discovery of circus pedagogy.

The subjects taught

Juggling

Juggling is one of the major families of disciplines taught by Circo in Valigia.

The students use scarves, balls, rings, clubs, flower sticks, diabolo and kiwido.

Balance

Balance disciplines are particularly diverse.

The school offers activities including rola-bola, stilts, tightrope walking, unicycle and balance ball.

The Cyr wheel is also one of the disciplines practiced within the structure.

Acrobatics

Floor acrobatics includes rolls, jumps, and various forms of acrobatic work.

Acrobatics performed in pairs and groups allows, in particular, the construction of pyramids and collective figures.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines also occupy an important place.

Aerial silks are one of the main apparatuses used.

Depending on the groups and teachers, students can also practice trapeze, aerial hoop, rope and Chinese pole.

A specific aerial acrobatics course is offered to children and teenagers aged 8 to 16.

These sessions combine floor work, physical preparation, learning figures and sequences on apparatus, choreographic creation and expressive research.

Beginner level courses do not require any prior skills .

Clowning and theatre

Clowning and theatre complement this multidisciplinary training and allow students to develop expression, creativity and stage presence.

The offer for adults

Adults also have a wide range of options.

Annual courses, introductory courses and intensive modules allow participants to practice aerial acrobatics, juggling, balance and clowning.

Specific balance courses allow, for example, experimentation with ball, wire, rola-bola, stilts and unicycle.

Spazio Circo

Circo in Valigia also makes its equipped halls available to practitioners through the Spazio Circo program.

This shared training time allows adults, from beginners to experienced practitioners, to train and exchange their knowledge.

The spaces include aerial silks installed up to six meters high, hoops, trapezes, balance ball, tightrope and juggling equipment.

Creation of shows and events

The creation of shows is another important component of the project.

The Cabaret in Valigia brings together teachers and young people from the school around juggling, balancing, ground acrobatics and aerial acrobatics acts.

The CircoKaos project allows teenagers to transform the skills acquired during their classes into real creations intended for the public.

This encourages young people to step outside the training room, develop their autonomy, and present their work at events.

The school also organizes circus performances and workshops in public spaces, festivals and various events.

Circus at school

Circo in Valigia also has a significant presence in schools.

Its staff work from preschool to high school.

Projects can incorporate balance balls, wire, flower sticks, scarves, balls, rings, and aerial silks.

The circus becomes a tool for developing cooperation, trust, concentration, autonomy and commitment to a collective project.

The association also trains teachers and educators wishing to integrate certain circus practices into their work.

Specific training courses cover topics such as pre-acrobatics, juggling and balance, as well as the use of circus arts in non-formal education contexts.

The social and adapted circus

Social circus constitutes another major focus of Circo in Valigia.

The association develops various projects using circus arts with audiences who have specific needs or are experiencing particular situations.

DNA Circus

The DNA Circus project, for example, is aimed at migrants and uses the circus as a space for meeting, playing and expression.

Terzo Circo

Terzo Circo works with the elderly and promotes intergenerational encounters between children from the circus school and residents of retirement homes.

The association also has experience in adapted circus and its team includes professionals trained to support different audiences, particularly in the field of disability.

Family Circus

Circo in Famiglia meetings also allow children aged 4 to 8 to practice with their parents.

Balls, tightrope, aerial silks and acrobatics then become tools allowing children and adults to play together and experience a new form of relationship.

A school rooted in Veneto

Circo in Valigia now has two main centers of activity, in Vicenza and Schio .

The different groups are divided among several rooms adapted to the disciplines and ages.

This presence in two cities allows the association to offer a wide range of services while maintaining a teaching approach focused on the needs of each group.

More than ten years after its creation, Circo in Valigia thus constitutes a particularly complete school of the Circassian landscape of Veneto.

It brings together weekly teaching, amateur practice, specialization of teenagers, adult training, shows, festivals, school projects, training of educators, social circus and adapted circus.

Its non-competitive pedagogy and its use of play as a learning tool make it a structure in which circus technique serves both artistic progression and personal and collective development.