Espaço Mimabô

Espaço Mimabô is a performing arts venue located in Castelo Branco, in the Beira Baixa region of Portugal. Run by the Mimabô company, it develops an artistic and educational project around theatre, dance, movement and, more recently, circus arts.

The organization aims to foster creativity and individual expression through the performing arts. Its program is primarily based on theatre and movement, while also building bridges with other artistic disciplines. This multidisciplinary approach is reflected in the various courses offered to children, teenagers, and adults.

The arrival of the circus from 2025-2026

Circus arts joined Espaço Mimabô's regular program starting in the 2025-2026 season. The organization approaches it from a contemporary circus perspective, combining different artistic techniques rather than systematically separating each discipline. Acrobatics, movement, and physical theatre are thus the main tools used during the workshops.

The circus workshop offered to children uses these different practices to learn how to tell stories with the body . The objective is therefore not only to acquire a technique or to successfully perform a trick: circus disciplines become tools for expression , interpretation and creation .

Acrobatics, movement and physical theatre

Acrobatics allows participants to explore their physical capabilities and progressively develop their body control. The exercises specifically target coordination, balance, mobility, and body awareness in space. The work is integrated with movement to encourage children to explore different ways of moving and using their bodies.

Physical theatre also plays a significant role in this approach. The body becomes a means of communication, allowing the transmission of an intention, an emotion, or a story. This dimension directly links the teaching offered by Mimabô to the practices of contemporary circus, where circus techniques can be integrated into a genuine form of stagecraft.

Trust and collective dimension

The workshop also aims to develop the participants' confidence . Learning new physical skills, experimenting, and creating allow children to gradually become aware of their potential and dare to propose their own ideas.

The collective dimension is also part of the educational objectives. The activities promote teamwork and encourage participants to observe, listen, and build with others. Circus arts thus become a tool for simultaneously developing physical, artistic, and interpersonal skills.

A multidisciplinary performing arts program

Circus arts training is integrated into a much broader performing arts program. Espaço Mimabô also offers theater classes for different age groups, creative movement, ballet, and various other physical practices. This close connection between disciplines naturally creates bridges between circus, theater, dance, and physical expression.

This cross-disciplinary approach is an important characteristic of the Mimabô project. The structure does not seek to compartmentalize practices: theatre, movement, acrobatics and other artistic forms can meet and enrich the creative process.

Theatre and occasional training courses

Espaço Mimabô also develops a significant activity around theatre . Children can participate in theatre workshops adapted to their age, while teenagers have work more oriented towards exploring their creativity and finding their own artistic language.

The organization also hosts occasional workshops and training sessions to complement its regular classes. In 2026 , for example, Espaço Mimabô hosted an intensive clowning workshop. This training covered acting, listening, stage presence, interpersonal skills, and social clowning , further illustrating the venue's commitment to exploring diverse forms of expression within the performing arts.

The Mimabô Company

The educational project is directly linked to the artistic activity of Companhia Mimabô . Founded in 2023 by Sara and Marlon , the company is based in the Beira Baixa region and develops creations in which theatre, dance, movement and street arts meet.

The company creates and presents original shows and also conducts various artistic and cultural activities for the public. This professional activity enriches the environment in which the courses are offered: students thus frequent a space that is not only dedicated to teaching, but also to the creation and presentation of live performance.

Mimabô notably has a street theatre activity and participates in events, cultural festivals, celebrations and projects carried out with various communities. This presence in the public space complements the work developed within the school and contributes to the artistic identity of the organization.

A comprehensive arts education

Espaço Mimabô places particular importance on creativity and personal expression . Artistic education is viewed as a means of developing the individual in their entirety: physical and expressive abilities, confidence, imagination, autonomy, relationship to others and the ability to participate in a collective creation.

Presentations also allow students to showcase their work throughout the year. The Mostra Mimabô, in particular, provides an opportunity for the different groups, families, and the local community to come together. Participants can present the exercises, compositions, and creations they have developed during their artistic journey.

With the integration of circus arts into its regular programming, Espaço Mimabô complements its work in the performing arts with an approach blending acrobatics , movement , and physical theatre . It is not a professional circus school, nor a school specializing exclusively in circus disciplines, but a multidisciplinary artistic space in which circus arts now hold a prominent place.

For the children of Castelo Branco, the workshop thus provides an opportunity to discover contemporary circus in an environment where technique is closely associated with imagination, movement, theatre and collective creation.