EtcA – Escola de Teatre i Circ d’Amposta

The EtcA – Escola de Teatre i Circ d'Amposta is a performing arts school located in Amposta , in Terres de l'Ebre in Catalonia.

Created in 2013 , it develops a project combining training, research, creation and dissemination around theatre, circus and more broadly the performing arts.

The school was created with the aim of providing a permanent place dedicated to artistic training in the Ebro region.

Circus and theatre are considered there both as artistic disciplines and as educational tools .

EtcA welcomes students from childhood as well as teenagers and adults.

Teaching methods are adapted to different age groups and different levels of practice.

Circus arts, the main focus of training

Circus arts constitute one of the main areas of training at the school.

• The trapeze is one of the disciplines taught.
• The aerial hoop allows us to approach another form of suspended work.
• Aerial tissues also play an important role.
• Acrobatics helps develop the physical and technical foundations necessary for many circus arts.
• The Chinese pole completes the offering with a discipline combining strength, coordination and vertical movements.
• Juggling and object manipulation help to develop coordination, rhythm, concentration and creativity.
• Aerial straps are also among the techniques included in the educational project.
• The balances complement this multidisciplinary training.

The training can also cover acrobatic balances , balances on objects and verticals .

This diversity allows students to discover several major families of circus arts.

A person-centered pedagogy

However, teaching is not limited to the acquisition of a technique.

EtcA considers theatre and circus as tools for growth , self-expression , creation and discovering one's own abilities .

• Creativity is an essential component of the work.
• Movement and body awareness are developed alongside technical skills.
• Self-confidence is developed gradually through various learning experiences.
• Group practice also helps to develop listening skills, cooperation, and relationships with others.

The school places great importance on the learning process.

Trying, making mistakes, starting over and looking for new solutions are an integral part of pedagogy.

Each student is supported so that they can progress at their own pace.

A significant theatrical activity

EtcA also has a significant theatrical activity.

Physical theatre , interpretation , text theatre , movement , mask and voice work can complement circus arts training.

This proximity between theatre and circus gives the project a strong scenic dimension.

Circus techniques are not viewed solely as physical performances.

They can become tools for creation and expression in service of an artistic proposition.

This approach promotes encounters between different disciplines within the performing arts.

Interventions in schools and across the territory

The school also develops initiatives directly within educational institutions.

His team works in primary schools and secondary schools.

These interventions can take the form of one-off workshops or regular activities during the school year.

EtcA also works with municipalities, associations and collectives.

This activity makes it possible to bring physical theatre and circus arts to people who do not necessarily attend an arts school.

It reflects the institution's desire to make the performing arts more accessible to the public.

The socio-educational dimension has been part of the project since its inception.

The school seeks to highlight the educational and human contribution of theatre and circus.

Communication, imagination, creativity and relationships with others can thus be developed through artistic practice.

An environment connected to the professional sector

EtcA operates in an environment directly connected to the professional sector.

The school belongs to several Catalan networks dedicated to theatrical and circus training.

It also provides a space for training and rehearsal.

Artists can develop their practice and creations there.

Occasional training courses and internships allow for the further development of certain techniques.

Continuing education for professionals and trainers is also part of the activities developed throughout the project.

This coexistence between amateur practice , artistic training , professionals and creation constitutes one of the school's distinctive features.

The FesticAM

EtcA is also behind an important event dedicated to the performing arts: FesticAM .

The Festival Internacional de Teatre i Circ d'Amposta is organized jointly with the city of Amposta.

Created in 2013 , like the school, it transforms the city into a space for the dissemination of physical theatre, circus and street arts.

The festival welcomes companies and artistic proposals from different territories.

It helps to bring the public closer to contemporary forms of circus and theatre.

FesticAM also provides a space for exchange between artists, schools, professionals and the public.

Creations from performing arts schools can be presented there.

Training workshops also accompany the programming.

This ongoing relationship with a professional festival allows students to develop in an environment directly connected to contemporary creation.

A contribution to the structuring of circus arts in the Ebro Lands

EtcA thus participates in the structuring of circus arts in the Terres de l'Ebre.

• It allows children to gradually discover different disciplines.
• Teenagers can develop technique, expression, and creativity.
• Adults also have access to training opportunities.
• Schools can benefit from interventions directly integrated into their educational environment.
• Artists and professionals can participate in training courses or use certain tools related to creation and training.

Since 2013, the school has been developing a project in which learning , pedagogy , creation , dissemination and relationship with the territory are closely linked.

Today, EtcA is an important place for the transmission of circus and theatre arts in southern Catalonia and helps to make Amposta a meeting point for the performing arts in the Terres de l'Ebre.