La Circoteca – Escola de Circ de Cia. Passabarret

Circoteca is a school and center dedicated to circus arts located in Valls , in the province of Tarragona in Catalonia .

It is the headquarters of Cia. Passabarret , a circus and clown company created in 1995 and strongly established in the circus scene of Camp de Tarragona .

Circoteca opened its doors in 2012 with the aim of creating a truly permanent venue dedicated to the circus in Valls.

The project brings together in one space training , practice , creation , production , dissemination and discovery of circus heritage .

The school

The school constitutes one of the main areas of activity of La Circoteca.

It welcomes children , teenagers and adults for regular classes.

The teaching season runs from October to May .

The groups are formed according to the age and level of the participants.

This organization remains intentionally flexible in order to take into account the individual development and abilities of each student.

The difficulty of the exercises is adapted to each person's abilities.

The subjects taught

The teaching allows one to discover several major families of circus disciplines.

• Floor acrobatics : it helps develop coordination, mobility, strength and body awareness.
• Acrobatic balances : they introduce an important collective dimension to learning. Students learn to work with partners and gradually build relationships of trust.
• Verticals : they allow you to explore hand balances.
• Aerial disciplines : they allow the development of strength, coordination and body control in an environment different from ground work.
• Balances on objects : these constitute another large family of practices.
• Juggling and object manipulation : these complement this multidisciplinary training.

The variety of techniques allows students to develop a general circus culture before delving deeper into certain practices.

Internships and intensive training courses

Circoteca also offers internships and one-off intensive training courses .

These activities allow you to discover a particular technique or to deepen a practice during a more concentrated period.

The program evolves according to the speakers and projects developed during the year.

A training space for artists

However, Circoteca does not function solely as a leisure school.

It is also a training space for professional artists , amateurs and circus enthusiasts .

This coexistence creates an environment in which students and artists frequent the same place dedicated to circus arts.

Professionals can rehearse and develop their projects there.

A center for creation and production

Artistic creation is indeed another important function of space.

Circoteca is a center for circus arts creation.

Shows are conceived, rehearsed and produced there.

The location serves in particular as a working base for Cia. Passabarret .

It can also accommodate other artists and projects.

The production of shows is one of the permanent activities developed on site.

The small theatre

The Circoteca also has a small theatre .

This venue allows for the hosting of circus programming in a local format.

The public can thus discover professional artists in the same space used for training and creation.

This close relationship between school, creation and dissemination is one of the distinctive features of the project.

Transmission to schoolchildren

The transmission of circus arts extends far beyond just the students enrolled in regular classes.

Circoteca develops a significant activity aimed at educational institutions .

Schools can come directly to Valls to discover the world of the circus.

Various formats for educational outings are offered.

A full day can combine a visit, practical workshops and a show.

• Children can, in particular, discover the small circus museum . This visit allows them to explore the history and culture of the circus.
• It can be complemented by a juggling workshop .
• The Jardinet del Circ, on the other hand, allows you to discover different balance techniques.
• A performance under a big top can complement this experience.
• Multidisciplinary workshops also allow school groups to directly experience several circus techniques.

These activities are accessible from the age of three .

Circoteca thus welcomes children who do not necessarily practice circus arts regularly.

The museum and the garden

The discovery of heritage constitutes another original aspect of the project.

The space includes a small museum dedicated to the circus .

It preserves and displays various objects that evoke the history and imagination of the circus.

The Circoteca also has a garden directly associated with the project .

It includes a big top and caravans related to the traditional world of the circus.

These elements allow us to discover the circus beyond its purely technical dimension.

The project thus seeks to transmit a true circus culture .

This approach aligns with one of Cia. Passabarret's historical objectives: to raise awareness of contemporary circus among the general public.

The company has been developing street performances, clowning, workshops and various participatory installations for several decades.

This professional experience directly informs the educational activities of La Circoteca.

The school therefore operates in an environment strongly connected to live performance .

Students can encounter different forms of circus and discover how a real creative space operates.

A meeting place for the Tarragona Camp

The Circoteca also serves as a meeting point for practitioners and artists of the Tarragona Camp .

Its permanent establishment responds to the need for a space specifically adapted to circus arts in the territory.

• It allows amateurs to practice regularly.
• It offers artists a place to train and rehearse.
• It allows companies to develop projects.
• It hosts shows .
• She receives school groups .
• It also preserves and transmits part of the Circassian heritage .

A comprehensive venue for all audiences

This diversity makes La Circoteca a particularly comprehensive venue.

• Children and teenagers can discover and explore circus arts there.
• Adults can begin or continue a practice.
• The artists have an environment dedicated to training and creation.
• Schools can discover the circus as part of educational outings.
• The public can finally attend shows and meet different artists.

Circoteca thus contributes to the training , creation and dissemination of circus arts in Valls and more broadly in the Camp de Tarragona .