La Crica – Escola de Circ de Manresa i Berga

La Crica is an association and circus school based in Manresa and Berga , in Catalonia.

The project was born at the end of 2009 on the initiative of a group of circus professionals from the Bages region.

Their goal was to promote circus arts, develop their practice and raise awareness of this artistic discipline among the population.

The first school was developed in Manresa.

During the 2016-2017 season, La Crica continued its development by creating La Crica Berguedà , with a second training center located in Berga.

Both locations belong to the same association project and share part of their teaching staff.

Today, La Crica offers regular circus classes for children, teenagers, and adults.

The Children's School

The Escoleta Infantil welcomes children from 4 to 15 years old .

For the youngest children, learning begins with a playful discovery of the circus, combining games and psychomotor skills .

The children gradually discover different families of circus disciplines.

• Juggling helps develop manipulation, coordination and concentration.
• The fixed trapeze introduces children to aerial disciplines.
• Aerial fabrics complement this exploration of working in suspension.
• Balancing on objects allows one to explore different situations of instability and to develop body control.
• Floor acrobatics , introduced as students progress.
• Acrobatic balancing allows one to discover working with partners.
• Body expression complements technical learning.

For intermediate groups, physical preparation and flexibility work are gradually introduced.

The goal is to develop body awareness and prepare the body for the demands of different disciplines.

For teenagers, education becomes even more diversified.

Young people can practice ground acrobatics, acrobatic balancing, fixed trapeze and aerial silks.

Juggling remains an integral part of this multidisciplinary training.

Object balancing can include, among other things, the wire , the balance ball , the rola-bola and the unicycle .

This diversity allows students to acquire a general circus foundation before developing particular affinities with certain techniques.

The pedagogy of La Crica

La Crica's pedagogy places great importance on play .

This is used as an educational tool , particularly among younger children.

• The activities help to develop psychomotor skills and coordination .
• They also seek to value the physical abilities specific to each student .
• Teamwork is another important component of the training: students learn to practice with others, to cooperate and to gradually build a relationship of trust.
• Body expression allows us to link technical learning and artistic dimension.

For the older groups, the year may culminate in the preparation of a final presentation .

The students then discover the process of transforming the techniques learned into proposals intended to be shown to the public.

The Adult Aula

La Crica also has a large Adults' Aula .

Adults can practice different disciplines in specialized courses organized during the week.

Aerial disciplines occupy a particularly important place.

• The fabrics are offered at different levels.
• The trapeze can also be practiced in several formats.
• The double trapeze has specific courses ranging from initiation to a more advanced level.
• Smooth rope is also part of the offer.
• Vertical exercises help develop hand balance.
• Acrobatics and acrobatic balancing have their own courses.
• Physical preparation complements technical work and helps develop the qualities necessary for circus practice.

Open training slots are also offered for certain disciplines, including juggling.

This offer allows adults to start a discipline without prior experience or to continue a practice already begun.

Internships and workshops

Regular courses are supplemented by intensive training courses .

These courses allow you to discover new techniques or to deepen your knowledge of a specialty during a concentrated period of time.

The programming evolves according to the artists, trainers and the needs of the practitioners.

Crica also develops occasional workshops aimed at different audiences.

These workshops can be organised directly in the spaces of Manresa or Berga.

The team can also travel.

• Interventions are offered to schools , municipalities , associations , cultural structures , groups and individuals .
• The workshops can notably be devoted to aerial disciplines .
• Juggling is another option offered.
• The balances also allow for the organization of workshops adapted to the characteristics of the group and the available space.

This outdoor activity allows La Crica to introduce circus arts to people who do not necessarily attend school regularly.

The association thus contributes to the dissemination of circus arts in its territory.

The Family Circus

La Crica also offers activities allowing children and adults to discover circus disciplines together.

Circ en Família allows families to practice in the same space with the support of trainers.

These encounters simultaneously develop physical and expressive skills while allowing a friendly introduction to the circus.

La Crica is part of the Catalan network of circus spaces that participated in the development of this formula.

La Crica and the cultural life of Manresa

The project also has an important relationship with the cultural life of Manresa.

La Crica participates in the Festivalet de Circ de Manresa .

This annual event dedicated to contemporary circus combines shows and discovery activities.

Students and teachers from La Crica can present their work there.

The demonstrations notably take the form of cabarets bringing together the students of the Escoleta Infantil, the adults and the teaching staff.

The presentations allow us to highlight not only technical progress but also creativity and teamwork.

An association

Crica operates as an association .

• A permanent team ensures the management, coordination, programming of activities and the operation of the spaces.
• The teachers have complementary profiles and specializations.
• The association also uses external trainers .

This organization allows for the regular enrichment of the disciplines and approaches offered to students.

Two locations: Manresa and Berga

The location in Manresa constitutes the historical site of the project.

The second location in Berga makes circus training accessible in Berguedà.

• Both sites offer activities for children and adults .
• The programming varies depending on the location and time period.
• This territorial organization allows La Crica to reach a wider audience while maintaining a common identity.

A school, a practice space, a community project

Since its creation in 2009 , the association has contributed to the development of circus arts in central Catalonia.

• It allows children to discover the circus from the age of four.
• Teenagers can acquire a multidisciplinary foundation combining ground techniques, aerial skills, juggling and balances.
• Adults can begin or deepen their knowledge of specialized disciplines.
• Families can discover the circus arts together.
• Schools , associations and local authorities can also benefit from tailored workshops.

La Crica is therefore both a school , a practice space and an associative project dedicated to the transmission and dissemination of circus arts in Manresa, Berga and their surrounding territories.