Le Biel – Scuola di CircoTeatro

Biel is a circus-theatre school developed in the Cittadella region of Veneto by Luca Gastaldello and Elena Da Dalt .

His project combines contemporary circus techniques with acrobatics, theatre, play and a pedagogical approach particularly attentive to child development.

Luca Gastaldello has been teaching circus and juggling for over twenty years and indicates that he has been teaching CircoTeatro since 1999.

Elena Da Dalt, for her part, has extensive experience in teaching and Steiner-Waldorf pedagogy.

Together, they coordinate Le Biel's activities as well as the creation and staging of the shows.

The school collaborates in particular with CRUT, Centro Risorse Università-Territorio de Cittadella, in order to develop cultural and artistic initiatives for children, teenagers and adults.

A playful and educational approach to circus arts

Le Biel's project is based on a resolutely playful and educational conception of circus arts. The circus is not considered a competition .

Every child should be able to find a place that matches their abilities , personality and desires .

The diversity of disciplines therefore constitutes a particularly valuable educational tool.

Some children may be naturally drawn to juggling . Others find their place more in balance , acrobatics , human pyramids , or theatrical play .

This complementarity also allows for the appreciation of different body types and abilities. In a human pyramid, for example, each participant has a different but essential role. Collective work thus demonstrates that success does not depend on a single physical model.

The school places great emphasis on this notion of inclusion . The circus must be able to welcome the shy child as well as the extroverted child, the child who already possesses good physical abilities as well as the child who needs more time to develop them. Personal progress counts more than comparison with others.

This philosophy is particularly evident in juggling. When a child learns a new technique, they are encouraged to share it with others. The students thus become active participants in the transmission of knowledge. This cooperation fosters the development of relationships within the group.

Multiple motor skills

Circus arts allow for the simultaneous development of numerous motor skills.

• Working on stilts , unicycles , rollers , balance balls or rola-bola develops balance, coordination, laterality and body awareness.
• Juggling particularly requires coordination between the eyes and the hands.
• Jump rope exercises help to work on rhythm and synchronization.
• Acrobatics , on the other hand, develops strength, flexibility, coordination and body awareness.

Working together introduces other skills. Human pyramids and acrobalancing require trust and cooperation. Each participant must understand their own role as well as the roles of others.

Creativity as a pillar of pedagogy

Creativity is another pillar of the pedagogy. Children are not simply asked to reproduce exercises. They participate in creating their own acts. They can invent sequences and contribute to the construction of the shows. Body, emotions, and imagination then work together.

Improvisation allows us to connect circus techniques with theatre. The final performance is therefore an important step in the process. Each child has a role and a place in the collective creation.

Weekly classes

For the current season, Le Biel offers a weekly course in San Giorgio in Brenta for children aged four to twelve.

• The Mini Circo group welcomes children aged four to six. The sessions are adapted to this first introduction to circus arts. At this age, play and experimentation naturally take center stage.
• The Circo Teatro group then welcomes children aged seven to twelve. The work allows them to gradually progress further in the different techniques.

The classes are currently held on Wednesdays in San Giorgio in Brenta, a few kilometers from Cittadella. They take place in the parish hall located in Piazza Don Mozzato .

An expanded offering: workshops and internships

Biel also develops activities that are much broader than this weekly course. In particular, the school organizes workshops for teenagers and adults.

The disciplines covered during these internships demonstrate the diversity of the project:

• Hula-hoop dance workshops combine dance, rhythmic gymnastics, juggling and contemporary circus.
• Clown workshops allow participants to explore European clowning and the expressive possibilities of the body.
• Floor acrobatics combines physical preparation, rolls, cartwheels and individual or group work.
• Theatrical acrobatics seeks to transform physical skills into actual phrases of movement. The work can then be developed individually, in pairs, or in small groups.
• Aerial silks allow you to discover the necessary body preparation, the climbs, the static figures and then the search for movement around the apparatus.
• Cyr wheel initiations combine physical preparation, principles of rotation, contemporary dance and artistic research around the object.

The workshop offering therefore allows us to go beyond the regular program intended for children.

The CircoNatura Campus

Biel also develops a significant residential camp activity. The CircoNatura Campus is one of the school's flagship projects.

It welcomes children and teenagers aged nine to seventeen in the Colli Berici , in the province of Vicenza. The stay combines circus arts, nature, sport and artistic activities.

• Participants can practice circus arts and acrobatics.
• Aerial acrobatics are also offered.
• Dance is part of the program.
• Sports, artistic, manual and musical activities round out the days.
• Young people can also practice archery, mountain biking or participate in nature walks.

The circus remains at the heart of the experience. The equipment used during the workshops is particularly diverse.

Participants can juggle with balls , clubs , scarves , feathers , hoops , Chinese plates , diabolo , devil stick and bolas .

There are many different balance disciplines. Stilts , rola-bola , balance rope , pedal boat , unicycle , rollers and balance ball can all be used.

Specific workshops also allow for in-depth exploration of certain disciplines. Aerial acrobatics, in particular, utilizes silks. Suspended figures are integrated into creations combining music, aerial acrobatics, ground acrobatics, human pyramids, and juggling.

Specialized contributors complete the team depending on the edition. Some have professional training in contemporary circus, notably with the FLIC in Turin. Others have worked in the fields of adapted circus or social circus .

The campus is not simply seeking to accumulate activities. It maintains the school's educational philosophy.

• Juggling is still presented as a non-competitive activity. Individual skills are shared within the group. The children learn from each other.
• Balance disciplines are also used from a broader perspective. Finding one's balance on a unicycle, a roller, or a ball becomes an experience of patience and perseverance.
• The human pyramids then introduce the idea of a collective balance. The group must learn to function together.

Winter camps

Biel also organizes winter camps . These stays are more focused on nature, artistic activities and group living.

A residential campus is planned for January 2027 in Luserna , Trentino, for young people aged twelve to eighteen. The project combines walks in the snow, games, musical activities, evenings around the campfire, and stargazing.

The school thus offers continuity between weekly classes, workshops, internships, and residential stays. Pedagogy truly forms the common thread running through all these activities.

The teaching staff

Luca Gastaldello is presented as a teacher and trainer specializing in circus pedagogy and animation.

Elena Da Dalt combines her experience in recreational and educational circus with a long practice of Steiner-Waldorf pedagogy. This influence helps to explain the importance given to creativity, manual work, artistic expression and the overall development of the child.

The team expands to include other artists and educators depending on the activities. It includes, or has included, specialists in juggling, acrobatics, social circus, aerial silks, hula-hoop, and street arts. This diversity allows the team to offer students different approaches to contemporary circus arts.

An amateur and fun-based educational school

However, Le Biel is not a professional school intended to train artists. Its identity is clearly that of an amateur and recreational-educational school.

The techniques can be taught seriously and some instructors have professional training themselves, but the objective of regular classes remains the development of the child through the practice of circus arts.

The project is particularly distinguished by its inclusive approach. Biel emphasizes that everyone should be able to find their place within the group. Circus arts allow for the development of diverse abilities rather than striving for identical performance from all participants.

A very current activity

Le Biel's activities are very much ongoing. The published program includes CircoTeatro courses from September to May in San Giorgio in Brenta.

• The site also announces a winter campus in Luserna in January 2027.
• The CircoNatura Campus is already scheduled for July 2027.

This update confirms the continuity of the project.

A particularly interesting school in Veneto

According to the NetJuggler directory, Le Biel is a particularly interesting school in Veneto. It offers children regular circus training near Cittadella, complemented by workshops and residential camps.

His teaching covers juggling , acrobatics , balancing , unicycle , stilts , rola-bola , ball , aerial disciplines , hula-hoop , clowning and theatrical expression .

But its main distinctive feature probably lies in its pedagogy . The circus is used as a non-competitive space in which motor skills, imagination, cooperation, emotions and creativity can develop together.