Mantica – Scuola di Circo e Discipline Aeree

Mantica – Scuola di Circo e Discipline Aeree is a circus school located in Grosseto, Tuscany.

The structure combines several complementary activities: circus school , training in aerial disciplines , professional performance company , event organization and social circus projects.

Mantica presents itself as the first and only circus school in Grosseto .

For the year 2026-2027 , the school announces its fifteenth year of operation .

A permanent location in Grosseto

It has a permanent location on Via Cere in Grosseto, where courses, training sessions, workshops and various artistic activities are organized.

Mantica has also set up its own performance space to host a program of contemporary circus shows.

Multidisciplinary education from age 5

The school welcomes children, teenagers and adults .

Instruction begins as early as age five for multidisciplinary circus courses.

• Children aged 5 to 7 join the Piccoli group.
• The Medi group then welcomes children aged 8 to 10 .
• Young people aged 11 to 14 continue in the Grandi group.

This progression allows students to discover several major families of circus arts before gradually delving deeper into certain techniques.

Juggling

Juggling is one of the fundamental disciplines taught by Mantica.

The courses allow students to develop manipulation , coordination , concentration and creativity around different objects.

Balancing act

Balancing also occupies a particularly important place.

The students work on balance with objects as well as balance on different apparatus.

• Stilts are among the equipment used.
• The tightrope helps develop balance, concentration and control of movement.
• The balance ball is another piece of equipment that is regularly used.
• Rola-bola allows you to work on a form of balance that is particularly characteristic of circus arts.
• Unicycling is also one of the disciplines offered in the general curriculum of the school.

Clowning

Clowning complements this multidisciplinary teaching.

It allows students to work on expression , creativity , relationship with the public and character construction .

Specific training in acrobatics

Mantica also offers specific instruction in acrobatics .

• The courses cover pre-acrobatics and floor acrobatics .
• Vertical training allows for a deeper exploration of hand balances.
• Hand-to-hand and duo acrobatics allow us to approach techniques requiring cooperation, trust and coordination with a partner.

From the age of 15 , verticalism also has a specific course .

This one is dedicated to developing balance and body control in an inverted position.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines constitute a second major focus of the school.

They have specific curricula organized according to the age of the participants.

Children can start these disciplines from the age of six .

• The Piccoli and Medi groups welcome children aged 6 to 10 .
• Young people aged 11 to 14 then have their own group.
• From the age of 15 , teenagers and adults can join adult classes .

Aerial apparatus taught

• Aerial silks is one of the main apparatuses taught.
• The trapeze is also part of the regular program.
• Students can practice aerial hoop .
• Aerial rope is also offered.
• Aerial straps complete this offering.

Mantica's general website also mentions rope work, aerial net , and Chinese pole among the disciplines taught or developed by the organization.

This diversity allows practitioners to experiment with different types of apparatus before deepening their specialty.

External stakeholders and collaborations

Mantica works with its own teachers but also welcomes external speakers .

The school explains that it collaborates with various Italian and foreign organizations recognized in the field of circus arts.

Visiting teachers are therefore involved throughout the year in order to enrich the usual training.

Additional internships and laboratory sessions are also offered to members.

This openness allows students to discover other teaching methods and different technical or artistic approaches.

A professional entertainment company

Mantica also has a genuine professional activity in creation and performance .

La Compagnia Mantica produces its own shows and acts.

She takes charge of the entire creative process, including set design and costumes .

The company performs in Italy but also abroad.

This professional activity creates a direct link between the school and the world of live entertainment .

The students thus develop within a structure where the teachers and artists possess genuine stage experience.

Mantica also built its own theatre .

This space hosts a program of contemporary circus shows and allows the local public to discover different forms of circus creation.

The social circus, a major dimension of the association

The social dimension is another major characteristic of the association.

Mantica has been developing various projects for several years using circus arts as a tool for social intervention .

The school has, in particular, a program specifically designed for people with different abilities .

These courses are accessible to different age groups.

The techniques and exercises are adapted to allow everyone to participate according to their abilities.

Mantica also develops projects with young people living in difficult social contexts .

The association works with audiences facing complex socio-cultural situations and uses circus arts as a tool to develop confidence , expression and relationships with others .

This action is not limited to Italy.

Mantica specifically mentions projects with children facing child labor in Peru , as well as actions with children living in orphanages in Senegal .

For these projects, the association works with participants who possess both circus skills and experience in the social sector.

Mantica also collaborates with various foundations and non-profit organizations .

The association has developed a specific educational project dedicated to social circus in addition to its small circus program for children, teenagers and adults.

Social circus courses are organized directly in the Grosseto premises but also in other structures.

Interventions in schools

The school intervenes in parallel within educational institutions .

His projects can be integrated into curricular or extracurricular activities.

They can affect children from kindergarten to secondary school teenagers.

The content is adapted to the age of the students and the educational objectives of the partner institutions.

This activity illustrates the very broad conception of the circus championed by Mantica.

Circus arts are simultaneously considered as artistic disciplines , physical activities , means of expression , and educational and social tools .

Status and location

Mantica is constituted as an amateur sports association .

It is affiliated with the UISP and registered in the Italian sports register .

The school is now firmly established in Grosseto.

Its offering allows a child to start circus from the age of five , to discover different disciplines and then to continue towards acrobatics or aerial disciplines.

Teenagers and adults can also follow specific courses and delve deeper into certain specialties such as verticals or aerial apparatus .

This continuity between school , training , professional creation , shows and social circus constitutes one of the main characteristics of Mantica.

More than just a leisure school, Mantica functions as a true place dedicated to circus arts in Grosseto .

Its longevity , the diversity of its disciplines , its professional activity and its significant commitment to social circus make it a particularly interesting structure in the circus landscape of Tuscany.