OfficinAcrobatica – Scuola di Circo Contemporaneo

OfficinAcrobatica is a center dedicated to contemporary circus, performing arts and body disciplines located in the heart of the Parco del Dopolavoro Ferroviario in Bologna.

The facility has a permanent space specifically equipped for the practice of circus disciplines.

Its activities combine amateur teaching, advanced training, artist training, creation, artistic residencies, events and cultural development around contemporary circus.

This plurality constitutes one of the main characteristics of OfficinAcrobatica .

An offer for all ages and all levels

• A child can discover the circus there from the age of three .
• A teenager can pursue regular practice there and gradually develop their artistic abilities.
• An adult beginner can start an aerial or acrobatic discipline.
• An experienced practitioner can delve deeper into a specialty.
• And an artist can use the space to practice, train, or develop a creative project.

Children's and teenagers' routes

Propedeutica Infantia (3-5 years)

The children's program starts with Propedeutica Infanzia for three to five year olds.

This initial approach allows children to discover the body, movement and the fundamental principles of circus arts through a teaching method adapted to younger children.

KIDS Course (ages 6-11)

The KIDS course then welcomes children aged six to eleven.

It is built around a multidisciplinary approach.

The students discover, in particular, aerial acrobatics and various circus techniques.

The 2026-2027 season explicitly confirms the presence of aerial silks, juggling, trapeze, hoop and acrobatics in the courses intended for children and young people.

TEEN program (ages 12-18)

Teenagers aged twelve to eighteen have access to the TEEN program.

The work gradually becomes more in-depth.

The courses allow you to develop the physical qualities necessary for circus practice while maintaining a truly creative and artistic dimension.

Training therefore does not stop at technical learning.

The groups are also working towards a performative experience.

Throughout the year, students can participate in public presentations.

These presentations take place within OfficinAcrobatica but also in the surrounding area.

The season ends with a real circus show presented by the students.

This scenic dimension is particularly interesting.

It allows technical learning to be linked to creation.

The student gradually discovers that a trapeze figure, an acrobatic sequence or an object manipulation can become an artistic subject.

The adult offering: a particularly extensive catalogue

For adults, the range of options becomes particularly vast.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines constitute one of the main areas of OfficinAcrobatica .

• Aerial fabric is offered at different levels.
• The trapeze is part of the regular teaching.
• Aerial hoop also has its own classes.
• The aerial rope completes this offer.
• The amaca, or aerial hammock, is also taught.
• Straps are among the disciplines offered.
• The swinging trapeze allows for a more specialized aerial practice.

This diversity allows a beginner to discover aerial sports while offering experienced practitioners real opportunities for specialization.

Floor disciplines

Floor disciplines occupy an equally important place.

• The verticals are the subject of specific work.
• Ground acrobatics is taught.
• Hand-to-hand acrobatics and lifts allow for the development of team sports.
• Juggling also has its place in the program.
• Chinese pole is one of the disciplines offered.
• Contemporary dance and floorwork complement this training.

The presence of dance is important in the context of contemporary circus.

It allows for the development of movement quality and the relationship between acrobatic technique and body language.

Physical preparation and body well-being

OfficinAcrobatica complements its circus offering with various physical preparation and body wellness practices.

Pilates, flexibility, Aerial Yoga and Aerial Fit are among the activities included in the program.

These activities do not directly constitute circus disciplines but contribute to the physical culture developed in the center.

An activity that spans a large part of the year

The 2026-2027 season particularly illustrates the scale of the activity.

• Regular classes mainly run from October to the end of May .
• The children's and youth programs start at the end of September .
• During the summer periods, a specific offer allows certain practices to continue.

It is therefore possible to train at the centre for a large part of the year.

Free training is another interesting feature.

Time slots are reserved for practitioners capable of working independently.

This possibility brings OfficinAcrobatica closer to the functioning of a true resource center for circus artists and practitioners.

The venue therefore does not function solely as a succession of weekly classes.

It also offers a space where personal practice can develop.

Advanced training: MASTER'S program and Artisti in formazione

This orientation is even more apparent in advanced training programs.

OfficinAcrobatica offers a MASTER course.

• This program includes several weekly sessions.
• It combines specialist courses, compulsory courses and complementary disciplines.
• Individual support is part of the program.
• Performative moments are integrated into the journey.
• Participants also benefit from significant opportunities for free training.
• A training certificate is planned.
• The volume can reach six to eight classes per week .

Therefore, we are dealing here with something far beyond a simple amateur subscription to a discipline.

The centre also mentions in its calendar a course “Artists in training” .

This presence confirms the desire to support practitioners towards a higher level of artistic training.

The MAGMA program: an intensive creative pathway

OfficinAcrobatica is also developing intensive training programs.

For 2026-2027 , the MAGMA program is a particularly interesting example.

MAGMA is presented as an intensive growth journey in contemporary circus.

Its goal is to support artists in the development of a personal creative project.

The training is organized around three residential weeks .

They are scheduled between November 2026 and March 2027 .

The project is being developed with artists from MagdaClan .

Elena Bosco , Alessandro Maida , Giorgia Russo , Achille Zoni and Margherita Mischitelli share different tools from their professional experience.

The work focuses in particular on artistic research.

• Participants explore creative practices.
• Theatre and the performative dimension of contemporary circus occupy an important place.

MAGMA clearly shows that the training offered by OfficinAcrobatica is not limited to technical improvement.

The organization also aims to support the development of an artistic identity.

This dimension is essential in contemporary circus.

An artist must not only master a piece of equipment.

He must gradually be able to transform his technique into an artistic language .

OfficinAcrobatica thus seeks to create bridges between practice, training and creation.

Artist residencies and events

The center also hosts artist residencies .

Artists and companies can use its spaces to develop their projects.

This regular presence of professionals helps to create a particularly stimulating environment for students.

Young practitioners can develop in a place that is not just a gym.

They frequent a dedicated space for contemporary circus and performing arts.

OfficinAcrobatica also organizes events.

The presentations, performances and meetings help to create a community around the place.

This community dimension is explicitly apparent in the way the center presents its project.

Culture , community and wonder are central concepts of its identity.

A foothold in the Bologna area

The centre also maintains an important relationship with the territory of Bologna.

Its location in the Parco del Dopolavoro Ferroviario allows it to be part of a wider cultural and associative environment.

The organization works in particular with AICS Bologna .

It also benefits from institutional collaborations for certain projects.

MAGMA, for example, is produced with the support of the Comune di Bologna as part of initiatives related to culture and creativity.

The education of children and adolescents: a fundamental element

The education of children and adolescents nevertheless remains a fundamental element of the project.

The courses are designed to develop both motor skills and creativity.

Body awareness plays an important role.

• Young people gradually learn to understand their physical capabilities.
• Artistic learning also allows one to develop imagination and expression.
• The different disciplines also require concentration and perseverance.

The circus thus becomes a particularly comprehensive tool for development.

The "Vita da Circo" summer training courses

Summer internships reinforce this dimension.

The centre notably organizes "Vita da Circo" .

In 2026 , this program offered several weeks of aerial, circus and theatrical training to children and teenagers.

The courses are open to both young people already practicing aerial acrobatics and those who have never tried contemporary circus disciplines.

The activities utilize both the OfficinAcrobatica halls and the green spaces of Parco DLF .

This option allows you to discover the centre without necessarily committing immediately to a year-long course.

A remarkable continuity

One of OfficinAcrobatica 's strengths ultimately lies in the continuity it can offer.

• A child can start at three years old .
• He can continue in the KIDS program.
• During adolescence, the TEEN program allows students to continue until they are eighteen years old.
• Adults then have a very large catalogue of disciplines at their disposal.
• Practitioners wishing to invest more time and effort can increase their training volume.
• Artists and aspiring artists can access more demanding resources.
• The MASTER program allows for the structuring of intensive practice.
• MAGMA allows us to approach research and creation.
• Free training promotes autonomy.
• Residencies put practitioners in contact with professional creation.

This continuity distinguishes OfficinAcrobatica from a simple leisure school.

However, the structure remains largely accessible to the amateur public.

You don't need to want to become a professional artist to practice it.

The different levels allow both beginners and experienced practitioners to find a suitable option.

A dual identity: amateur school and advanced training center

For the NetJuggler directory, this dual identity must be clearly visible.

OfficinAcrobatica is both an amateur circus school and a center offering advanced training.

The "Amateur Schools" category is justified by the importance of the children's, teenagers' and adults' courses accessible to the general public.

The "Professional & Preparatory Training" category is also relevant because of the intensive and advanced courses designed for committed artists and practitioners.

The MASTER program constitutes a true high-level training system with a substantial weekly volume, individual support, specialization, training and performance experiences.

MAGMA adds a research and creation dimension intended for artists.

The whole thing constitutes a particularly complete ecosystem.

A key player in the development of contemporary circus in Bologna

OfficinAcrobatica thus actively participates in the development of contemporary circus in Bologna.

Its permanent location, equipment, team of professionals, regular courses, advanced courses, open training sessions, internships, residencies and events allow discovery, progression, specialization and creation to come together in one place.

• For a child, the centre can be a first encounter with circus arts.
• For an adult, it can become a place for regular practice .
• For a young artist, it can be a space for improvement and research .
• And for a professional, it can become a place for training, residence or creation .

This ability to bring together different levels and different audiences makes OfficinAcrobatica a particularly important structure to include in a European directory of schools and training centers for circus arts.