Pass-Passe – Scuola di Circo Firenze

Passe-Passe is a circus school located in the Florence region of Tuscany. It develops an educational approach to circus arts aimed primarily at children and teenagers, while also offering some activities for adults and families.

The Passe-Passe association was created in 2018 on the initiative of Julien Morot and a group of parents wishing to build a permanent space dedicated to learning circus arts and the personal development of young people.

Since 2024 , the structure has held the status of Ente del Terzo Settore and is registered in the Italian national register of third sector organizations.

Julien Morot is in charge of the artistic and educational direction of Passe-Passe. Charlotte Koehler is the president of the association.

The school's philosophy is based on a very broad conception of circus arts. The circus is considered simultaneously as a physical , artistic , cultural , educational and social activity.

The practice allows children to develop balance, coordination, concentration and motor skills, but also creativity, personal expression, cooperation and confidence.

Passe-Passe places particular importance on the diversity of participants . The school seeks to create an environment in which physical, cultural, and social differences can become resources for the group rather than obstacles.

No particular athletic ability is required to begin. The school welcomes interested and motivated individuals and then aims to enable each person to progress according to their own abilities.

The children begin by discovering different families of circus disciplines.

Juggling plays an important role in this discovery. Students can use scarves, balls, and various manipulative objects.

The flower stick, Chinese plates and other accessories also help to develop fine motor skills, coordination and rhythm.

Balance disciplines are very diverse.

Students can discover stilts, balance balls, rola-bola, unicycles and various forms of work on beams or balance apparatus.

Acrobatics is another fundamental element of the teaching.

Pre-acrobatics allows younger children to develop their body awareness and coordination before tackling more complex techniques.

Acrobatic work is frequently done in pairs or groups in order to simultaneously develop technique, listening skills and cooperation.

Human pyramids are thus used not only as a spectacular discipline but also as an educational tool.

Differences in size, strength and morphology can become advantages: some participants become base carriers while others occupy the positions of flyers .

This approach allows children to understand that everyone can find a useful place in a collective creation.

Aerial acrobatics is also part of the Passe-Passe offering and can be explored further in specific groups.

The school also organizes acrobatics courses, allowing students to work on verticals and techniques on AirTrack.

Theatre and physical expression complement the purely circus disciplines.

Games involving expression, trust, and stage presence allow children to learn to listen to their partners and gradually build a relationship with the audience.

Passe-Passe encourages children to discover several disciplines before gradually choosing those that best match their tastes and abilities.

This specialization does not, however, mean that the disciplines are isolated from one another. The objective remains to collectively build a show in which everyone's skills find their place.

Cooperation between ages is also an important characteristic of pedagogy.

Younger people with more experience are encouraged to pass on their knowledge to younger and newer participants.

This transmission develops autonomy and responsibility while creating a true community around the school.

Families also occupy a particularly important place.

Passe-Passe was born from the involvement of parents and continues to encourage their participation in community life.

Families can contribute to set construction, show preparation, camps, equipment transport, welcoming young people from other schools, and the organization of various events.

The goal is to create an environment in which children, teenagers and adults collaborate on the same project.

The creation of shows naturally constitutes an important part of the educational work.

However, the individual result is not presented as the main objective. Passe-Passe places greater emphasis on the group's ability to collectively create something in which each participant plays a role.

The school also places great importance on exchanges with other circus schools .

These meetings allow children and teenagers to discover other practices, exchange techniques and collaborate with young people from different cultural backgrounds.

Passe-Passe develops, in particular , touring projects aimed at teenagers.

The “ Primi Passi in Tournée ” project is aimed at young people aged 9 to 19 and allows them to discover a more itinerant dimension of circus life.

The association is also considering various projects to further develop this touring experience, particularly through the use of caravans.

Another ambition of Passe-Passe is to develop a preparatory class for young people wishing to then enter a higher circus school in Italy or elsewhere in Europe.

This project demonstrates the desire to support the most motivated students towards a more advanced practice, while maintaining the social and educational vocation of the association.

Passe-Passe also offers projects directly in schools .

These interventions use juggling, pre-acrobatics, human pyramids, balance and theatrical games as tools to develop motor skills, expression, cooperation, confidence and autonomy.

The projects can be adapted to the educational objectives defined with the teachers.

The school also organizes holiday camps dedicated to the circus.

These workshops allow participants to live together for several days, to discover or deepen different techniques and to prepare a small show presented to families at the end of their stay.

A " Circo in famiglia " formula also allows children and adults to experience circus arts together.

Passe-Passe also hosts professional artists in residence .

Artists thus have a place to work on the creation of an act or a show, while students can meet professionals, observe their work and participate in workshops.

The school is also developing a training area called " Circo Pirata " allowing adults to come and practice or discover different techniques during class hours, respecting the school's operation.

Music is another original component of the project.

Passe-Passe is not simply looking to learn an instrument: participants experiment with rhythm and sound in order to be able to create their own stage music and integrate it into their circus creations.

This approach further strengthens the link between circus technique and artistic creation.

Today the school continues its development with the ambition of eventually creating its own space, particularly around the Eco Chapiteaux / AgriCirco project.

Passe-Passe is therefore much more than just a weekly juggling or acrobatics class.

Regular classes, shows, tours, camps, school projects, music, international exchanges, artist residencies and family involvement are all brought together in a single educational project.

The school advocates a concept of circus without competition , in which technical progression primarily serves creativity, autonomy, confidence and collective construction.

This strong educational and social dimension, combined with a truly multidisciplinary circus practice, makes Passe-Passe a particularly interesting structure in the landscape of circus schools in Tuscany.