Pirilampo – Circus School

Pirilampo is a contemporary and social circus school located in Macello , in the territory of Pinerolo , in Piedmont .

An association founded in 2021

The Pirilampo APS association was created in September 2021 by a group of six people united by a common passion for circus arts.

Founders include Ilaria Bessone , Alberto La Placa , Matilde Rostagno , Lorenzo Morello and Fabiola Migliore .

Ilaria Bessone is president of the association.

Sociologist, artist and educator, she has worked for many years in the fields of contemporary circus and social circus .

She is also one of the co-founders of AltroCirco , an Italian network dedicated to the development and promotion of social circus.

This dual artistic and socio-educational culture constitutes one of the essential characteristics of Pirilampo.

A circus beyond technique

The school does not consider the circus solely as a physical activity or as technical training.

Circus disciplines also become tools for creating relationships , developing autonomy , experiencing cooperation and building a community .

An audience ranging from 3 to 90 years old

Pirilampo attracts a particularly wide audience.

Activities extend from childhood to old age .

In 2026 , the school has approximately one hundred students aged from 3 to 90 years old .

The association also has approximately two hundred members .

This generational range is quite remarkable for a circus school.

It corresponds directly to the philosophy of the project, which seeks to make the circus a meeting place accessible to different ages and profiles.

A multidisciplinary practice

The teaching is multidisciplinary .

• Juggling is one of the main categories offered.
• Students also discover balance disciplines .
• Verticals and handstands are taught.
• Acrobatic lifts allow for the introduction of a collective and relational dimension.
• Aerial acrobatics complete this offering.

The school therefore allows students to explore several major families of circus arts before delving deeper into certain practices.

Technical progress and personal development

The disciplines are taught from a perspective that combines technical progression and personal development .

Trust plays a particularly important role.

• The lifts require genuine cooperation between the participants.
• Balance exercises help develop patience and concentration.
• Juggling develops coordination and perseverance.
• Acrobatics gradually confronts the student with their physical abilities but also with their apprehensions.

The circus as a socio-educational tool

This educational use of the circus is intentional .

Pirilampo explicitly defines an important part of its activity around socio-educational projects .

The school also operates outside of its own premises.

Activities are organised in schools .

The circus can then become an educational tool used with children who do not necessarily attend school during the year.

Collaborations with schools in the area are documented.

The teachers and artists of Pirilampo offer workshops , activities and circus shows .

This local activity reinforces the educational circus dimension of the association.

An actor in the Italian social circus

But Pirilampo goes further and truly becomes part of the Italian social circus movement.

Ilaria Bessone has been working on these issues for many years.

She works as a teacher , trainer and researcher .

Her background combines sociology, artistic practice, pedagogy and research dedicated to contemporary and social circus.

She is a co-founder of AltroCirco and works primarily on international relations, studies and research.

Pirilampo also hosts training courses from the AltroCirco network .

The Macello school notably hosted a national module dedicated to the social circus led by Ilaria Bessone and Maria Teresa Cesaroni .

This gives the place an additional function.

Pirilampo is not just a place where children and adults are taught circus skills.

It is also a place where professionals and stakeholders can reflect on how to use circus arts in educational and social contexts.

This dimension allows Pirilampo to be clearly classified among the Italian social circus structures.

A strong territorial identity: Cascina Ai Carlot

The school also has a strong territorial identity .

Since its creation, it has worked in the spaces of the Cascina Ai Carlot in Macello.

This former farmhouse offers the association both indoor and outdoor spaces.

The presence of an open and green environment contributes to the identity of the place.

Pirilampo has gradually transformed this space into a true meeting point for circus arts.

A place for cultural life

The association aims to create opportunities for coming together and sharing through art and culture.

This ambition goes beyond just weekly classes.

• Shows and performances are organized.
• The students participate in presentations .
• Professional artists are welcome.
• Open workshops allow the public to discover circus disciplines.

Hosting the Instantanea Festival in 2026

In 2026 , this cultural dimension took on a new dimension with the hosting of the Istantanea Festival .

After five editions held in Cavallermaggiore , the contemporary circus festival moved to Macello in collaboration with Pirilampo.

The Arena Antilia , located on the site, hosts the main performances.

Pirilampo's garden also becomes a meeting place with music , food and workshops .

This collaboration puts students directly in contact with professional contemporary circus .

• Artists and companies come to present their creations.
• Teachers from Pirilampo also participate during the festival.
• The students themselves are involved in the programming.

During the 2026 edition, a group of young students from Pirilampo aged approximately 11 to 20 years old presented a creation.

Other students participated in performances and the school festival .

This close relationship between amateur school and professional creation is particularly interesting.

Students do not only discover the circus through classes.

They can attend contemporary shows, meet artists and participate in a real cultural life.

A presence in the public space

Pirilampo also organizes open workshops for everyone during certain local events.

The school participates, for example, in Macello events with juggling , unicycle , stilt walking and circus performances .

Teachers and students participate together in some of these activities.

This presence in the public space makes the circus visible to the local population.

It also helps to make the school a cultural player in the region .

An intergenerational approach

The intergenerational approach is another distinctive element.

Activities do not stop in adolescence.

• Adults can practice.
• Seniors are also affected.

The association's official presentation explicitly mentions art and movement " from childhood to old age ".

This openness corresponds to a conception of the circus as a cultural practice accessible throughout life .

Amateur practice and artistic rigor

The association is therefore not built around a logic of selecting the best students .

Amateur practice and collective experience remain central.

This does not preclude a genuine artistic standard .

Shows, performances and collaborations with professional artists give practitioners the opportunity to understand how the techniques learned can become a stage language .

A project at the crossroads of several dimensions

The Pirilampo project is thus situated at the intersection of several dimensions.

1. It is first and foremost a circus school .
2. It is also a popular education association .
3. He is an actor in the social circus .
4. Finally, it is a cultural venue that welcomes shows, performances, training courses and events.

This combination explains his affiliation with ARCI .

The association is also registered as a social promotion association .

Its status directly corresponds to its educational and community objectives.

For the NetJuggler directory

According to the NetJuggler directory, Pirilampo represents a particularly interesting school in Piedmont .

It complements the Turin structures already listed by providing a presence in the Pinerol territory.

Its approach is different from a professional school like FLIC .

Pirilampo's primary aim is not to prepare future artists for a professional career.

The goal is more to make circus arts accessible and to utilize their educational, artistic, and relational qualities.

The school can therefore be classified in the category of amateur schools .

However, his strong involvement in the social circus deserves to be clearly highlighted.

Few schools have such an explicit articulation between regular courses , socio-educational action , research on social circus , training of speakers and territorial cultural animation .

Ilaria Bessone's expertise

Ilaria Bessone 's career further reinforces this dimension.

His academic and professional work focuses directly on contemporary and social circus.

She teaches circus arts and aerial disciplines to children, teenagers and adults.

She also works as a trainer .

Pirilampo therefore benefits from expertise that goes beyond mere technical transmission.

A dynamic school in 2026

In 2026 , the school appears particularly dynamic.

• It still accommodates around one hundred students .
• She participates in local events .
• She works with schools .
• She organizes her own shows and performances .
• And the arrival of the Instantanea Festival in Macello further reinforces its function as a venue for the dissemination of contemporary circus.

Pirilampo can thus be presented as a contemporary, educational and social circus school where artistic practice simultaneously serves technical learning, personal expression and the creation of links between people.

In a rural environment near Pinerolo, the association has built since 2021 a true circus living space bringing together children, young people, adults and seniors around juggling , acrobatics , aerial disciplines and balances .