Revontuli-Opisto – Sirkustaide

Revontuli-Opisto is a public adult education center located in Lapland, in northern Finland. Created in 2010, it offers educational, cultural and artistic activities to the inhabitants of the municipalities of Enontekiö, Kittilä and Sodankylä.

Among its teachings is a program dedicated to circus arts, particularly developed in Sodankylä. Children and teenagers can follow a progressive learning path in circus disciplines, integrated into the Finnish system of basic arts education.

An inter-municipal establishment created in 2010

Revontuli-Opisto began operations at the beginning of 2010.

It is jointly managed by three municipalities in Lapland: Enontekiö , Kittilä and Sodankylä . Kittilä is the municipality responsible for its administration.

The institution is one of the main centers for popular education in Lapland.

It offers approximately 18,000 hours of teaching per year and welcomes approximately 4,000 students across all disciplines.

Its area of operation is particularly extensive, from Kilpisjärvi, in the far northwest of Finland, to Lokka, in the municipality of Sodankylä.

This organization makes it possible to offer educational activities in localities sometimes very far from major urban centers.

A true artistic training in circus arts

Circus teaching in Revontuli-Opisto is not limited to occasional workshops.

In Sodankylä, the institution offers a curriculum under the Finnish system of basic artistic education, called taiteen perusopetus.

This program follows the general 500-hour curriculum.

Learning is organized progressively so that students can develop their technical and artistic skills over several years.

The program also aims to encourage creativity , concentration , perseverance , and the ability to work with others.

It does not constitute higher professional training, but structured artistic education intended for children and adolescents.

Ground acrobatics

Acrobatics is one of the main disciplines taught.

Students discover fundamental movements and gradually learn to master their bodies.

The exercises help to develop coordination , strength , mobility and balance .

The teaching is adapted to the age and experience of the participants.

The sessions also include physical preparation to support technical learning.

Juggling and object manipulation

Circus classes include juggling work.

This discipline helps develop hand-eye coordination, precision , and concentration .

Students gradually learn to control trajectories and perform sequences.

Juggling also provides a medium for creativity, since the techniques learned can be integrated into artistic presentations.

The balance disciplines

Balance exercises are another component of the program.

Participants learn to stabilize their bodies, control their movements, and develop their coordination.

Progress helps to build self-confidence and improve body control.

The exercises are adapted to the level of each group.

Physical preparation and mobility

The courses combine technical learning and physical preparation.

A session typically includes a warm-up, circus work, and end-of-class exercises focused on mobility or muscle strengthening.

This organization allows students to be prepared for exertion and to develop the physical abilities necessary for their progress.

It also helps to raise awareness among participants of the importance of maintaining the body in the practice of circus arts.

Stage performance

The program includes exercises designed to develop stage presence and expression in front of an audience.

Students learn to present their movements and participate in group activities.

This artistic dimension complements the technical learning.

It allows us to discover the circus as a form of spectacle and personal expression, beyond mere physical performance.

Groups adapted to different ages

In Sodankylä, the establishment offers several circus groups for children.

The 2025–2026 program included, in particular, a development group for young people over 10 years old.

This group was aimed at participants who already had about two years of practice and wished to further develop their autonomy.

The teaching combined acrobatics, juggling, balance, stage expression and physical preparation.

The exercises varied over the weeks to allow students to delve deeper into several disciplines.

Courses in the villages of Lapland

Revontuli-Opisto also develops activities in the rural localities of its territory.

In Vuotso, in the municipality of Sodankylä, circus classes were offered for children aged 6 to 8 and for young people aged 9 and over.

Additional sessions are announced for the period from October 26 to November 30, 2026 .

These activities allow children living far from the center of Sodankylä to discover circus arts without necessarily having to travel long distances.

This territorial presence is an important characteristic of the institution.

Shows and artistic presentations

The students of Revontuli-Opisto participate in local cultural life.

In April 2026, the establishment organized a spring festival in Sodankylä, which included dance, circus and music performances.

These events allow participants to share their learning with their families and the public.

They also promote encounters between the different artistic disciplines taught by the institution.

A pedagogy based on individual progress

Revontuli-Opisto's artistic teaching is based on progressive educational objectives.

Students are encouraged to develop their skills from their own experience and abilities.

The program seeks to support creativity and personal development.

Cooperation , concentration , and perseverance also play an important role.

The goal is to enable young people to build a sustainable artistic practice in an encouraging environment.

Accessible education across a very large territory

Revontuli-Opisto plays an important role in providing access to arts education in Lapland.

Its inter-municipal organization makes it possible to offer courses in localities where the specialized cultural offering would otherwise be limited.

The institution combines regular programs, one-off courses, and activities designed for different audiences.

In the field of circus arts, this organization allows children and teenagers to benefit from structured artistic training without necessarily residing in a large city.

A circus school integrated into a multidisciplinary institution

Revontuli-Opisto is not a school exclusively dedicated to the circus.

It also offers instruction in music, dance, theatre, visual arts and many other disciplines.

However, his circus course in Sodankylä has a specific educational organization and falls under the Finnish basic arts education system.

This unique characteristic justifies its inclusion among the structures offering genuine circus arts training.

Revontuli-Opisto is a Finnish public institution that contributes to the transmission of circus arts in Lapland, through a progressive 500-hour course and activities organized in several rural localities.