SALTO – International Circus School

SALTO – International Circus School is a contemporary circus school located in Maia , in the Porto metropolitan area. Created in 2016 , it is the circus arts training project of Acro Clube da Maia , a structure founded in 2004 and historically specialized in gymnastics and acrobatic practices.

SALTO develops a teaching method that closely integrates the technical and artistic dimensions of contemporary circus. Its objective is to train artists with a high level of technical skill while also enabling them to develop a personal artistic identity and adapt to different creative and performance contexts.

The school welcomes a diverse range of practitioners and develops programs corresponding to various skill levels. It offers preparatory and professional training, intensive workshops and courses, as well as various activities to discover or deepen one's knowledge of circus arts.

Professional training is an essential component of SALTO. The school supports students wishing to make circus arts their profession and seeks to provide them with the technical, artistic and stage skills necessary to then join a company, pursue higher education or develop their own projects.

A multidisciplinary approach to the circus

The teaching is based on a multidisciplinary approach to circus arts. Students are encouraged to develop a solid physical and acrobatic preparation while discovering different families of circus disciplines.

Acrobatics naturally plays an important role in this training. The school's integration within the Acro Clube da Maia allows it to benefit from an environment particularly suited to learning acrobatic and gymnastic techniques.

Aerial disciplines are also part of the students' curriculum. Depending on the projects and specializations, different techniques can be explored to allow each student to gradually identify the disciplines that best match their abilities and artistic goals.

The school also focuses on manipulation and juggling techniques, as well as various specialties within contemporary circus. The Cyr wheel, trapeze, and other disciplines have been featured in SALTO's creations and graduation shows.

The goal, however, is not to juxtapose different techniques. SALTO considers circus disciplines as tools that can be used in the service of creation, exploration, and artistic expression.

Technical progress is therefore accompanied by genuine work on interpretation and stage presence . Students gradually learn to transform a physical or technical skill into artistic expression.

This approach aims to train versatile artists capable of adapting to different professional environments. Contemporary circus can now take place under a big top, in theaters, in public spaces, or within creations blending circus, dance, theater, music, and other artistic forms.

The training aims to develop the artistic autonomy of the students. Beyond mastering a discipline, each student is encouraged to understand what they wish to express with it and to gradually build their own language.

Collaborative creation also plays an important role in the curriculum. Working with other artists requires developing listening skills, adaptability, and an understanding of the dramaturgy of a performance beyond one's own individual contribution.

Facilities and physical preparation

SALTO has particularly suitable facilities thanks to its integration with the Acro Clube da Maia. This environment allows students to work in spaces designed for gymnastic and acrobatic practices and to benefit from equipment adapted to regular and intensive training.

Physical preparation is an essential component of this training. Professional circus disciplines demand strength, mobility, coordination, endurance, and a thorough understanding of one's own body. Developing these abilities therefore goes hand in hand with technical progression.

The school also places great importance on specialization . After acquiring a sufficiently broad foundation, students can delve deeper into certain disciplines in order to develop a technical level that allows them to consider using these skills in a professional context.

Workshops, creations and shows

SALTO also organizes workshops , intensive training courses , and workshops. These events offer opportunities to work on a specific discipline, deepen your knowledge of a technique, or meet artists and educators with different approaches to circus arts.

The institution also participates in artistic creation . Students are regularly involved in working on shows, allowing them to put into practice the knowledge acquired during their training.

Final performances play a particularly important role in this process. They allow graduating students to present to the public acts and creations developed during their studies and constitute a transition between school and the professional world.

SALTO has notably presented its creations at the Fórum da Maia . These shows can bring together many disciplines, including the trapeze, the Cyr wheel and various acrobatic and aerial techniques.

Professional integration and international exposure

The school's stated objective is clearly geared towards professional integration . SALTO aims to train artists capable of joining companies and performing in shows both in Portugal and internationally.

This international outlook is reflected in the very name of the institution. Over the years, the school has welcomed students of various nationalities, and many alumni have gone on to pursue further studies at higher education institutions or international professional projects.

Some artists who have passed through SALTO have notably continued their training in European higher education institutions for circus arts, including ESAC – École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque de Bruxelles .

The institution thus maintains links with the European contemporary circus network and is part of a pathway enabling young Portuguese artists to more easily access the various training and creation opportunities that exist internationally.

Support for creation and role in circus training

SALTO also develops initiatives to support artistic creation . Hosting artists and providing residencies helps maintain a link between the school's educational environment and the professional reality of contemporary circus arts creation.

This close interaction with professional artists allows students to understand that the profession is not solely based on technical performance. Creation, research, rehearsal, artistic collaboration, and project development are also part of a circus artist's journey.

Today, SALTO plays an important role in the development of circus training in Portugal . Its professional positioning complements structures dedicated to discovery and amateur practice by offering a pathway for those wishing to go further and consider circus arts as a profession.

The school also benefits from the experience of Acro Clube da Maia in the field of high-level gymnastics . This encounter between gymnastic culture and circus arts is one of the distinctive features of its educational project.

However, the training does not aim to transform circus arts into a mere sport. Technique provides a foundation from which the student must be able to develop an artistic approach, a personality, and a stage presence.

SALTO – International Circus School is a place for training, practice, and creation dedicated to contemporary circus. By combining physical preparation, technical acquisition, circus specialization, performance, and artistic creation, the school progressively guides its students towards independent practice and, for those who choose this path, towards a professional career in the circus arts.