Scimmie Volanti – Escuela de Circo

Scimmie Volanti is a circus association and school based in Alcobendas and Madrid .

Created by young circus enthusiasts, the association seeks to develop circus practice and make learning it accessible to as many people as possible.

Training is one of the main focuses of the project.

The school welcomes children , teenagers and adults , from beginners to advanced practitioners.

A circus school for all ages

Children can start circus training from the age of four .

Children's and youth circus groups offer a multidisciplinary experience adapted to the age of the participants.

Students explore, among other things, balance , juggling , aerial disciplines and acrobatics .

The groups are organized by age range in order to adapt the exercises and progressions.

• Children aged four to six have their own time slots.
• The seven to nine year olds continue with activities adapted to their development.
• Children aged ten to thirteen also have specific groups.
• Teenagers can then continue practicing in groups intended for twelve to sixteen or twelve to seventeen year olds .

Specialized courses

In addition to these multidisciplinary courses, the school offers many specialized courses .

Aerial tissues

Aerial silks constitute one of the most developed disciplines.

They are offered to children, teenagers and adults.

The courses welcome both those discovering aerial disciplines for the first time and those wishing to deepen their technique.

Advanced students in Alcobendas benefit from a space with a height particularly suited to aerial work.

Trapeze, hoop, rope and straps

Trapeze is also one of the disciplines offered by the school.

Aerial hoop has specific courses available.

The installations allow the height to be adjusted in order to adapt the work to different levels.

The smooth rope completes the range of aerial disciplines.

It can be practiced by beginners as well as by practitioners wishing to develop a more advanced level.

Aerial straps are also part of the program.

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is another major focus of the teaching.

The courses progressively develop the different basics of ground acrobatics.

Students can work on handstands, cartwheels, roundoffs, palomas, flip-flops and somersaults, depending on their level.

The teaching is based on progressions that allow each student to develop according to their abilities.

Elements from artistic gymnastics , parkour , capoeira and contemporary circus can be integrated into the work.

The courses also aim to develop body and spatial awareness .

Particular attention is paid to safety and how to help other practitioners.

Verticals, lifts, acrobatic dance and parkour

Les Verticales offers specific courses for people wishing to further develop their hand balance skills.

Acrobatic lifts allow for the development of a collective practice based on communication, balance and trust between partners.

Acrodance allows for the creation of bridges between dance movement and acrobatic technique.

Parkour is also part of the regular offering.

Annual courses are offered to young people from the age of ten.

This discipline allows the exploration of different forms of movement, crossing and acrobatics.

Physical preparation is complemented by proposals dedicated to flexibility .

Two practice areas

Scimmie Volanti has two practice spaces .

The Invernadero

El Invernadero is the association's main site.

Located in Alcobendas, it constitutes a vast space entirely devoted to circus arts.

El Invernadero is not just a school.

The venue also has a space dedicated to professional training .

• It hosts artist residencies .
• It also has a performance space with a program dedicated in particular to contemporary circus.

This combination allows amateur practice, teaching, professional training, creation and dissemination to coexist.

CECO Guatemala

The second site is CECO Guatemala , located in the Barrio del Pilar in Madrid.

• Regular aerial silks classes are offered there, particularly for adults.
• The verticals also have slots there.
• Children and teenagers can take multidisciplinary circus classes there.

CECO Guatemala also plays an important role in supporting creation .

It hosts artistic residencies for contemporary circus artists and companies.

An accessible association model

Scimmie Volanti advocates an associative model that allows for the maintenance of affordable prices.

Those who attend the courses become members of the association .

The public support obtained by the structure helps to reduce the cost of activities.

The association states that it has thus been able to significantly reduce the cost of courses compared to the rates usually required for this type of training.

This accessibility policy is not based solely on reduced fares.

Scimmie Volanti also offers scholarship opportunities for individuals or families with limited resources or who are in vulnerable situations.

The goal is to prevent the cost of circus training from preventing someone from practicing.

Members' contributions themselves contribute to this solidarity-based operation.

Part of the economic model helps to enable access to activities for people who would otherwise be unable to finance them.

This approach gives the project a genuine social dimension .

The association thus seeks to democratize access to an artistic practice that usually requires specialized spaces, equipment and technical supervision.

Support for artists

Supporting artists is the other important aspect of this philosophy.

Scimmie Volanti facilitates access to workspaces for artists and young companies.

Residencies allow for the development of creations in conditions adapted to the specific constraints of the circus.

The structure notably has a program aimed at young and emerging companies .

These residencies are for artists who are in the process of professionalizing or consolidating their professional activity.

Companies can have a space available for several weeks to develop a show.

The support is not limited to providing a room.

Some projects may benefit from mentoring and advice from industry professionals.

The support can cover the following areas:

• The production .
• The art direction .
• Rigging and safety .
• Movement and choreography .
• The scenography , the distribution channels and the festivals .
• The legal aspects necessary for taking the first professional steps.

Some projects may be eligible for financial support for their creation .

This activity gives Scimmie Volanti a nursery function for young artists and companies.

Residencies allow artists to transform research or an idea into a real performance project.

They also facilitate the transition between training, artistic practice and professionalization.

The simultaneous presence of the school and these artists helps to create a particularly rich circus environment.

The students practice in a place also frequented by professional artists.

For their part, the artists have spaces designed to meet the technical needs of the circus.

The shows finally allow the creations to be connected with the public.

From discovery to professionalization

Scimmie Volanti is thus developing a project ranging from the first discovery of the circus to the support of professional creation.

• A child can start in a multidisciplinary group as early as four years old .
• A teenager can gradually specialize in a particular technique.
• An adult can begin an aerial discipline or deepen a practice already acquired.
• An advanced practitioner can take advantage of the facilities adapted for training.
• A professional artist may have a workspace.
• A young company can be hosted in residence and benefit from support towards professionalization.

This continuity is one of the project's strong characteristics .

Scimmie Volanti thus combines training, social accessibility, amateur practice, professional training, support for artists, creation and dissemination of contemporary circus.