Spazio NU – Intercultural Center for Art in Movement

Spazio NU is an intercultural center dedicated to the arts of movement located in Pontedera , in the province of Pisa, Tuscany.

The structure is managed by the Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica NU .

A multidisciplinary center

Spazio NU is not exclusively a circus school.

It is a multidisciplinary center bringing together different artistic, physical, sporting and educational practices.

The venue hosts dance, theatre, music, martial arts, climbing, wellness practices and circus disciplines.

This diversity forms an important part of its identity.

The name NU means "now" in Sanskrit.

The centre's philosophy is largely based on movement, bodily research and the encounter between different practices.

Circus arts fit naturally into this approach.

Circus classes

Spazio NU offers circus classes for children and adults.

For the 2026-2027 season, aerial acrobatics constitutes the main clearly documented regular circus activity.

Aerial silks classes are offered to children.

Teenagers also have their own time slot.

Adults can also begin or deepen this practice.

Fabric and trapezoid

However, teaching is not limited to aerial silks.

The trapeze is explicitly part of the program.

Participants thus discover the fundamental techniques of aerial silks and trapeze.

How a session unfolds

1. Each session begins with a warm-up on the floor .
2. This first part gradually prepares the body for the demands of the apparatus.
3. The work then continues directly on the apparatus.
4. Specific physical strengthening is integrated into the learning process.
5. The reinforcement can be carried out on the apparatus but also on the ground.
6. A recovery phase concludes the session.

Educational objectives

The goal is not just to learn figures.

The school also seeks to develop the quality of movement .

Each participant is encouraged to explore their own style.

Creativity therefore occupies an important place in teaching.

Accessibility

The courses are accessible to people who are completely new to the discipline.

You don't need to be an acrobat to start.

This accessibility is in line with the general philosophy of Spazio NU.

• Participants can come to discover a new activity.
• Others are looking for a more original form of physical activity.
• Some then wish to further develop their technique.

Children and adolescents benefit from specifically adapted teaching.

The classes allow you to gradually develop strength , coordination and body awareness .

Aerial work

Aerial work also involves a particular relationship to space and height.

Students learn to manage their support.

They develop their ability to hang and use their weight.

The fabric requires both flexibility and coordination .

The trapeze provides other sensations and possibilities for movement.

The teacher

The current instructor for the aerial courses is Costanza Pratali .

She has been practicing circus arts since 2011 .

His career has notably developed around the trapeze and aerial silks.

She also acquired a foundation in several complementary disciplines.

His experience includes trapeze, balance, aerial hoop, hand-to-hand and ground acrobatics.

She has completed various internships and training courses dedicated to circus disciplines.

She notably participated in a training course organized by the Giocolieri e Dintorni association.

Between 2013 and 2018, she worked as an educator with children and adults at Circo Libera Tutti .

This experience is particularly interesting since Circo Libera Tutti is one of the Tuscan structures most committed to educational and adapted circus .

Internships and workshops

Spazio NU is not limited to its weekly classes.

The center regularly organizes internships and workshops.

These meetings allow us to welcome external artists and educators.

The disciplines offered may therefore change during the season.

In July 2026, Spazio NU, for example, organised a workshop dedicated to verticalism .

This type of training allows practitioners to deepen their knowledge of techniques that are not necessarily part of regular classes.

The structure thus functions as a place for practice but also as a place for continuing education .

This dimension becomes particularly important in the field of social circus .

Spazio NU and the social circus

Spazio NU is one of the Italian venues involved in the development and professionalization of social circus.

For the 2026-2027 season, the center is participating in the sixth edition of FiX TransFormation .

This is an annual national training course for circus teachers, educators and social workers.

The training represents more than 180 hours .

It combines intensive modules, online meetings and practical training.

The goal is to train professionals capable of using circus arts in social and community contexts.

Participants learn to analyze the needs of an audience.

They then develop appropriate teaching strategies.

The training covers different teaching methodologies.

It also helps to develop the skills necessary for the design and management of social circus projects.

The circus is then seen as a genuine tool for individual and collective development .

Experiential learning

The teaching method used is primarily experiential.

Therefore, the participants do not remain in a purely theoretical approach.

They directly experience the educational tools and situations.

Circus techniques are the starting point.

They are then used to develop the skills needed by future social circus operators.

Training audience

The training is aimed particularly at circus teachers.

It is also open to teachers of other artistic or sporting disciplines.

Educators and social workers can also apply.

An artistic or teaching experience is required.

The selection process is based in particular on a curriculum vitae and a cover letter .

Program Development

This training program is developed by AltroCirco and Giocolieri & Dintorni .

Its history is linked to several educational and academic partners.

The program was notably developed in dialogue with educators and specialists in the field.

It also draws inspiration from the international experience of social circus.

The Cirque du Monde program of Cirque du Soleil notably influenced his methodology.

The European Caravan Circus Network is another important partner.

This international dimension allows participants to discover different ways of using circus arts in social action.

A decentralized training program

FiX training is decentralized.

The different modules take place in several Italian schools and structures.

Pontedera and Spazio NU are among these places.

Palermo, Siena, Bergamo, Turin and Naples also host different modules.

Among the structures that participated in this dynamic are several schools that can be found in the NetJuggler directory.

• Badabam in Siena is one of them.
• Circ'Opificio in Palermo also participates in the network.
• Spazio Circo Bergamo is another partner venue.
• Circo Corsaro in Naples is also involved.
• InStabile in Florence and Quattrox4 in Milan also participated in the development of this training program.

Spazio NU is therefore at the heart of a genuine Italian network dedicated to social circus.

This position is particularly interesting for understanding the function of the center.

This is not a large, multidisciplinary circus school comparable to FLIC.

His role is different.

Spazio NU is a meeting place for bodily practices, pedagogy, culture and training.

A cultural and physical center

Aerial circus currently represents the main weekly circus activity.

But the place has a broader importance thanks to the training courses, internships and collaborations it hosts.

The center also develops numerous activities for children.

Circus arts coexist with creative dance, theatre, relational psychomotor skills, capoeira and climbing.

This diversity allows young people to discover different forms of movement.

It also promotes connections between disciplines.

A child can thus practice aerial silks while discovering other physical or artistic activities in the same place.

Adults benefit from comparable diversity.

• Contemporary and classical dance are offered.
• Martial arts occupy an important place.
• The theatre is present.
• Various disciplines dedicated to movement and well-being complement the program.

This organization gives Spazio NU an identity as a cultural and physical center rather than simply a training room.

The venue also hosts performances.

Artists come to present creations related to movement, theatre or dance.

This programming helps to maintain a link between amateur practice and artistic creation.

The presence of workshops complements this dynamic.

Practitioners can occasionally discover new disciplines.

Teachers can also come and enhance their skills.

The center thus becomes a space for transmission on several levels .

A national certification

The FiX training program particularly illustrates this dimension.

Spazio NU does not only train practitioners.

He also participates in the training of people who will later teach circus arts in other organizations.

This particularity deserves to be noted in a directory dedicated to circus schools.

The 2026-2027 training program notably leads to an Italian national certification .

After evaluation, participants can obtain the diploma of " Istruttore di Ginnastica Circense ".

This certification is issued within the framework of the sports organization ASI.

Participants also receive a skills certification issued by AltroCirco and Giocolieri & Dintorni.

The training explicitly aims at a professional use of the skills acquired.

According to data provided by the program, former participants mostly work in circus or social circus associations and projects.

A special role in the Italian circus ecosystem

Spazio NU therefore plays a special role in the Italian circus ecosystem.

His weekly circus activity remains relatively specialized around aerial disciplines .

But his involvement in pedagogy and social circus goes far beyond the scope of these courses alone.

The venue allows children and teenagers to discover aerial silks and the trapeze.

Adults can practice the same disciplines.

The workshops occasionally allow us to explore other techniques such as verticalism.

Teachers and educators can finally participate in professional social circus training.

This combination of amateur practice , educational training and national network makes Spazio NU an interesting structure to reference.

Spazio NU in the Tuscan map

It also helps to complete the mapping of circus arts in Tuscany.

Pontedera is located between several Circassian centers already identified in the region.

• The Circo Libera Tutti school is located in Montelupo Fiorentino.
• Passe-Passe is expanding its activities in the Florentine metropolitan area.
• InStabile is an important cultural venue in Florence, dedicated in particular to contemporary circus.
• Antitesi Teatro Circo is located in the Pisa region.
• Saltimbanco is expanding its activities in Livorno and Cecina.

Spazio NU therefore brings a new important point to Pontedera.

The structure deserves its own page because it has its own location, its own regular classes and its own programming.

It should not be considered a mere branch of another school.

Spazio NU in the NetJuggler directory

According to the NetJuggler directory, Spazio NU can thus be presented as an intercultural center for movement arts offering a genuine circus activity.

Its current offering mainly includes aerial silks and trapeze for children, teenagers and adults.

Internships allow for the occasional expansion of disciplines.

Finally, his involvement in the national training of social circus operators is probably his most remarkable circus characteristic.