TaDam – Circus School

TaDam is a contemporary circus school and a circus-theatre company based in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna.

The project was founded in 2015 by Dario Rigolli and Talita Ferri .

At that time, contemporary circus arts were still relatively rare in Piacenza.

The founders have gradually developed courses, workshops, social circus projects and street performances in order to introduce these practices to an increasingly wider audience.

Since 2020 , TaDam has its own permanent space located in Via Giuseppe Allevi 13/A in Piacenza.

Regular classes for children, teenagers and adults are now organized there.

The school views the circus simultaneously as an art , a physical activity , a space for creativity and an educational tool .

Trust , sharing and personal development occupy an important place in his teaching.

Children's classes

The children begin with a multidisciplinary approach.

The Piccolo Circo group currently welcomes children aged five to seven.

The courses combine juggling, acrobatics, balancing and aerial disciplines.

Play remains particularly important at this age.

Children gradually develop different motor patterns.

They learn to run, jump, turn, hang and manipulate objects.

Learning to use an apparatus also becomes a way to discover one's own abilities.

Climbing on a trapeze, for example, may require the child to overcome an apprehension.

Conversely, clowning allows us to learn to play with our mistakes and to laugh at ourselves.

The objective is therefore not solely technical.

Circus arts contribute to motor , muscular and postural development.

But it also helps to develop confidence and creativity .

Children aged eight to ten then have a Circo Ragazzi group.

Another group welcomes young people aged eight to fourteen.

As students grow older, technical education gradually becomes more important.

However, the playful aspect is not abandoned.

The young people continue to work on all the disciplines of contemporary circus.

They are also encouraged to develop their personal and artistic expression.

The school thus seeks to put technology at the service of imagination.

Adult classes

TaDam also offers a particularly well-developed adult service.

Courses are accessible from around fourteen years old, depending on the discipline.

Each session generally combines physical preparation and technical learning.

Adults can choose between several specializations.

Aerial fabric

Aerial silks has its own curriculum.

Participants develop strength and flexibility.

They learn different climbs.

Static figures are gradually introduced.

Nodes and locks then allow for the construction of more complex sequences.

The students also work on falls.

Dynamic elements and rotational movements can be addressed with progression.

The static trapeze

The static trapeze also has its own course.

Beginners start with static positions and poses.

The technical level is gradually increasing.

Dynamic work then requires precision and mastery of rhythm.

This discipline particularly develops strength, coordination and body awareness.

The aerial hoop

TaDam also offers aerial hoop.

This discipline is taught by an artist specifically trained in hoop in the professional curriculum of the FLIC Scuola di Circo in Turin.

Juggling

Juggling is another specialized subject taught.

Students begin with the fundamental patterns.

They can then further develop their technique.

Siteswap is explicitly one of the concepts studied.

Body throws are also practiced.

Passing allows for the introduction of a collective dimension.

The goal is to gradually move beyond simple technical execution in order to develop one's own juggling style.

Ground acrobatics

Floor acrobatics also has its own specific course.

Participants can start with rolls and basic elements.

They then progress towards the wheels.

The roundabouts are well-crafted.

Flicks and reversals allow for the introduction of more dynamic acrobatics.

Advanced practitioners can gradually work on somersaults.

The venue notably uses an AirTrack .

A mini-trampoline allows you to approach certain elements from a greater height.

Specialized mats help to secure landings.

TaDam also offers genuine trampoline training.

Hand-to-hand and acrobatic lifts

Hand-to-hand and acrobatic lifts have their own classes.

This discipline relies as much on technique as on listening to one's partner.

Students begin with simple balancing figures in pairs or groups.

The difficulty then gradually increases.

Verticals play an important role in this formation.

Good control of hand balance facilitates the development of many hand-to-hand figures.

Physical preparation and flexibility

TaDam also offers a course dedicated to physical preparation and flexibility.

This work is specifically designed for the needs of circus disciplines.

Students develop both endurance and explosive strength.

Strength training primarily uses body weight and light weights.

Flexibility work is done in each session.

The legs, pelvis, back and shoulders are particularly stressed.

This preparation allows practitioners to progress in their other disciplines while improving their overall physical condition.

The teaching staff

The teaching team has particularly complementary profiles.

Talita Ferri is the co-founder of TaDam.

An educator, street artist and social circus operator, she teaches children and teenagers trapeze and circus arts.

Dario Rigolli is also a co-founder.

An educator and cultural organizer, he became a social circus operator and acrobatic gymnastics instructor.

He also serves as president of the association.

Daniele De Blasis brings a strong background in popular theatre and street theatre.

His career includes collaborations with Teatro Lanciavicchio and Teatro dei Venti.

He works as an actor and theatre teacher.

Davide Milani has extensive training in juggling.

He notably studied at INAC.

At TaDam, he teaches juggling, acrobatics, trampoline, physical preparation and youth circus.

Giulia “Noa” Corvi is an educator and teacher.

She works as a social circus operator and teacher for children and teenagers.

Marianna Molino, for her part, has a particularly interesting background in aerial disciplines.

After several years of practice, she followed the professional course of the FLIC Scuola di Circo in Turin.

She obtained her diploma there with a specialization in aerial hoop.

She also taught in FLIC amateur courses before joining TaDam in Piacenza.

This diversity of profiles allows the school to combine circus technique, pedagogy and professional stage experience.

The circus-theatre company

TaDam does indeed have its own circus-theatre company.

The company was also founded in 2015 .

His work blends contemporary circus and street theatre.

The creations are often designed specifically for public spaces.

The street or the square is not simply a place in which to set up a show.

It becomes part of the scenography.

The public is itself integrated into this relationship between artists and space.

The company tours regularly in Italy.

It also develops tours designed in collaboration with municipalities and territories.

His repertoire consists of several shows.

The productions notably use acrobatics, juggling, aerial arts, music and theatre.

This professional activity creates an interesting artistic environment around the school.

Students thus develop through contact with artists who professionally use the disciplines taught.

The social circus and inclusion

TaDam also has a particularly strong identity in the field of social circus.

This dimension has been developed since the beginning of the project.

The school views circus arts as a means of education and inclusion.

The game is one of the main tools used.

It promotes active learning in which curiosity and a desire to experiment play an essential role.

The activities also help to develop self-awareness and self-esteem.

TaDam emphasizes the ability of the circus to reduce certain differences between participants.

Each person can find a discipline in which their own abilities become a resource.

The error itself is considered a normal part of the process.

Dropping an object or missing a move does not constitute a definitive failure.

The participant learns to start again, to understand, and to progress.

This particular relationship with making mistakes can help some young people overcome the fear of judgment.

The circus develops responsibility and concentration in parallel.

Some disciplines require trusting a partner.

Others require particular attention to equipment and safety rules.

The group therefore gradually learns to take care of itself and others.

Educational partnerships and networks

TaDam has developed numerous educational partnerships.

The team intervened in several nursery schools in Piacenza.

She has also collaborated with alternative educational structures.

Projects have been carried out with services that accommodate minors.

The association also works with various local organizations.

This experience led TaDam to join the major Italian networks dedicated to circus pedagogy.

The school belongs to the national CircoSfera network.

This network brings together Italian organizations involved in playful and educational circus.

TaDam also belongs to AltroCirco .

This second network is particularly dedicated to social circus.

This dual affiliation perfectly reflects the identity of the school.

The structure does not completely separate technical teaching and educational project.

The two dimensions are designed to be complementary.

Projects and events

TaDam is also developing the UniDiverso project.

This activity extends his work around inclusion and social circus.

The school also participates in projects carried out in the public space.

In 2026, she is involved in the Sirio project in Piacenza.

Circus activities are offered to young people in the street alongside other sports and artistic activities.

Juggling, balancing and acrobatics then become tools to develop coordination, concentration and self-confidence.

TaDam also organizes its own events.

The Infestiamoci festival, for example, transforms streets and squares into spaces for performance and artistic practice.

Children can participate in circus workshops.

They discover juggling, acrobatics and balancing.

Artistic and theatrical workshops complement the program.

Participatory parades allow residents to become active participants in the event.

The company also presents its own shows.

In 2026, Infestiamoci was notably organised in Santo Stefano d'Aveto.

The company also continues to perform at various Italian festivals and events.

This activity confirms that TaDam remains a particularly active structure in 2026.

Artistic achievements of young students

The school is also achieving interesting results in the artistic development of its young students.

In April 2026, two students from TaDam participated in the seventh edition of EXPLOIT!, a circus and performing arts competition organized by the Piccola Scuola di Circo in Milan.

They won first prize in the Mascot category for eleven to thirteen year olds.

This participation shows that young students can go beyond a simple leisure activity when they wish to further develop their artistic dimension.

A non-vocational but demanding school

TaDam, however, does not present itself as a vocational school.

Regular classes remain primarily intended for children, teenagers and adult amateurs.

The team nevertheless possesses a solid technical level and several teachers come from recognized professional training programs.

The close relationship with the professional company also allows students to develop in a real creative environment.

A complete hub for circus arts in Piacenza

TaDam thus represents today a particularly comprehensive hub for circus arts in Piacenza.

• Children discover the major circus families through a multidisciplinary approach.
• Teenagers can deepen their technique and develop their artistic expression.
• Adults have access to specialist courses in juggling, acrobatics, trampoline, hand-to-hand, aerial silks, trapeze and aerial hoop.
• Physical preparation helps to complement this training.

Finally, the social circus activities, educational interventions, membership in the CircoSfera and AltroCirco networks and the existence of a professional company give the project a particularly coherent identity.

TaDam thus brings together circus school , artistic creation , street performance , pedagogy and social action within a single permanent structure in Piacenza.