TenRock – Teatro Circo Sociale

TenRock is a social cooperative based in Brindisi, Puglia, specializing in the use of circus arts as educational, social and inclusive tools.

His project differs significantly from a traditional circus school.

The circus is not considered there solely as an artistic or sporting discipline.

It becomes primarily a means of creating relationships, developing individual capabilities, and strengthening communities.

TenRock uses social circus and non-formal education for this purpose.

His project is aimed at audiences of all ages.

Children naturally make up a significant portion of the participants.

Teenagers also occupy a central place.

Families can participate in group activities.

Specific projects are designed for older people.

TenRock also develops activities adapted for people with disabilities.

The structure intervenes particularly with people and territories experiencing situations of fragility or disadvantage.

A traveling social circus tent

His project is now based on a particularly original concept: a real traveling social circus tent .

The marquee can be set up in different neighborhoods, villages or towns.

TenRock seeks in particular to intervene in places where cultural and educational opportunities are limited.

Spaces that are usually little used can thus temporarily become meeting places.

The big top hosts circus activities, educational projects, shows and events.

This mobility allows TenRock to go directly to meet the people.

The goal is to make social circus accessible to people who wouldn't necessarily go to a traditional circus school.

The project places particular emphasis on areas affected by educational poverty.

Circus arts then become a way to create new opportunities for meeting and learning.

The major Circassian families used

TenRock works with several major circus families.

Juggling is one of the main ones.

In particular, it helps to develop eye-hand coordination, concentration and perseverance.

Balancing acts constitute a second important family.

It allows you to work on posture, proprioception and body control.

Acrobatics are also used.

It develops physical abilities while allowing participants to experience unusual movements.

Clowning complements this approach.

It allows one to work on expression, play, communication and relationships with others.

Aerial dance is also among the disciplines used by TenRock.

A person-centered pedagogy

However, these techniques are not considered an end in themselves.

The team is primarily interested in what they help to develop in the individual.

The pedagogy aims in particular to strengthen self-esteem.

Trust is another objective.

Participants gradually learn to try things they sometimes thought were impossible.

Mistakes are part of the learning process.

The non-competitive practice of circus arts is of particular interest here.

The participants are not ranked against each other.

Everyone can progress at their own pace.

The diversity of disciplines also allows for the development of different skills.

A person who has difficulty juggling may feel particularly comfortable in a balancing activity.

Another might prefer acrobatics or clowning.

This diversity allows each person's abilities to be showcased.

Circummotor skills and the relational dimension

TenRock is developing, in particular, a methodology around circomotricity.

Circus disciplines become tools for developing different motor skills.

• General dynamic coordination, balance and posture are worked on.
• Eye-hand coordination is also an important objective.

But the bodily dimension is constantly associated with the relational dimension.

The group has an essential function.

Participants learn to cooperate.

They sometimes have to help each other.

They learn to respect each other's abilities and limitations.

Difference is not considered an obstacle to the functioning of the group.

On the contrary, it constitutes one of the elements on which TenRock's inclusive pedagogy is based.

The Circo Adattato program

This philosophy takes on particular importance in activities aimed at people with disabilities.

TenRock has a real Circo Adattato program.

The idea is not to automatically assume that a person with a disability is incapable of practicing a circus activity.

On the contrary, the exercises are adapted to the participant's abilities.

The goal is to stimulate their motor, expressive and relational skills.

This approach also seeks to combat certain forms of overprotection.

The person must be able to experiment, try, and progress.

The proposals are therefore constructed according to individual capabilities.

A multidisciplinary team

TenRock has a particularly interesting roster for this reason.

It does not only bring together circus artists.

• Social workers are part of the project.
• Early childhood educators are also involved.
• The team includes sociologists.
• Professionals specializing in family counseling complement this socio-educational dimension.
• The artistic field is represented by actors.
• Dancers participate in the projects.
• Social circus professionals naturally participate in the workshops.

This meeting of social, educational and artistic skills constitutes one of the major characteristics of TenRock.

Activities for families

The organization also develops specific activities for families.

Famiglie in Gioco allows children to practice with the people who make up their family environment.

Parents, grandparents and other family members can share the activities.

The game becomes a way to strengthen the relationship.

Circus arts allow us to experiment together.

Adults are therefore not merely spectators of their children's activities.

They can participate themselves.

Projects aimed at the elderly

TenRock also develops projects aimed at the elderly.

Specific workshops cater in particular to those over sixty-five years of age.

The circus is approached in an accessible and fun way.

The goal is to get the body moving again.

Play and laughter occupy an important place.

Curiosity is stimulated.

The relationship with other participants is also an essential dimension.

TenRock thus shows that circus arts can be used far beyond the audiences traditionally associated with circus schools.

Intervention in schools

The organization also develops significant activity in schools.

The projects can involve different levels of education.

The circus is used as a tool for non-formal education.

The exercises help to develop attention and concentration.

Self-esteem is another important goal.

Children can discover that a skill that initially seemed unattainable gradually becomes possible through practice.

This experience has an educational value that goes far beyond mere circus technique.

The AgorHub project at Fossato Ionico

In 2026, TenRock notably developed a major project in Fossato Ionico , Calabria.

This small rural community has about seven hundred inhabitants.

As part of the AgorHub project, TenRock introduced social circus into the local primary school.

Children aged five to ten participated.

Families were also involved.

The course was developed during the school year.

The goal was to temporarily transform the school into a space for discovery, creativity, and inclusion.

This example perfectly illustrates how TenRock currently works.

The structure is no longer geographically limited to Brindisi.

It can transfer its expertise to distant territories.

The traveling circus tent allows us to go even further in this logic.

A tool for territorial intervention

TenRock collaborates with municipalities.

The organization works with social services.

She works with host communities.

She develops projects with different community spaces.

Social circus thus becomes a genuine tool for territorial intervention.

Training and cultural activities

Training is another important activity.

TenRock organizes workshops.

Its space can accommodate the exchange of best practices.

Cultural events and screenings may complement the program.

Creative residencies are also possible.

The big top therefore functions both as an educational space and as a cultural venue.

Erasmus+ internships

TenRock also hosts Erasmus+ interns.

This activity has an interesting characteristic.

The internship does not constitute initial training in circus techniques.

Candidates must already possess circus skills.

• They can be jugglers.
• They may come from balancing.
• Clowning is another possibility.
• Acrobatics is also accepted.
• Aerial dance is among the skills sought.

TenRock then teaches them how to transform this artistic skill into an educational and social tool.

The internship therefore allows one to discover the methodology specific to social circus.

Participants accompany educators and artists in the workshops.

They can intervene with children.

Teenagers are also part of the audience.

Families may be affected.

People with disabilities are explicitly included in the projects.

The interns also participate in community events.

The stated duration for some Erasmus+ courses is six months.

The participants are welcomed in Brindisi.

A tutor accompanies them throughout their journey.

This activity brings TenRock closer to a true training center for social circus practices.

European Partnerships and Projects

The structure also has agreements with the Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro .

She collaborates with various foundations.

Partnerships exist with the Cooperativa Sociale Il Faro .

TenRock also participates in several European projects.

This international dimension has existed for several years.

The Erasmus+ YouthUp project was specifically developed to promote the inclusion of disadvantaged youth.

The circus was used there to strengthen relational and artistic skills.

The structure has also historically developed a program called CLAN – Giovani in Scena .

This program offered one hundred hours of training over six months to young people aged fifteen to twenty-five.

Juggling, ground acrobatics, balancing and aerial acrobatics were part of the program.

This experience illustrates TenRock's ability to build relatively intensive courses.

However, it does not currently constitute a professional school for artists in the classical sense.

The training primarily focuses on educational, social, and relational dimensions.

The marquee of the Fabbrica del Farò in Brindisi

TenRock has historically had a big top set up in Brindisi in the vicinity of the Fabbrica del Farò .

This space was designed as early as 2020 as a place for social innovation and active citizenship.

A proper circus practice room has been set up under the big top.

The venue can accommodate training, workshops and performances.

It can also accommodate artists in residence.

Companies can develop their creations there.

The big top also serves as a theatre.

This dimension makes it possible to directly link amateur practice, social intervention and professional performance.

The Teatro Circo Viaggiante

Today, TenRock is further developing the mobile nature of this concept.

His Teatro Circo Viaggiante can travel to different Italian municipalities.

The big top becomes a temporary space for culture and participation.

This evolution explains why TenRock must be distinguished from a classic circus school that simply has a weekly schedule.

The structure is more of a permanent project for social circus and educational innovation.

An obvious place in a circus directory

However, its place in a directory dedicated to circus schools and structures is obvious.

She has extensive experience in teaching.

• It develops regular laboratories.
• She works in schools.
• It trains speakers.
• It hosts artists and interns.
• It has a professional circus space.
• She works with particularly diverse audiences.

Finally, his approach to disability is sufficiently structured to be clearly identified.

TenRock in 2026

In 2026, TenRock remains particularly active.

• School projects are continuing.
• The Teatro Circo Viaggiante now constitutes a major axis of its development.
• The Erasmus+ programs continue.
• The internships welcome young artists and educators.
• Social circus activities remain at the heart of the structure.

For the NetJuggler directory

For the NetJuggler directory, TenRock therefore represents a particularly important entry for southern Italy.

Its specialization in social circus distinguishes it from many schools that are more oriented towards recreational courses.

Juggling, balancing, acrobatics, clowning and aerial dance are his main circus disciplines.

But its real interest lies in how these techniques are used.

• The circus becomes an educational tool.
• It becomes a tool for inclusion.
• It allows us to work with families.
• It can accompany elderly people.
• Its main benefit is that activities can be adapted for people with disabilities.

Thanks to its traveling big top, TenRock can finally bring this approach to territories where cultural and educational opportunities are limited.

TenRock thus represents much more than just a school: today it is a true Italian project of itinerant social circus , non-formal education and social innovation .