UP Scuola di Circo – Bra

UP Scuola di Circo is a circus arts school located in Bra , in the province of Cuneo , Piedmont .

An educational approach to the circus

The association develops an approach to circus based on the education of the person and movement .

His project is not based on competition : each student is encouraged to progress at their own pace , to better understand their abilities and to gradually develop their autonomy .

The school seeks to create a welcoming environment in which everyone can find their place.

Pedagogy and values

The pedagogy places great importance on body awareness .

Technique, experience and knowledge of movement are used to learn how to engage one's body in a conscious and sustainable way.

The relationship between the student and the teacher is also an important element of the UP method.

The school seeks to develop self-esteem , autonomy , observation skills and confidence .

Play occupies a central place in learning.

UP believes that the playful experience facilitates the acquisition of movement and helps to create a positive relationship with effort and learning .

Cooperation is preferred over competition.

Respect, welcoming, listening and acceptance of differences are among the values claimed by the association.

The relationship between the school and families is also considered essential.

A particularly large audience

UP attracts a particularly wide audience.

The association explains that its activities can support people from pregnancy to old age through various movement, circus, yoga and acroyoga courses.

The Scuola di Circo curriculum

Children and teenagers have a real curriculum dedicated to circus arts.

The Scuola di Circo course welcomes, in particular, young people aged six to fourteen .

It proposes a multidisciplinary approach.

• Physical preparation first and foremost allows one to develop the qualities necessary for the different techniques.
• Dance complements this work by developing coordination, rhythm, and quality of movement.
• Juggling is one of the major families of disciplines taught.
• Balancing allows one to explore other forms of body control.
• Ground acrobatics also plays an important role.

It is practiced individually, in pairs and in groups.

Students can, in particular, work on jumps and different forms of dynamic acrobatics.

Verticals are part of the technical content.

Acrobalance allows you to discover lifts, balances and figures performed by several people.

Human pyramids complement this collective practice.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines constitute another important area of the school.

UP offers aerial acrobatics classes for children and teenagers aged six to fifteen .

Young people from the age of fifteen and adults can also participate.

• Aerial silks is one of the main apparatuses taught.
• The trapeze is also used.
• The aerial hoop completes the offering.
• The aerial rope is the fourth apparatus explicitly offered in these courses.

Students can thus experiment with several ways of working at height before possibly developing a preference for a particular piece of equipment.

This diversity is particularly interesting for an amateur school.

Activities for adults

UP also offers activities specifically designed for adults.

The UPperò course provides an amateur introduction to circus arts.

It combines several disciplines in a particularly comprehensive approach.

• Participants discover juggling .
• Theatre allows for the introduction of expression and stage presence.
• Balancing acts complement the technical work.
• Aerial acrobatics and ground acrobatics are also practiced.
• Contemporary dance and floorwork bring an additional dimension to physical work.
• Physical conditioning and flexibility exercises complete the sessions.

Adults who wish to do so can participate in the creation and staging of the end-of-year show .

The circus is thus viewed not only as a physical activity but also as an artistic practice .

Clowning and theatre are part of the school's educational universe.

They allow participants to work on expression, audience relations, and creativity.

Circus and complementary physical practices

The school also combines circus arts with various complementary physical practices.

Acroyoga , in particular, holds an important place.

This practice combines partner work, balance, lifts, confidence, and body awareness.

UP also develops different approaches around yoga , meditation , dance and movement .

These disciplines do not replace the circus but complement the overall project of movement education.

Teacher training and founder

The school pays particular attention to the training of its teachers.

Its founder and president, Maria Grazia Ielapi , has a background directly linked to contemporary circus.

She notably trained at the FLIC Scuola di Circo in Turin.

His background includes aerial and ground acrobatics, verticals, dance, balancing, juggling, clowning, theatre and body percussion.

She has been a professional artist since 2009 .

Her teaching work gradually developed around the integration of the different physical disciplines she studied.

The goal is to support each student in a progression that respects their personal pace.

Maria Grazia Ielapi also participated in European Experience Learning projects in Belgium in collaboration with Giocolieri e Dintorni .

A foothold in the Italian educational circus network

UP is thus connected to the Italian educational circus network.

The school notably participated in the Quinta Parete – Circus Community project.

This program brought together educational circus schools, a professional school and several festivals from Piedmont and Liguria .

UP rubbed shoulders with FLIC in Turin, Circo Teatro Dimidimitri in Novara, Fuma che 'nduma , TeatrAzionE and several other Italian circus structures.

The project sought to strengthen the communities created around circus schools and to promote cultural exchange and participation.

This community dimension aligns well with the philosophy developed by UP.

An opening to the territory

The association seeks to extend its activities to the local area.

In particular, it organizes practices, meetings and training sessions in parks and gardens .

Some of these activities are offered free of charge to allow new people to discover the disciplines.

UP thus defends the idea that sport , school and training must remain accessible.

The association has also developed activities with local communities.

She notably served as artistic director of the Festival delle Arti di Strada in Bra.

This event combined shows, arts, music, children's workshops, internships, training courses and meetings with professionals.

The circus was presented as a practice that promotes observation, responsibility, sharing, and collective life.

Broader educational projects

UP has also participated in various educational projects for children.

The Hi Five For Life program, for example, combines movement, nutrition, sleep, relaxation, gratitude, and community participation.

The school intervenes in the physical and educational dimension.

This activity illustrates UP's desire not to completely separate physical practice, well-being and education.

A person-centered project

The school's project is therefore broader than just learning circus tricks.

Circus disciplines form the starting point for work focused on the individual .

• Children can develop coordination and confidence through juggling or acrobatics.
• The teenager can deepen their technique while learning to better understand their body.
• Adults can discover the circus without the goal of competition or professional performance.

Practitioners who wish to go further also have access to teachers with significant artistic and technical experience.

The structure also historically mentions pathways ranging from amateur practice to a move towards professional practice.

However, UP remains first and foremost a fun , educational and amateur school.

Its appeal lies precisely in this ability to offer a technical circus practice without turning learning into competition .

Juggling, balancing, acrobatics, aerial disciplines, clowning, theatre and dance allow everyone to find a discipline that matches their tastes and abilities.

The school is therefore an interesting place to discover and practice circus arts in the Bra region and more broadly in the province of Cuneo .