Traumatic Arts is a contemporary circus school founded in 2012 in Zagreb, Croatia, by Martina Pavlović. It offers regular classes for children, teenagers, and adults, primarily at its studio in the Zagreb Exhibition Center, as well as at two other locations in the city. Its curriculum includes aerial silks, aerial hoop, aerial hammock, ground acrobatics, acroyoga, juggling, and manipulative arts such as poi and fans. The organization also runs specialized workshops, creative workshops, children's art camps, and end-of-year performances. Its Traumatic Arts Entertainment branch produces professional shows combining aerial acrobatics, dance, juggling, and performing arts. Active during the 2026-2027 season, Traumatic Arts combines amateur training, technical development, and contemporary artistic creation.
Traumatic Arts is a Croatian artistic association founded in 2012 in Zagreb by Martina Pavlović. Specializing in contemporary circus arts, it has been developing teaching, stage creation and show production activities for over thirteen years.
The association welcomes children, teenagers, and adults wishing to discover circus arts or deepen their existing skills. It offers regular classes, specialized workshops, training courses, and artistic projects combining acrobatics, dance, object manipulation, and physical expression.
The school has a main studio within the Zagreb Exhibition Park, in pavilion 25 of the Zagrebački velesajam, as well as two partner teaching locations in the Maksimir and Dubrava districts.
Aerial acrobatics form the historical core of Traumatic Arts.
From its inception, the association has been particularly involved in the development of aerial silks in Croatia. This discipline, called "ples na svili", combines acrobatic movements, dance and artistic expression on two long suspended strips of fabric.
The courses allow participants to progressively develop the physical qualities necessary for the practice: strength , coordination, mobility, flexibility and body control.
The training includes working on holds, climbs, suspended positions, and transitions between figures. Depending on their level and abilities, students can then tackle more complex sequences and develop their own choreographic expression.
Aerial silks play a significant role in the association's three teaching locations. It is accessible to children and adults in the main studio and in the Dubrava district, while the Maksimir program is geared towards children.
Traumatic Arts also offers aerial hoop classes, called "zračni ring" or "zračni obruč" in Croatian.
This suspended metal apparatus allows for balancing positions, acrobatic figures, and movement sequences. Practice develops upper body strength, stability, coordination, and the ability to control movement in space.
The association also teaches aerial hammock, or "aerial hammock", consisting of a wide strip of fabric suspended from two attachment points.
This apparatus forms a loop which allows for working on suspended positions, choreographic movements and acrobatic transitions.
Both disciplines are offered in the main studio at Velesajam and in the children's program at Maksimir.
The association also features aerial rope and trapeze among the circus techniques it teaches through its activities. However, their inclusion in the 2026-2027 weekly program is not yet confirmed; these disciplines should rather be considered part of its existing expertise and specialized workshops.
Traumatic Arts teaching is not limited to suspended apparatus.
The school also offers ground acrobatics , allowing the development of physical and technical skills useful for many circus disciplines.
The exercises can involve work on balance, support, bridges, movements and acrobatic figures adapted to the abilities of the practitioners.
Acroyoga is another component of the program. This practice combines elements of yoga, acrobatics, and partner work.
It is based in particular on achieving balanced positions in pairs or groups, developing coordination, communication, trust and cooperation.
These disciplines are taught in the association's main studio, alongside aerial activities.
They allow students to diversify their practice and explore circus movement beyond suspension techniques.
Traumatic Arts also offers juggling and object manipulation activities.
These practices develop coordination, rhythm, concentration, and creativity.
The association showcases, in particular, the movement arts, or "flow arts", which use accessories such as poi and fans.
These disciplines combine manipulation, dance, and the pursuit of fluidity. They allow for the creation of sequences based on the trajectories of objects, the relationship to music, and the quality of movement.
Object manipulation can also be integrated into stage productions, collective performances, or specific workshops.
Traumatic Arts also has experience in stilt walking and various forms of circus entertainment.
These skills broaden its scope of activity beyond aerial arts and contribute to its identity as a multidisciplinary contemporary circus structure.
Traumatic Arts offers activities adapted to several audiences.
Children can discover aerial disciplines and circus techniques in a group setting, through a progression that takes into account their physical abilities and experience.
The association also develops programs for teenagers and adults, whether they are beginners or already engaged in regular practice.
The teaching combines physical preparation, technical learning and creativity.
Students are encouraged to discover their physical capabilities, develop their coordination, and progress in mastering the figures.
The artistic dimension plays an important role: the techniques learned can be used to build sequences, interpret music or participate in a collective creation.
The courses thus aim at physical development as well as self-confidence, personal expression and the pleasure of practicing.
Traumatic Arts' main studio is located at the Zagreb Exhibition Centre, in Pavilion 25, within the XXL Teretana space.
This venue hosts aerial activities on fabric, hoop and hammock, but also ground-based disciplines, including acrobatics, acroyoga and juggling.
The association also operates at the Maksimir Centre for Culture and Information, located at Švarcova 18. In this space, aerial courses are intended for children.
A third teaching location is set up in the XIIth Zagreb Secondary School, at Međugorska 42, in the Dubrava district. It hosts aerial silks classes for children and adults.
This organization allows Traumatic Arts to offer its activities in several districts of the Croatian capital.
The 2026-2027 season is announced on the official website, with a registration procedure including the possibility of participating in a trial class.
In addition to its regular courses, Traumatic Arts organizes workshops to further explore certain circus techniques.
In March 2026, the association notably hosted a session dedicated to aerial rope , led by the artist Gaia Santuccio on the occasion of its fourteenth anniversary.
This workshop allowed members to discover or perfect rope movement techniques, while exploring the relationship between body control and artistic expression.
These meetings offer participants the opportunity to work with external speakers and discover new approaches.
They also contribute to the improvement of experienced practitioners and the circulation of knowledge within the circus community.
Traumatic Arts also develops educational activities outside of Zagreb.
In 2026, the association organised the ARTeNATIVA project, an art camp for children, programmed from June 25 to July 1 near Rovinj, in Istria.
The program combined aerial acrobatics on fabric and other apparatus, dance techniques, ground acrobatics, flow arts, improvisation and collective creation.
The participants were accompanied by instructors Andrea and Martina, with the intervention of Borna Peček for acrobatics and Lea Komel, who came from Pula, for manipulation arts.
The project included technical workshops, improvisation sessions, and creative activities.
It concluded with the preparation of a short group performance allowing the children to present the work done during their stay.
This initiative illustrates Traumatic Arts' interest in intensive educational formats, combining several disciplines and a stage creation approach.
Traumatic Arts also places great importance on public presentations.
The association organizes performances allowing students to showcase the techniques and sequences learned during the year.
These events constitute a step in their educational journey, offering them the opportunity to discover stage work, the relationship with the public and the preparation of a collective performance.
In June 2026, Traumatic Arts presented the show "Traumatic's Got Talent" at the KNAP Theatre in Zagreb.
A publication from July 2026 also looks back on the end-of-season performance and the progress made by participants in aerial silks, hoop, acroyoga, juggling and other disciplines.
These projects help to link regular training to a concrete artistic approach.
Alongside its educational activities, the association has developed Traumatic Arts Entertainment , a branch dedicated to the production of professional shows and performances.
This activity includes aerial acrobatics, dance performances, fire shows, stilt walking, object manipulation, and visual creations.
The collective performs at festivals, cultural events, public demonstrations and private shows.
Among his productions are "Black & Gold Cabaret" , a show combining cabaret, dance and contemporary circus, as well as creations such as "Šuma s tri bora" and "Inspirantika".
The performance team includes Ana Perišić, specializing in several aerial apparatus, Mirta Korać Halliday, who combines contemporary dance and object manipulation, as well as Tina Radić, an aerial artist practicing in particular silks and hoop.
These artists are identified as performers in the performing arts sector; their participation in regular teaching is not established for each of them.
Traumatic Arts is identified by the European professional network Circostrada as a structure combining circus school, artistic training and performance activity.
Since its creation in 2012, it has participated in the development of aerial practices and contemporary circus in Zagreb.
The association has gradually expanded its offering, moving from a strong specialization in aerial silks to a program including several apparatus, ground disciplines and manipulation arts.
Its operation combines transmission to amateurs, advanced workshops, creations with students and professional shows.
In 2026, its activity is confirmed by regular courses, specialized workshops, the ARTeNATIVA camp and public performances.
Traumatic Arts is an important address for people wishing to discover or practice circus arts in Zagreb.
The association welcomes children and adults in several teaching locations and offers technical training focused on aerial acrobatics, complemented by ground acrobatics, acroyoga, juggling and manipulation arts.
His teaching method combines physical practice, technical progression, creativity and stage expression.
Thanks to its specialized workshops and professional production branch, it also offers a stimulating artistic environment for advanced practitioners.
Traumatic Arts can thus be presented as an associative school of contemporary circus and leisure, with a complementary activity of artistic development and professional creation.