Un Salt al Circ – Banyoles & Olot

Un Salt al Circ is a non-profit cultural association dedicated to circus arts, training, stage creation and social circus, mainly based in Banyoles and Olot, in Catalonia.

For more than ten years, the project has been developing a concept of circus that goes beyond purely technical learning.

Circus and performing arts are used as tools to grow, create, play, develop confidence and build relationships with others .

Over a thousand children, teenagers and adults have participated in the various projects developed by the association over the years.

Training

Today, Salt al Circ has several complementary training spaces and formats.

The Aula of Aeris

The Aula d'Aeris in Banyoles is one of the main training venues for children and adolescents.

A second Aula d'Aeris is being developed in Olot.

These spaces offer artistic training combining aerial disciplines, acrobatics, theatre and stage creation.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial disciplines occupy a particularly important place in the project.

• Aerial silks are among the main apparatus used.
• Trapeze is also practiced.
• The aerial hoop complements this training.
• Rope climbing is one of the disciplines offered to students.

Learning is not just about reproducing shapes.

Students learn to link movements and gradually develop their own relationship with the apparatus.

Physical conditioning and acrobatics

Physical conditioning accompanies this technical progression.

Floor acrobatics helps develop strength, coordination, mobility and body awareness .

The training may also incorporate balancing on objects, juggling and object manipulation.

Theatre and stage production

Theatre and theatrical games occupy an important place in pedagogy.

They allow for the development of expression, presence, and creativity .

The techniques learned gradually become tools for constructing artistic proposals.

This approach naturally leads to the work of creating a stage production.

Students participate in shows and presentations to demonstrate to the public the work developed during the year.

End-of-course performances are notably presented in cultural facilities across the region.

The Young Collective

Young people wishing to further their artistic journey can join the Col·lectiu Jove.

This stable creative group is intended for young people who grew up within the Aula d'Aeris and wish to deepen their relationship with circus creation.

Access is granted upon proposal by the teaching staff.

The participants are not only working on preparing a show.

They experiment with different forms of creation, build their own pieces and share training and stage experiences.

The project thus seeks to gradually guide young people towards greater artistic autonomy .

Adult practice and the Nau d'Assaig

Salt al Circ also offers a significant activity for adults.

The Nau d'Assaig de Banyoles forms the heart of this practice.

It hosts regular classes in various circus disciplines.

Adults can also participate in intensive courses and monographic workshops.

Guest artists regularly intervene to further explore certain circus techniques or practices related to movement.

A self-service training area

Nau d'Assaig also functions as an autonomous training space.

Participants aged sixteen and over can access open training sessions when they have the necessary autonomy.

They can use the facilities and some of the available equipment.

• The space includes landing mats and various aerial apparatus .
• Fabrics, trapezes, hoops and rope are among the available equipment.
• Artists can also bring their own equipment when technical conditions allow.

This training opportunity transforms the Nau into a true meeting point for the local circus community .

Adult students, young people, artists and companies can share the same space there.

A place for creation and residence

La Nau also hosts creative processes.

Artists and companies can rehearse and develop new projects there.

Residencies and laboratories provide time and space for experimentation.

The projects can then be presented to the public.

Cabarets are regularly organized.

They allow students, artists and people involved in the project to present short pieces and works in progress.

These encounters help to link learning, training and live performance.

Creative work thus constitutes a true extension of education.

The social circus

In parallel, Salt al Circ develops a significant social circus activity.

The association explicitly uses circus arts as educational, community and inclusive tools.

The projects seek to create links between people and to open up new opportunities for participation.

• The association works particularly with schools .
• It also collaborates with municipal services and cultural facilities .
• This territorial presence allows the circus to be used in contexts far exceeding weekly classes.

The association's statutes give significant importance to social inclusion .

The project aims in particular to promote the participation of people at risk of exclusion.

Cultural, educational and artistic activities then become tools for integration and building relationships.

Social circus is explicitly used as a resource for integration in the Pla de l'Estany territory.

The association also develops projects dedicated to young people.

This social dimension is directly associated with the cultural and artistic dimension.

The goal is not to separate artistic practice and social action, but to make the circus a common space for learning, creating and participating .

A pedagogy based on autonomy and collaboration

The pedagogy places great importance on autonomy .

• Participants gradually learn to understand their bodies and master the techniques practiced.
• Creativity is encouraged.
• Critical thinking is also among the values developed.
• Working collectively promotes mutual support.

Students learn to progress in an environment where participants can support each other.

This practice allows for the simultaneous development of physical, artistic, personal and social skills.

Educational leisure activities and holiday activities

Activities for children and teenagers are complemented by educational leisure projects.

Salt al Circ organizes, among other things, casals and activities during the holidays.

These projects combine circus, play, performing arts, creativity and sometimes the discovery of nature.

They allow practice in a format different from that of weekly classes.

The circus continues to be used as a tool for discovery and collective life.

A strong local presence

A Salt al Circ has a particularly strong territorial connection.

The Nau d'Assaig de Banyoles constitutes the headquarters and heart of the project.

From Banyoles, the association develops actions in the Pla de l'Estany and maintains a significant presence in Olot at the same time.

Networking with schools, municipalities, public services and cultural structures ensures continuity between education, leisure, creation and community action.

The association thus participates in the structuring of the circus in the counties of Girona .

• His activity allows children and teenagers to discover aerial arts and circus in an educational setting.
• Young people can continue their journey towards more developed creative projects.
• Adults have access to courses and workshops.
• Independent practitioners have access to a training area.
• Artists and companies can work, rehearse and develop their creations.
• Schools and social partners can finally use circus arts in educational and community projects.

This continuity between training, creation, autonomous practice and social circus constitutes one of the main characteristics of Un Salt al Circ.

The project thus contributes to making the circus an accessible artistic tool allowing people to learn, create, develop confidence and build relationships with others.