UniCiClo – Circus School

UniCiClo is a circus school and cultural center located in Gello, in the municipality of Pontedera, Tuscany.

The project has a particularly original identity since it brings together in one place circus arts education, live performance, circus heritage, social action and the world of clowning.

Its name sums up this philosophy: Uni for Universo , Ci for Circo and Clo for Clown .

UniCiClo now has a veritable permanent Circassian village.

Activities take place in particular under a marquee set up to accommodate classes throughout the year.

The site also includes the Museo del Circo , historic caravans and various spaces dedicated to circus culture.

UniCiClo also hosts artists and creative residencies.

A circus school for all ages

The school is one of the main pillars of the project.

It welcomes children from the age of four, then offers educational continuity throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.

Classes generally follow the school calendar.

They usually start in October and end in June with an end-of-year show.

All regular courses are organised in the Villaggio Circense UniCiClo in Gello.

The marquee is heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer.

The Piccolo Circo (4-6 years old)

The first route is the Piccolo Circo .

It welcomes children aged four to six.

At this age, the goal is not to immediately teach a complex circus technique.

The circus becomes, above all, a tool for psychomotor discovery.

The children explore their bodies in space.

Adapted courses help develop balance, proprioception and coordination.

The first manipulations of objects are also introduced.

Scarves, feathers and soft balls are particularly useful for starting to work on hand-eye coordination.

The social dimension is just as important.

Children learn to function within a group.

They discover listening, waiting their turn, and cooperation.

Clowning and symbolic play allow us to explore imagination and emotions in parallel.

The Circo Bambini (ages 7-10)

The Circo Bambini group then welcomes children aged seven to ten.

Authentic circus techniques are gradually gaining more prominence.

Juggling is practiced with different objects.

The children use, among other things, balls, hoops and diabolo.

Rola-bola allows you to discover balancing.

Ground acrobatics develops physical abilities and body awareness.

Group acrobatics are also introduced.

Children can build human pyramids.

This practice allows you to work on technique and confidence simultaneously.

To achieve a collective performance, each person must be able to support others and accept being supported themselves.

The theatrical dimension remains present.

Expression and clowning improvisation exercises allow children to explore different ways of communicating.

The school's non-competitive philosophy takes on its full importance here.

There is no opponent to beat.

Each student can progress at their own pace.

The diversity of disciplines also allows everyone to find a practice that matches their abilities and personality.

The Circo Ragazzi (ages 11-17)

Teenagers aged eleven to seventeen have a specific program called Circo Ragazzi .

Work is gradually becoming more individualized.

Each young person can delve deeper into the disciplines that particularly interest them.

Juggling can be practiced at a more advanced level.

Aerial fabrics are among the options offered.

Ground acrobatics and aerial acrobatics help develop strength, flexibility and body awareness.

The wire and stilts allow for a deeper exploration of balancing.

Adolescence is also considered a period in which the circus can play a particularly interesting role on a personal level.

UniCiClo aims to offer an environment far removed from the logic of competition.

The mistake is not considered a fault.

It becomes a normal step in the learning process.

This philosophy seeks in particular to reduce the fear of judgment and performance anxiety.

The group plays an important role.

The young people encourage and protect each other.

Practice gradually helps to develop confidence and self-esteem.

Artistic expression also becomes more important.

Theatre and clowning allow us to work on emotions and identity.

Teenagers can create characters and acts.

They gradually learn how to present themselves in front of an audience.

The show thus becomes a natural continuation of the work done during the year.

The adult and student course

UniCiClo also offers a genuine course designed for adults and students.

No particular level of physical fitness is required to begin.

The work includes general physical preparation.

Strengthening, core training and flexibility help prepare the body for different disciplines.

Adults can then discover or deepen their knowledge of aerial techniques.

Fabrics are among the equipment used.

Aerial hoop is offered.

The trapeze completes this family of disciplines.

Juggling also plays an important role.

It is used both for technical training and as a concentration exercise.

Clubs are among the objects that were crafted.

Group acrobatics also helps to develop trust and cooperation among participants.

Diversity at the heart of pedagogy

The diversity of disciplines is an essential element of UniCiClo's pedagogy.

The goal is not necessarily to produce specialists.

On the contrary, the circus allows for a multiplication of experiences.

Juggling, acrobatics, aerial arts, balance, theatre and clowning require very different skills.

A student may experience difficulties in one subject and simultaneously discover real abilities in another.

This diversity helps to build self-esteem.

UniCiClo clearly advocates a circus-based pedagogy.

Learning to juggle or becoming an acrobat is not considered the ultimate goal.

The techniques are used as tools for personal and collective development.

The school seeks in particular to promote social inclusion, equity and psychophysical well-being.

The practice is intentionally non-competitive.

UniCiClo sums up this philosophy with the idea that in the circus no one stays on the sidelines.

Everyone should be able to find their place.

Error management is another fundamental pedagogical principle.

Dropping a ball is not considered a failure.

We have to pick it up and start again.

Repeating this experience helps develop perseverance and resilience.

Psychomotor development and expression

Psychomotor development is also an important objective.

Juggling develops coordination between the eyes and hands, as well as laterality.

Acrobatics develops proprioception and body awareness.

Balance requires concentration and control.

Aerial disciplines allow one to work on the relationship with height and fear.

Clowning and physical expression develop another dimension.

Students learn to recognize and express their emotions.

They are experimenting with different forms of non-verbal communication.

Interventions in schools

This teaching method is not limited to students who regularly attend school.

UniCiClo also intervenes directly in schools.

For preschools, circus-based motor skills workshops are offered.

They use psychomotor skills, coordination, imagination and group games.

In primary school, children discover basic juggling, balancing, and acrobatics.

Concentration, perseverance, and error management are among the educational objectives.

In secondary school, the subjects become more complex.

The work aims in particular to develop mutual trust, responsibility and creativity.

UniCiClo also develops projects using clowns in schools.

The project around the red nose allows us to address issues such as harassment, exclusion and the management of emotions.

Humour is then used as an educational tool.

Philosophy, in particular, consists of learning to laugh with others rather than laughing at others .

The Social Circus

UniCiClo's social activity constitutes another major dimension of the project.

The structure has a genuine Social Circus program.

Circus arts are used there as an educational tool with people facing different forms of vulnerability.

Interventions are explicitly developed around disability.

The circus then allows us to work from the available abilities of each participant.

Sensory and motor stimulation is adapted to the people being accompanied.

The goal is to allow a new experience of the body in a playful and empowering context.

UniCiClo also develops projects aimed at young people facing situations of social or academic marginalization.

Circus arts are used to work on resilience, self-discipline and trust within the group.

Collaborations are being carried out with day centers, family homes, communities and structures in the social sector.

Some of these paths lead to performances open to the public.

This feedback helps to recognize the participants and create a link with the community.

The social circus is therefore not simply a statement of intent.

It constitutes a clearly identified area among UniCiClo's activities.

Clown therapy

Clown therapy represents another pillar of the project.

Clown Dottori intervene in different contexts using the tools of clowning, listening and play.

This activity naturally complements the social and educational dimension of the center.

A cultural and heritage activity

UniCiClo also has a genuine cultural activity.

The big top hosts shows.

Mornings are specially organized for schools.

Live performance then becomes an educational tool in itself.

Students can discover professional productions and then meet the artists.

These exchanges help to understand the work, training and perseverance required behind a circus discipline.

The productions can also address social themes such as ecology, inclusion or overcoming fears.

The Museo del Circo adds yet another dimension.

The venue allows the history and culture of the circus to be transmitted alongside its contemporary practice.

The presence of historic caravans and heritage elements helps to create a true circus environment.

For a child attending school, the circus is therefore not just a weekly sporting activity.

It takes place in a location dedicated to this entire culture.

The presence of artist residencies also creates a link with the professional world.

Artists can work and create in the same environment as the students.

However, this does not mean that UniCiClo is a higher professional school.

Regular classes are clearly intended for amateur, educational and inclusive practice.

There is no annual selective course available in the current offering that is comparable to preparatory or professional training.

The project's true value lies elsewhere.

UniCiClo is a true resource center for circus and clowning.

A place open to all

• The school welcomes children from the age of four.
• It allows it to continue throughout childhood and adolescence.
• Adults also have their own route.
• Schools can benefit from educational workshops and shows.
• Social structures can develop suitable projects.
• People with disabilities can participate in interventions specifically designed around their abilities.
• Artists can find a space for creation.
• The public can discover shows and the heritage of the circus.

This combination makes UniCiClo particularly interesting for the NetJuggler directory.

It is at once an amateur circus school, an educational circus venue, a social and adapted circus actor, and a cultural center dedicated to circus arts.

Its location under a real big top in Gello further reinforces its identity.

UniCiClo thus offers the inhabitants of the territory of Pontedera and more broadly of Tuscany a place to learn, practice, create, discover and share the circus arts in an environment based on cooperation, inclusion and the pleasure of progressing together.