VisionAria – Scuola di Circo e Danza Aerea

VisionAria is a contemporary circus school, aerial dance and professional company located in Ancona , in the Marche region.

Origins and development

The project was founded in 2008 by Valeria Mastropasqua .

From its beginnings, VisionAria has specialized particularly in aerial dance and research around the suspended body .

The project gradually developed through the collaboration of artists from different disciplines.

Circus performers, dancers, actors, musicians, composers and creators all contribute to the artistic identity of VisionAria.

This multidisciplinary approach remains one of the main characteristics of the structure today.

Artistic and pedagogical philosophy

VisionAria views contemporary circus as an artistic language rather than a simple demonstration of virtuosity.

The technique remains indispensable.

But it must allow the artist to develop a personal way of expressing themselves.

This philosophy is directly reflected in the school's teaching.

Technical training is constantly associated with creative work and improvisation .

Students are encouraged to explore their own movements.

They learn to gradually build an artistic presence .

This approach applies to both individual and collective work.

The end of the year therefore does not simply result in a traditional demonstration show.

VisionAria seeks to build a true creation with its students.

The learning acquired during the year is integrated into a collective artistic project.

Aerial disciplines

Aerial dance has historically been the school's great specialty.

• Aerial fabric plays a particularly important role.
• The trapeze is also taught.
• Aerial rope is another regular discipline.
• The aerial hoop completes this offering.
• Vertical dance is finally one of VisionAria's characteristic specialties.

This discipline notably uses vertical surfaces as choreographic space.

The usual relationship with the ground is then completely transformed.

The performer can move around on a facade or wall thanks to a suspension system.

This use of vertical space constitutes one of the company's artistic research axes.

Training designed for children

VisionAria does not, however, limit its activity to aerial disciplines.

Since 2011 , the school has also been developing a genuine circus training program for children.

Children can start from the age of three .

The approach is therefore intentionally multidisciplinary.

• Aerial acrobatics is associated with ground acrobatics .
• Juggling is also introduced.
• Balancing acts complete the program.

This diversity allows children to discover several families of circus arts before possibly developing a specialization.

The practice helps to develop coordination and body awareness.

It also develops strength and mobility.

Balance is another important skill to learn.

Children gradually learn to manage their bodies in unusual situations.

Height introduces an additional dimension.

Aerial disciplines require understanding one's body in three-dimensional space.

This characteristic develops a different perception of movement.

Teenagers and adults

VisionAria also welcomes teenagers .

They can gradually deepen their aerial practice.

Teachers adapt the content to the technical level of each group.

Adults also have a particularly well-developed range of options.

Beginner courses allow participants to discover aerial disciplines.

More experienced practitioners can progress to advanced levels.

VisionAria also organizes intensive training courses .

These internships allow you to work with artists and educators with national and international experience.

The organization states that it offers training to both amateurs and professionals .

The teaching staff

This openness towards professional artists constitutes an important dimension of VisionAria.

The teaching staff itself includes several professional artists.

Alejandro Peña, training director

Alejandro Peña is currently in charge of the training program.

An artist, teacher, director and producer in the field of circus arts, he has international experience in training professional artists.

He also founded the Rayuela circus company.

His teaching approach seeks to enable each student to develop skills that are unique to them.

Therefore, training does not consist of exactly reproducing the teacher's style.

It seeks to provide the necessary tools for the development of a personal artistic identity.

Valeria Mastropasqua, founder

Valeria Mastropasqua herself has a particularly comprehensive background.

Before founding VisionAria, she trained in dance, physical theatre and circus arts.

She graduated from the Corso Superiore di Nuovo Circo of the Scuola di Teatro Galante Garrone in Bologna.

She studied dance, acrobatics, clowning, mime, theatre, trapeze, aerial silks, balancing and juggling.

She then furthered her studies in aerial disciplines with international schools and artists.

Her training took her to France , Germany and Argentina , among other places.

• She studied the fixed, swinging and flying trapeze .
• She also specialized in aerial silks and vertical dance .

His professional background includes collaborations with various Italian and European companies.

She has notably worked alongside artists from Cirque du Soleil .

This professional experience directly informs the educational project of VisionAria.

Valeria Mastropasqua also has a university degree in psychology .

She also has a degree in dance-movement therapy .

This dual artistic and psychophysical experience influences her approach to aerial dance.

She develops a methodology that seeks to link technique, expression, creation and communication.

The other team members

The current team also includes several artists who themselves began or deepened their journey within VisionAria.

Michela Marchetti, for example, has extensive training in classical, modern and contemporary dance.

She then turned to dance theatre before discovering VisionAria.

She gradually specialized in aerial disciplines.

The trapeze became his main discipline.

She also completed numerous internships with international artists.

Linda Cecconi also combines contemporary dance and aerial arts.

She teaches teenagers, among other things, hoop and aerial silks .

She has a specific certification in aerial hoop.

Elisa Sampaolesi joined VisionAria in 2018 after experience in artistic gymnastics and competitive swimming.

She specialized in aerial fabrics.

Since 2023 , she has been teaching, in particular, beginner adults and teenagers.

His approach places particular emphasis on building solid technical foundations and on security .

The culture of security

This concept of safety occupies a particularly important place throughout the school.

VisionAria does not want students to use the equipment without understanding the technical aspects surrounding its use.

Participants are therefore made aware of the correct installation and use of the equipment.

Working at height does indeed involve particular constraints.

Students are gradually given more responsibility.

They learn that mastering a move is not enough.

Understanding the equipment and practice conditions is an integral part of the training.

This safety culture is particularly important for advanced students and future artists.

A suitable permanent space

Since September 2020 , VisionAria has had a permanent space specially adapted to these disciplines.

The school is located in Via Diomede Gabrielli in Ancona, in the Centro Mirum area.

It offers enough space to develop genuine technical progress.

Advanced practitioners can thus work on movements that require more height.

The space also helps to maintain the artistic and creative dimension sought by the school.

The professional company

The professional company constitutes the other major component of VisionAria.

The shows regularly blend several disciplines.

Aerial dance naturally constitutes their primary language.

But the company also uses acrobatics, juggling and other circus techniques.

The Cyr wheel appears, for example, in some creations.

Theatre and dance are frequently associated with the circus.

Video can also be embedded.

Music plays a role in the dramaturgy of the shows.

This desire to combine different artistic languages directly corresponds to the philosophy of the school.

Students therefore develop in an environment where the disciplines they learn are used in real professional creations.

Dissemination of contemporary circus

VisionAria also develops a significant activity in the dissemination of contemporary circus in Ancona.

Since 2016 , the organization has co-organized Tout le Cirque with the Gruppo Teatrale Recremisi .

This program is dedicated to circus theatre.

It has enabled Ancona to host many renowned Italian companies.

• Circo El Grito
• Teatro Necessario
• Nando e Maila
• Circo in Valigia and various Italian artists.

VisionAria thus contributes to raising awareness of contemporary circus among the local public.

This activity naturally complements schoolwork.

Students can discover other artists and other aesthetics.

They can understand that contemporary circus encompasses a very wide diversity of forms.

The Charivari Festival

VisionAria also develops the Charivari Festival , an international circus festival.

This event brings together shows, workshops, professional meetings and opportunities for discussion.

Artists from Italy and several foreign countries are participating.

The workshops are aimed at professionals, students and enthusiasts.

They allow us to discover new techniques and new forms of body language.

Conferences also address the place of the circus in contemporary society.

The social circus is among the topics discussed.

A hub dedicated to contemporary circus

This activity confirms that VisionAria goes far beyond the scope of a simple leisure school.

Today, the structure constitutes a true hub dedicated to contemporary circus in Ancona.

Training, creation, production and distribution are directly linked to it.

• Children can discover circus arts from the age of three.
• Adolescents can gradually develop a specialization.
• Adults can begin or deepen their practice.
• Professional artists can participate in advanced training courses and workshops.

The school has a space specifically adapted for aerial disciplines.

His team combines professional artists and educators with international backgrounds.

Aerial silks, trapeze, rope, hoop and vertical dance are VisionAria's main specialties.

Ground acrobatics, juggling and balancing complement the multidisciplinary teaching aimed particularly at children.

Artistic creation and improvisation are present throughout the entire process.

Finally, attention to safety and technical understanding of the equipment is a particularly important dimension of the training.

Founded in 2008 and still active in 2026 , VisionAria represents one of the reference structures for aerial dance and contemporary circus in the Marche region.