Teaching Workshop: Workshop Studying the Circus

The workshop "Circus Study Days" is based on a full immersion in the world of circus, an art that has inspired painters, poets, directors and which still today expresses some of the most interesting realities of live entertainment, from Cirque du Soleil to the street theatre avant-garde and to the legendary tents of classical circus. Students will meet Italian and international performers, companies, historians and professionals of the sector. They will have the opportunity to dialogue with the protagonists of the circus of our time and to attend performances and live shows, as well as to take part in a practical juggling workshop (for which no previous preparation is necessary). One of the central themes of the 2022 edition is the relationship between the circus and the concept of rebirth: since ancient times, the popular show has been able to face plagues, conflicts and social upheavals by proposing from time to time an escape route but also a joyful model to start again towards the future; even today, in times of pandemics and wars, the circus is a "laboratory of human resistance", an incubator of original artistic forms that often go hand in hand with new forms of civil coexistence. All the activities are coordinated by Professor Alessandro Serena, who will present a historical insight into the circus, its disciplines and the different forms it has taken over time and by Nicola Campostori, scientific director of Open Circus, a circus culture diffusion project supported by the Ministry of Culture. Students will find all the information and updates on the website www.opencircus.it.