Bachelor’s Degree Program in Contemporary Circus Artist

Theoretical Subjects

The Cirko Vertigo Foundation’s Degree Program in Contemporary Circus is divided into over 20 practical and theoretical subjects.

The following is a list of theoretical subjects covered during the academic program:

Critical Analysis of Creative Works
Dramaturgy and Research Elements
Hygiene, Workplace Safety, and Rigging
ICT
French Language
Organization and Economics of Entertainment
Principles of Anatomy, Biomechanics, and Dietetics
Psychology of Sport and Performance
Direction, Choreography, and Elements of Creation
Sociology of Equal Opportunities and Sustainable Development
History of Circus
History of Theater
History of Dance
Communication and Marketing Techniques, Digital and Multimedia Technologies, Use of Social Networks
Technology of Arts and Entertainment (Lighting, Sound, Scenography)
Costume Theory and Technique
Makeup Theory and Technique
Phonation Theory and Technique
Music Theory and Technique

Practical Subjects

Practical subjects are at the heart of the training offered by the Cirko Vertigo Foundation’s Degree Program in Contemporary Circus:

Physical preparation, flexibility, and yoga
Theater and interpretation
Classical and contemporary dance
Floor acrobatics
Acrodance
Hand to hand
Specialized circus techniques. These are divided into:

BALANCING AREA
Cyr Wheel
Tight wire
Slack rope
Chinese pole
Trapeze Washington
Free ladder
Handstands
Juggling
Straps
Acrodance
Unicycle

AERIAL DISCIPLINES AREA
Silks
Rope
Hoop
Dance trapeze
Static trapeze
Net
Multiple rope
Hammock

Admission Requirements

To participate in the selection process, you must be at least 18 years old, have completed a secondary school education or a professional diploma, and have a certificate of fitness for sports. Applications for in-person selections are open from early February to late May. The following documents must be submitted via the platform found at the following link: CIRKO VERTIGO ACADEMY APPLICATION PLATFORM: 1) Cover letter 2) Curriculum vitae 3) Copy of qualifications 4) Full-length photo 5) Passport photo 6) Certificate of fitness for sports 7) Copy of a valid ID card or passport.

Recognition of Foreign Qualifications

The Bachelor’s Degree in Contemporary Circus is equivalent to the Bachelor’s Degree in DAMS (Class L-03) as recognized by MUR Decree No. 0001057 of September 5, 2022. For this reason, to enroll, students must first demonstrate that they have completed 12 years of primary and secondary school (no less). The table attached to this link lists all the types of diplomas accepted for university admission.
Where the note “Check additional requirements for qualifications obtained with less than 12 years of schooling” is present, you must request CONSULAR LEGALIZATION or APOSTILLE (for countries that have signed the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961) and, in any case, a DECLARATION OF VALUE (which will not be issued without legalization). If these indicate a course of study lasting less than 12 years, you must prove the missing year of education either by holding a subsequent qualification (degree or post-diploma professional training) or by having completed at least one full academic year. The Declaration of Value for your secondary school diploma must be requested from the Italian Embassy or the Italian Consulate (Study Office) in your country of origin.
If, however, the secondary school diploma is accepted (i.e. there is no note “Verify additional requirements for qualifications obtained with less than 12 years of schooling”), it is necessary to request CONSULAR LEGALIZATION or APOSTILLE (for countries that have signed the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961), but NOT the Declaration of Value.

To find out which countries have signed the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents and identify the body that issues the apostille, follow this link.

For all information on recovering academic credits and for the new three-year program (Bachelor’s Degree – BAC + 3), please contact our Academy.

Selection Process

To apply for the selection tests, you must register on the online platform, enter your information, and submit the required documents.

Admission to the course is subject to passing the selection tests. The in-person selection tests are held every year in early June at the Cirko Vertigo Foundation, Parco Culturale Le Serre, Via Tiziano Lanza 31 in Grugliasco (Turin). Each candidate will receive an email from the Foundation by early June containing the date and time of their appointment and the rules and regulations to follow.

The selection process includes:

• Acrobatics, dance, and theater tests.
• Physical preparation tests (strength, flexibility, endurance).
• Presentation of an individual artistic act (maximum 2 minutes), specifying in advance which apparatus will be used and whether it must be made available by the school or whether the candidate will use their own. It is also essential to submit an MP3 file with the music they intend to use for the act.
• Individual orientation interview: the prospective student’s educational background, motivations and expectations, personal and professional goals.

Anyone who believes they have already reached an intermediate level of technical ability and would like to apply directly to the second year of the program can submit their application by submitting the same documents required for the first-year selection process, specifying in their cover letter that they are applying for the second year of the program, and including any circus-related certifications or courses completed.
For further information, please write to selezione@cirkovertigo.com.

The Cirko Vertigo Academy joins the Erasmus+ program with the UNICA project.

“I am pleased to share that the EUROPEAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EACEA),” commented Director General Paolo Stratta, “has awarded the Cirko Vertigo Academy the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) 2021-2027. The UNICA – University of Italy for Circus Artists project, which the Cirko Vertigo Foundation submitted to obtain the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, was positively evaluated. This certification allows the Cirko Vertigo Academy to carry out exchange and collaboration activities at the European and international level with other higher education institutions within the Erasmus+ program“.

Erasmus Charter for Higher Education

Regulation (EU) No. 2021/817 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021

Erasmus Program Guide here https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-programme-guide

For Information erasmus@cirkovertigo.com

As part of its policy to support Academy students, the Cirko Vertigo Foundation awards scholarships for the following academic year by June 30th of each academic year.

The number of scholarships and their amount vary and depend on available funds.

The call for applications for scholarships is published on this website by January 31st of each year and is advertised in the news section.

“The circus is the only spectacle I know that, while one watches it, has the quality of a happy dream”
Ernest Hemingway

At the end of the three-year program, contemporary circus artists will possess skills applicable to various professional fields and be eligible to join professional companies (theater, dance, contemporary circus, traditional circus, street theater). They will also be able to collaborate as authors and/or performers with companies, events agencies, and social or commercial entertainment. Finally, they will be able to apply the technical skills acquired in television or film production.

Upon completion of the professional Circus Arts Teacher course, teachers will have the tools necessary to found circus schools or continue their training as teachers in circus schools or as social circus operators.