Canada is one of the countries with the greatest prominence and investment in circus. It is also a reference in professional training and research, with specific higher education courses in the area. Brazil, on the other hand, trains artists in hundreds of tent circuses throughout the territory and in art schools. There is no university course, but it is here that children learn fabric, juggling, acrobatics and other circus specialties from an early age in regular schools, social projects and cultural spaces. Canada seeks pedagogical practice based on Brazilian knowledge and the ability, with low investment, to do “a lot with little”. Brazil wants to learn management, professional training and efficient public policies. It was precisely from these differences that academic cooperation took shape. Academic exchanges between Unicamp and Canadian higher education institutions, such as the University of Manitoba and the National Circus School of Montreal (NCS), marked the first semester of this year. Marco AC Bortoleto, professor at the Department of Physical Education and Humanities at the Faculty of Physical Education (FEF), participated in a series of activities, the central question of which is how to teach circus to different audiences and ages. The professor traveled at the invitation of Patrice Aubertin, from the National Circus School of Montreal, and Patrick Leroux, professor at Concordia University and member of the Montreal National Circus School Research Center (Cripac). In addition to the fieldwork, lasting one semester and carried out in partnership with Dean Kriellars, from the University of Manitoba, we took advantage of the opportunity for four postgraduate students - Lua Barreto, Camila Ribeiro, Rodrigo Mallet and Leonora Cardani - to participate in an intensive summer seminar, promoted by Leroux for fifteen days in July. The group met with 18 other students from 12 countries, interested in improving their research on contemporary circus.
Postgraduate students immersed in theory and practice
In the morning, classes and lectures. In the afternoon, practical activities and development of the pieces themselves. At night, shows from renowned companies, followed by debates. The rush and intensity of the course strengthened research bonds and common goals among students. Dancers, musicians, theater artists, circus artists, video producers from Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, the United States, Canada, Colombia and Brazil were able to share experiences and develop actions upon returning to their home universities. “Researchers from Unicamp with extensive experience in circus and especially physical education must contribute to continuing relations between our research centers”, confirms Leroux. The course was taught 100% in English and French. “We received bibliography recommendations even before boarding to begin preparation in circus dramaturgy, research and creation.” The classes had a seminar format with a final practical group activity. “The union of research and art resulted in rich presentations and, in a way, outside our comfort zone”, comments master’s student Leonora. The differences in circus practice between the two countries caught the attention of Lua Barreto, a doctoral student, although national schools were created at the same time: the beginning of the 80s. “There they have an apparatus which in Brazil does not exist. On the other hand, we can reach very good levels with the little we have. There are Brazilian artists in the biggest circuses in the world, even without dedicating themselves fully to classes because they have to balance a profitable activity”, he analyzes. Interaction with artistic directors was also part of the immersion. Not by chance the seminar was organized together with the Montréal Complètement Cirque, biggest festival in the country, with daily shows from the world's main companies.
See one of the shows at Montréal Complètement Cirque 2018:
Circus at school: greater sociability and physical activity
Brazilian pioneering in teaching circus in regular schools aroused the interest of Cripac, in order to evaluate changes in the behavior and teaching-learning of young children. After all, in Canada, learning acrobatics, trapeze or juggling early in formal education is new. However, the presence of a circus-school research professional, external to the local culture and with pedagogical experience, would be necessary. Bortoleto accepted the proposal and reports on the experience.
SEC: What was Unicamp’s participation in the research?
Bortoleto: Research on the circus as a pedagogical tool in Canadian schools is a project for the next seven years. The stage I participated in was from February to July this year. During this period, I collected data and carried out analyzes to qualify the educators’ performance. Researchers are studying circus teaching at twelve schools to assess motor, psychological and social impacts. If the results are really positive, the idea is to propose that all regular schools in Canada can offer classes in a few years, with support from the Ministry of Education. The analysis involves multiple aspects, as we work in a network with psychologists, pedagogues, sociologists, doctors, physical education professionals, playwrights.
SEC: What are the preliminary perceptions in Canadian preschools that have started to adopt circus practices in the curriculum?
Bortoleto: The participation rate in physical education has always been low, not exceeding 60%. After a year and a half of circus as a curricular content in schools, the rate rose between 85% and 88%. Teachers highlighted that the fact that it is not a competitive activity in essence and, at the same time, has several possibilities may have increased children's collaboration. Effective participation, that is, the time they spend doing activities, was also greater, which also means less sedentary lifestyle and greater interest. In that first year, we observed around 600 students aged five to eight. In 2019, we will monitor the activities of children aged eight to ten. The question we seek to answer is “do we have to change the pedagogy, teach different things in different age groups, so that these rates are maintained or increase even further?”
SEC: What are the advantages of teaching circus from an early age in schools?
Bortoleto: The circus brings physical education and art together. It stimulates creativity, innovation, resilience, which is the ability to resist difficulties and build solutions. It can also contribute to cooperation and trust between colleagues. This happens in juggling, acrobatics, trapeze and unicycle classes, for example. Our studies show that when teaching circus in schools, the gender difference almost disappears. The practice of sport, in general, is marked by gender differences. In the circus there is no “this is a woman, this is a man”. There are no categories of age or physical traits either. In collective acrobatics, for example, the stronger student supports the lighter one. This is the discourse of difference and potential, which contributes to sociability among children. The more different the better!
SEC: Canada is a reference in professional circus, Cirque du Soleil is an example
Bortoleto: Yes, there is the NCS, which operates in higher education in circus and introduces countless artists to the international market. There are other institutions spread across the country. The selection process is similar to the entrance exam, with skills tests. Canada sees culture as a priority. The educational process as a whole has a cultural basis. The circus has taken on a leading role in recent years, with the creation of specialized schools, projects, equipment industries and so on. It's the art of the moment.
SEC: In Canada, there are public and private investments in circus training. At least 60% of the funding comes from the government itself. What is the goal?
Bortoleto: For the next twenty years, the focus is on preparing a more innovative generation, better prepared and resilient to face the challenges of the 21st century. It is urgent in that country, which has limited resources, harsh winters and significant immigration. The educational renewal comes so that young people can learn to deal with this context, with the circus as one of the tools. We are working together to develop circus teaching programs for primary and secondary schools.
SEC: Why the growing international interest in Brazilian circus?
Bortoleto: The lack of resources, including in our schools, made us develop simpler and more economical, yet effective, procedures. These alternatives aroused the interest of researchers abroad. They saw possibilities of adapting Brazilian solutions abroad.
SEC: What, in return, can we learn from them?
Bortoleto: The management there is extraordinary. There are specialized professionals for each activity, including set designers, event promoters, artistic directors. It's not like here, where everyone does everything from sourcing resources to writing research reports. Public policies in Brazil are fragmented, which harms development in the medium and long term. The language issue is still a barrier. Few Brazilian researchers in the field speak English or French, which makes dialogue with peers and publicizing our potential difficult. We are, little by little, qualifying our students in order to minimize this issue. As for technology, we still fall short of what already exists in the production of shows. Canada managed to move quickly in this regard because it focused on modernization, the training of artists and public-private partnerships, in addition to interdisciplinary collaborative research. In Brazil we have around 600 companies that travel around the country in canvas circuses, hundreds of groups that perform in squares and theaters in large and small cities. The artistic sector requires attention and research to develop further.
IV International Circus Seminar opens registration
One of the next opportunities for dialogue between Unicamp and researchers from abroad is the IV International Circus Seminar (Semin), which takes place between December 14th and 16th in various spaces on campus, such as the FEF “gymnasium”, arena theater and Casa of the Lake. With the theme “Innovation and Creativity”, the meeting will have presentations on social circus, contemporary circus, innovations in pedagogy and new technologies. Artistic performances, courses and shows complete the attractions. The organization is part of the CIRCUS group, which, since 2006, has been working on investigations and extension projects related to circus language in spaces such as streets, squares, schools and professional groups. “It is an excellent chance to consolidate partnerships, absorbing management and technology knowledge and, at the same time, present our solutions and talents”, concludes Bortoleto.
Read more about the CIRCUS research group:
