Circo e dintorni

Circo e dintorni is one of the Italian leaders in theatre circus production, with dozen s of artists working worldwide and shows performed hundreds of times in the most important international festivals and theatres. Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched its productions. Projects like “Homeless and Karakasa” have already been supported by the EU for their work with youths from different countries. Circo e dintorni organizes big events such as the show for the Travelling People Jubilee for Pope Francis and New Year’s Eve celebrations with huge acrobatic shows in the most beautiful squares of major Italian cities: Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, Piazza degli Affari in Milan and others. Circo e dintorni collaborates with prestigious brands such as Ferrari, Fiat, Ducati and Samsung. Its artists often perform in popular tv shows like Tú sí que vales, Italia’s got talent and Le plus grand cabaret du monde. Circo e dintorni’s focus is on the social and pedagogic aspects of the circus art aimed at spreading its culture among youth and enhance generational change and audience development in this field. Its efforts are supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture. Moreover, Circo e dintorni has been collaborating for years with prestigious universities: in Milan, more than 600 students every year can practice circus art attending workshops hold by international professional trainers. Circo e dintorni organizes conferences where the most important international artists and sector operators inform about the new tendencies of circus.

The IULM University of Milan is formed by a group of 100 scholars and experts in the social, cultural and economic field who are recognized at the national and international level. IULM hosts the UNESCO Chair of “Cultural and Comparative Studies on Imaginary” and has a large network of international scientific cooperation. IULM is a well-established institution in the socioeconomic mechanisms of its area of influence: a privileged position that allows it to offer to important non-academic bodies and institutions with new theoretical and practical approaches for the cultural and creative sector. The Department of Business, Law, Economic and Consumer Behavior is specifically focused on interdisciplinary research for external clients. Founded in 1968 as a point of reference for teaching in the sectors of languages and communication, IULM has now also become a center of excellence in the fields of visual media communication.
IULM Communication is the House Agency of IULM University. Its goas is to produce innovative
projects of audiovisual communication and content marketing, for external public and private clients. It is a unique actor in the communication market: a team of expert professionals and excelling graduates who produce creative and technologically advanced solutions, drawing on a deep understanding of web communication and storytelling. In the last year IULM Communication has produced more than 400 audiovisuals: interviews, events, commercials, documentaries, YouTube campaigns, trailers, social media contents, conferences and streaming of events. Among its clients outstand Trentino Marketing, Teatro alla Scala, Risorse Spa, La Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, Photofestival.

The European Circus Association is a non-profit organization established in 2002 to unite Europe’s circuses and promote and preserve circus arts and culture as part of Europe’s cultural heritage. ECA represents more than 130 circuses, festivals, artists in 29 countries, including nearly all renowned European circuses and associated members worldwide. ECA protects its members’ interests through monitoring and outreach in Brussels and the Member States in support of appropriate and workable laws and regulations in the following fields. Cultural recognition: as a result of ECA’s work, the European Parliament adopted in 2005 a resolution acknowledging that the circus is part of European culture. Today ECA is working to support recognition of circus as culture in the Member States.
Travelling children’s education: children living with their families in travelling circuses must have access to schools and appropriate distance learning programmes.
E U regulations and technical standards: ECA works with authorities in Brussels to identify solutions to facilitate the travelling of circuses throughout Europe and the timely issuance of visa and work permits for its artists and staff. This includes issues on tax issues, social security and other regulations. As a special topic, ECA is working to promote harmonized regulations for temporary structures such as circus tents throughout the European Union.
In all its activities ECA enjoys close collaboration and cooperation with other professional organizations representing the same interests: Fédération Mondiale du Cirque, European Showmen’s Union, European Network for Traveler Education, Performing Arts Employers’ Associations League Europe.

Sarakasi Trust is a cultural development trust that provides capacity building in the performing arts through technical skill training and life skill workshops for dancers and acrobats. In addition to the daily training to a core group of about 100 artists, the Trust provides outreach training to hundreds of artists in in Kenya, helping at risk and vulnerable youth hailing from the poor urban areas in and around Kenya’s main cities. The core of Sarakasi is social circus as a way to emancipate people with fewer opportunities from their disadvantaged social conditions. The trainings mostly take place in prisons, community halls, hospitals and private homes
Sarakasi implements special programs such as the Talanta training (involving blind and deaf), the Smiles for Change Project (bringing edutainment to hospitalized children, children in homes and remand homes), the Amani Lazima Program, a social peace circus born after the post-election violence of 2007/08 and developed into an activity reaching out to the youth in the slums.
Moreover, the Trust manages the artists’ talent and look s for jobs and contracts apt to launch their capacities staging events at its facility (the Sarakasi Dome).
Sarakasi has good relations and partnerships with like-minded organizations within Africa and worldwide, such as the United Cultures for Development Network, the Civil Society Urban Development Platform, Umoja Cultural Flying Carpet (African association for international cultural collaboration), the Norwegian Peace Corps, the Danish Center for Culture and Development, Mundial Productions (Dutch big events organizer) Alliance Française, Italian Institute of Culture, Goethe Institute and Cirque du Monde (Cirque du Soleil’s social project).

The cultural corporation Axioma is a non-profit organization funded in 2013 for the development of
circus arts in Colombia, working with young artists as a theatre circus company and organizing social circus workshops for children and adults. Axioma has been supported by the municipality of Medellín that helped the corporation to structure itself as a professional company. After the production of its first show Cenotafio, Axioma was honored by the Colombian Ministry of Culture project for young live show workers. Its founders were selected for an artistic residency at the Escuela Nacional Circo Para Todos, the most important circus school in Colombia where they could implement not only their artistic skills but also the professional competences needed for teaching circus to other artists and to the youth. For its effort in youth training, in 2012 Axioma won the prize Antioquia la más Educada dedicated to educational project.