Laughter, jumps and pirouettes: Teaching circus at school as an extracurricular activity

Abstract

This study aims to understand how circus teaching happens in the educational context as an extracurricular activity, through the investigation of schools experiences. Methodologically, the research is characterized as a multiple case study, qualitative in nature that included the observation of classes in two private schools with a record in a field diary; interview with five subjects, teachers and coordinators/ directors of the two schools; documentary analysis of educational planning. The results show how circus teaching in the extracurricular context is a field in full development. It is present as a practice with high participation among the students, meanwhile, focused on some circus modalities, aerial and manipulation, due to a non-systematic qualification of the responsible teachers. Teaching is carried out with male and female teachers and was shown as a playful practice, mainly in the initial years, including artistic presentations in both schools, recognizing the expressive dimension of said practice. We note in both cases that the circus has a high educational potential as a possibility in extracurricular teaching, even so, we think that it is still necessary to pay attention to the demand for specific teacher training and in the search for teaching methodologies appropriate to each educational situation.