What do climate change look like through the prism of circus art?

What challenges do the artists face in creating the show and what reactions do the Italians expect from the audience in Bulgaria – we are talking to Achilles Zoni, project manager and longtime musician in the MagdaClan team.

FLIC Circus School and Climate of Change

FLIC Scuola di Circo, a project of the Reale Società Ginnastica di Torino (Royal Society of Gymnastics of Turin, founded in 1844) was established in 2002, and is one of the most internationally renowned schools in contemporary circus training.

It is supported by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and by the Piedmont Region, and is under the patronage of the Municipality of Turin. It is a founding member of ACCI (Contemporary Circus Association of Italy) and a full member of the FEDEC (European Federation of Professional Circus Schools).

The FLIC Scuola di Circo project is the first professional school of contemporary circus established in Italy and works for the diffusion of contemporary circus culture. To date, it trained more than 450 students coming from 38 different countries, accompanying them to become complete professional figures. The professional training offered aims to give the student a solid training on the fundamental subjects of contemporary circus, the learning of the basics and the deepening of circus disciplines, along with the capacity of auto-management. Over the years, FLIC Scuola di Circo maturated a particular and innovative artistic-training method and presents a modern way of doing circus.

The school continues to develop methods to lead students to realize how circus could be more than just pure entertainment, in order to become a language that dialogues with the other Arts.

FLIC Scuola di Circo supported MagdaClan since its establishment, with the MagdaClan project and artistic language having been shaped by former the Artistic Director of FLIC, Roberto Magro.

In addition to offering artistic residency, FLIC Scuola di Circo continues to collaborate with MagdaClan members who are teachers, external observers, tutors for FLIC’s students who are also given the possibility to join MagdaClan’s tours in order to gather field experience.

FLIC Scuola di Circo is also the coordinator of local circus associations and professional circus school along the tour of #CLIMATEOFCHANGE, activating the European network of professional circus schools called FEDEC.  We connect the circus troupe with the participatory school to produce three side activities connecting directly with the local audience.  These Street Guerilla Actions include Moss Graffiti, Barbershop, and a video produced by member of the local school.  All these actions will leave in the local area a trace of the MagdaClan Circus/FLIC circus school #ClimateofChange tour, and the themes of the show, so that the younger generations will call for change in the current social and climate crisis.