SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS
By Shana Kennedy
In 2013 , I had been the director of a recreational circus school for over a decade ( the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts ). I had veered away from the mission of my earlier education at Circomedia , Academy of Circus Arts and Physical Theatre , in Bristol , UK . There , I studied contemporary circus and artmaking in the mid-1990s . But the United States was different — circus here was either recreational or corporate — and I had settled into it , making ends meet .
In the early 2000s , circus schools like PSCA were popping up all over the country , and we ’ d begun to network more — attending conferences , chatting online , comparing notes . And as we watched the art form evolve at a professional level , with Cirque du Soleil making space for touring companies like Cirque Eloize and The 7 Fingers , there was an increasing sense that the U . S . was being left behind , that talented young artists by necessity had to leave the country for education and work opportunities . The companies who did emerge and remain in the U . S ., such as Cirque Mechanics and Ricochet , had to struggle mightily to survive .
At that point , a few recreational schools in the U . S . had begun offering “ protrack ” programs , and excellent coaches existed at these schools . But from my vantage point , this did not seem sufficient to meet the need . It was clear from the European and Canadian models that for students to contribute meaningfully to the art form , they needed several years of committed , intensive training ; big , professional facilities ; recognition by governments and arts foundations ; and actual degrees .
2013 was when I realized that no such school was going to materialize by itself ; and that I was as qualified as anyone to take a stab at it . After one intense focus group meeting in the summer of 2013 , we incorporated Circadium as a non-profit , formed a Board of Directors , and began a four-year planning process .
Many have asked : why the need for a state-licensed degree program ? For the best explanation , I turn to Tim Roberts . Tim is the Higher Education Program Director at the Ecole de Cirque de Quebec , and before that he was the President of the Federation Européen des Ecoles de Cirque Professionelles .
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