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A School for the Arts
The Ecole nationale de cirque (National Circus School) is an institution for higher education located in Montreal with a primary mission to prepare circus artists. Internationally renowned for highest-quality training, the School opens its doors to more than 150 students from all over the country and around the world.
The School provides a complete spectrum of professional programs in circus arts: Preparatory program, Circus and High School Studies and Diploma of Collegial Studies in Circus Arts. It also prepares professional circus arts educators.
A dedicated team of more than 80 teachers, lecturers and guests artists ensures that each student receives personalized attention and encouragement throughout his training. The comprehensive student services provided at the School are specifically designed to respond to the needs of future circus artists. With spacious training areas adapted to accommodate
all disciplines, the School provides a safety-conscious learning environment that is unique in the world.
Dedicated to circus arts
With more than 30 years of experience in pedagogy and creation, the School has become a world reference in the teaching of circus disciplines. It is also renowned as an international research centre for circus arts. More than ever, the School today serves as an incubator of inspiration, where performers-creators and designers find their voices, stimulating greater diversity in circus art forms and aesthetics.
MISSION
International in scope, the National Circus School is a higher-education institution for the arts providing programs at the high school and post-secondary levels. It is dedicated to the education and training of professional circus artists, as well as to research and innovation in the circus arts and their pedagogy.
Internationally renowned for highest-quality training, the School opens its doors to more than 150 students from around the world. Since its founding in 1981, the National Circus School has played a crucial role in the development of circus arts in Canada and abroad. As a pioneer of the circus renaissance in Canada, the School has also contributed to the emergence of such circus companies as Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize and The 7 Fingers. The School has become a world reference in the teaching of circus disciplines. It is also renowned as an international research centre for circus arts. More than ever, the National Circus School today serves as an incubator of inspiration, where performers-creators and designers find their voices, stimulating greater diversity in circus art forms and aesthetics.
“The National Circus School is one of the best circus-arts training facilities in the world and
attracts the best students from here and abroad, plus a staff of top-notch instructors. "
- The Gazette, Montreal
“Circus has a very different look in Canada and beyond, a phenomenon that can
be credited in good part to the National Circus School… "
- The Globe and Mail, Toronto
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