Fontys academy for circus and performance art -ACAPA

The Bachelor Diploma at the Academy for Circus and Performance Art enables its students to start a professional career in various fields of contemporary circus and other performing arts. It provides them with the aptitudes to meet the requirements of a continuously evolving art form on a professional level.

The academy aims to participate in the development and enrichment of contemporary circus art, as an important element of culture and society. Such development takes place in the tension between tradition and innovation of circus art.

The international, highly competent educational team contributes to didactical and methodological research work and participates in setting ground-breaking and innovative standards in circus and performance art education.

We aim to achieve an outstanding technical level, combined with a broad, multidisciplinary artistic approach.

We encourage the individual development of each student as a versatile, autonomously performing artist with a personal, distinctive position in art and in society, by promoting inventiveness, originality and independence.

We are responsive to the particular connection between contemporary circus and other arts, and namely with Performance Art. Therefore, we challenge our students with a learning environment that encourages experimentation and artistic research.

The Academy for Circus and Performance Art offers exceptional training facilities. Our big top is well equipped and tailored to the needs of circus techniques training. In co-operation with six other art disciplines that are part of the School of Performing and Visual Arts (approx. 1500 students), the Academy for Circus and Performance Art (approx. 60 students) takes advantage of an exceptional learning environment, which is unique in The Netherlands. Together with the Academies of Dance and Drama, we share fantastic facilities such as dance studios with sprung floors, a fully equipped theatre, lecture halls and classrooms for theory classes.

Students have access to studios with multi-media equipment, a multidisciplinary library and documentation centre, numerous work stations with computer facilities and an electronic learning environment, as well as fully equipped workshops for wood, metal and printing.

Study programme

The programme aims to…

- Educate students as a versatile, highly-skilled circus artist who will find employment as performers and creators in various branches of the professional field of con­temporary circus and circus-related performing arts.

- Develop their physical, technical and creative talent to the highest attainable level.

- Give individual, distinct and clear-cut shape to their artistic profile.

- Stimulate both their aptitude and passion for individual and collective performance work.

- From the start of their study encourage and facilitate  intensive contact with the professional field, so as to confront them with the reality of current professional practice.

Fontys Academy for Circus and Performance Art - Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten
P.O. Box 90907
5000 GJ Tilburg
The Netherlands

Visiting address: Bisschop Zwijsenstraat 11, 5038 VA Tilburg, Netherlands

fhkcircus@fontys.nl

www.fontys.nl/circus

Phone: +31 8850 70399 / + 31 8850 70907

Study leader: John van Riemsdijk

Artistic Director: Samuel Jornot

Curiculum offered:

Bachelor Diploma Circus Performer: four year full-time programme.

Selection criteria: You are admissible to the Academy for Circus and Performance Art if you pass the audition and if you meet the following requirements:

• Educational requirements :
  All programs at the Fontys University of Fine and Performing Arts have specific requirements regarding your previous education. The requirements are: HAVO or VWO or MBO (Level 4),  or an equivalent foreign diploma of (Higher) Secondary education. If you have a foreign diploma, then this has to meet the Dutch standards. Fontys will check this for you.
• Language requirements:
  The Circus programme is officially in English. You have to prove that you have sufficient command of the language in which the programme is delivered. You must master the language before the first day of the academic year, so before September 1st.
  Command of English is proven with either a diploma of Higher Secondary Education, with English as first or second language, or by an IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge -certificate with satisfactory results.

Auditions: End of April - Beginning of May.
In 2012: from 28th April to 1st May, 2012.
Deadline for application: 15th April, 2012.

School year from 1st September to 15th June.