Codarts

FEDEC member since 2006

Located in a former warehouse in the harbour of Rotterdam, the bachelor programme of Codarts Circus Arts offers a creative environment for young talents.

The students are welcome to develop their artistic identity with the support of the teachers and the staff. Codarts helps the students enhance their craftsmanship by transmitting practical and theoretical knowledge. Regular courses and a constant monitoring of your abilities form the basis for constructing their physical, mental, and artistic awareness.

Students are trained to become high level circus arts, both as performers as creators, with an own authentic artistic identity. Independent and broadly employable artists, who are able to shape their own working environment and who are capable of working interdisciplinary, have a reflective and inquisitive attitude and are active in multiple professional contexts.

It is a 4-year bachelor program leading to the diploma Bachelor of Circus Arts. In order to follow the main phase of the program, students need to have passed the tests from the  propaedeutic phase.

Codarts Circus Arts actively constructs bridges with all (performing) arts. Special weeks and project weeks offer opportunities to work with colleagues of the Codarts dance and music departments. Guest teachers stimulate different approaches to circus skills and external coaches and guest directors accompany the production process of the graduation projects.

Codarts looks forward to seeing students display their new ideas in Circus Time, a frequent try-out platform, in which constructive feedback from students and teachers supports their development and abilities directly after presenting en piste.

Codarts invites its students to make Circus, with a thrilling balance between a rational study of skills and an honest presence with guts, never pretending, not afraid to mock reality, and always with an open view, ready to touch the public straight from the heart.

Training offered

Bachelor of Circus Arts - 4 years (full time programme).

Disciplines taught

Applied floor acrobatics:

• Dance acro
• Integrated acrobatics in performance 
• Floor acro

Aerials skills: 

• Static trapeze
• Dance trapeze
• Duo trapeze
• Aerial hoop
• Vertical rope
• Silks
• Straps

Balancing skills:

• Balancing skills (hand balancing - eventually in combination with object manipulation)
• Tight wire
• Walking globe
• Chinese pole & dance pole
• Cyr wheel

Object manipulation :

• Balls
• Clubs
• Rings
• Diabolo
• Non-conventional objects and materials

Partner acrobatics:

• Banquine
• Hand to hand
• Icarian
• Teeterboard
• Trampoline

Information for partner specializations:

Candidates who apply for a partner specialization such as hand to hand, duo trapeze or teeterboard should apply with the partner(s) needed for this specialization. If you cannot guarantee the partner(s) at the actual moment, we ask you to communicate this on the application form (in Osiris).

For more information read further under Admission, Adapted audition procedure: we will connect potential individual candidates for partner specializations.

Codarts Circus Arts does not offer the following specializations (*):

• Aerial swinging and flying trapeze
• Cradle  
• Fire techniques
• German wheel
• Slack rope 
• Washington

(*) Due to infrastructure limitations, safety rules or available specialisation teachers

Open day Circus arts:

• Open days 2022: live open day on Saturday 26 November 2022, online open day on Monday 5 December 2022.

Admission

For further information about the admission process, please consult our website.

Required competencies: artistic expression, technical circus skills, physical potential, stamina, ability to improvise, team spirit, and ability to learn.

Learn more about this member

Founded in 2005

Management

• Head of Circus Arts: Anna Beentjes
• Artistic coordinator – year 1 and 2 & auditions: Thomas Falk
• Artistic coordinator, year 3 and 4 –& professional insertion: Jan Daems
• Management assistant: Suns Smit

School year

From September to June

Teaching language

English

Location

Codarts Rotterdam – Circus Arts
Fenixloods I
Dolf Henkesplein 15
3072 LN Rotterdam
The Netherlands