In this new series titled Adventures in Circus Research curated by academic, author, and educator Alisan Funk, we will explore the depth and breadth of circus academic research around the world. By featuring circus researchers, we give them the space to explain the nature and significance of their research directly to the circus community, and to highlight the practical impact of their research on the circus world.
Marco Bortoleto posing with several of his publications This first article in the Adventures in Circus Research Series comes from Marco Antonio Coelho Bortoleto, professor of the Physical Education Faculty at the University in Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. After finishing his sports career in Artistic Gymnastics, Bortoleto was invited to coach circus artists in acrobatics in 1995. Many of these artists were part of the cohort at the newly created São Paulo circus school. He found his circus students to be passionate about their work, and also full of questions and curiosity about circus arts. As ...