Minor in Cirque/Circus Arts

Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s minor in cirque/circus arts is a collaborative minor between Boston Conservatory’s Dance and Theater divisions. It offers students the opportunity to study the fundamental aspects of circus skills, including clowning, juggling, acrobatics, masks, and more, and to investigate the art of circus as a social and historical art form which both reflects and impacts the culture that creates it. The minor requires coursework in academic study, creative process, and experiential skills.

Over the past two decades, the animal-less circus has become wildly popular, blurring the lines between traditional circus, experimental theater, performance art, and dance. The cirque/circus arts minor takes advantage of offerings in both the Dance Division and Theater Division, giving students basic circus arts skills to complement whatever major they are studying at either Boston Conservatory at Berklee or Berklee College of Music.

Entrance Requirements

Minimum GPA of 2.7 required. Students must follow the regular declaration of minor process as outlined by the Registrar’s Office.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the minor in cirque/circus arts, students will be able to:

  • demonstrate a clear understanding of circus as an art form, including knowledge about various techniques, genres, production, and creation;
  • link the experiential knowledge gained through their work in applied classes with theoretical and historical knowledge; 

  • analyze and discuss circus from both a theoretical and historical framework, contextualize what they see, and have language to describe and analyze performance; 

  • demonstrate an understanding of the human body in motion, informed by the study of muscular use to create characters and improvise; and
  • demonstrate skill in any of the movement genres related to circus arts.
Curriculum and Courses

Required Courses

7 credits total:

Elective Courses

5 credits total from any of the following: