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Bearing in mind the significant introduction of the circus into school and extracurricular activities over recent years, this study aims to present two educational programmes in which circus activities have gained prominence as part of the Physical Education curriculum. To that end we visited classes in a primary school in Brazil and a secondary school in Spain, where this discipline has been part of the study programme for more than 5 years. The facts observed reveal that the circus is presented as innovative and motivating discipline with excellent student acceptance and participation. Moreover, the teachers in charge notice that the circus and art in a wider sense are important educational components by virtue of their creative and expressive potential. Finally, the description of these experiences enables us to discuss the circus modalities used and the difficulties faced by teachers during the implementation of this discipline. [editor summary]