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The object of study of this dissertation is the Social Circus, a phenomenon in which the circus is used as a means for the formation, education and social inclusion. This practice appeared in the beginning of the nineties, being mainly proposed by Non Governmental Organizations. This practice that brought about a new circus organization providing the development of artistic and pedagogical activities influenced the shows produced by the Social Circus that
developed a circus language with peculiar characteristics. Aiming to consider theses characteristics the research analyses the Social Circus and their performances, being structured in two parts. In the first part, which includes the second and third sections, there is a historical account of the emergence of the Social Circus, analyzing which are their agents and which theories turn to support their actions. The results lead to the need to develop a case
study, proposed in the analysis of the “Escola Picolino de Arte do Circo”. In the second part, which includes the fourth and fifth sections, I analyze one show produced by this Institution entitled cenascotidianas@circ.pic. From these results, relationships and differences were traced between the performances of the Social Circus and the performances of the Modern Circus. Both parts are founded through a theoretical conceptual ground based on a theoretical framework developed from a bibliographic and videografic revision, accompanied of a selection of empirical data obtained by means of field research. While the second and third sections have a multi-referential theoretical approach, passing predominantly through the areas of arts and education, the fourth and fifth sections are predominantly related to theatre arts and specifically to semiology, Laban Movement Analysis and Performance Studies, being the circus literature the main theoretical axis of the research as a whole. The results of the study put in evidence that the Social Circus performance, produced in relation to the artists that are involved, having educative, political and social aims beyond the artistic that prize them with discursive possibilities, constitutes a unique language.