New circus plan means lots of clowning around

Arts Week with Ciara Ferguson

A new campaign from Galway Community Circus, entitled Fuelling Creativity,  Confidence and Change was launched  on Tuesday at its base in St Joseph’s Community Centre, Galway City.  Galway Community Circus is Ireland’s flagship organisation for youth and social circus, and Tuesday’s launch marks another step on the group’s journey to change the landscape of circus in Ireland.

Fuelling Creativity, Confidence and Change is the title of Galway Community Circus’s ‘Strategic Plan 2018-2020’. This sets out aims and objectives for the next two years as Galway Community Circus seeks to increase its social impact by providing high-quality circus experience for everybody and creating an open and inclusive environment.

GCC, which currently has more than 400 members, wants to secure its position as an important cultural organisation, not only locally but also nationally and internationally, according its Executive Creative Director, Ulla Hokkanen.

This will be done by focusing on education and performance for young people, as well as partnerships and international collaborations.

She described the launch as “an important milestone” for the Circus which will present one of the nine anchor projects for Galway 2020.

Tuesday’s launch showed just what the Circus was all about, with performances from GCC’s senior members Paraic, Ben and Darragh, who showcased their juggling skills, and from tutors and resident artists Isabela Mello and Armengol Miranda Trujillo, who demonstrated their aerial talents.

There were also refreshments and an address from the CEO of Social Innovation Fund Ireland, Deirdre Mortell, who stressed the social and educational value of GCC.

The Strategic Plan 2018-2020 was primarily funded by the Arts Council, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Erasmus+, Social Innovation Fund and Galway 2020, and also received donations from several other organisations.

The plan will bring long-term benefits to young people, society, Irish arts and the circus itself, according to Ulla.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.