An interview with tight wire artist Fred Rush

Fred Rush is a young circus artist who came up through the youth circus community in Ireland and was a member at Galway Community Circus for four years. With the support of Galway Community Circus, Fred enrolled in the Academy of Circus and Performance Art at Fontys University in Tilburg, Netherlands. Fred has just completed his first year as a tight wire student and is teaching tight wire workshops in Ireland this summer. He is very excited to pass on some of the knowledge he has learned this year at University to those interested in tight wire in Ireland.

We caught up with Fred to ask him a few questions about his experience at University and what he’s looking forward to about teaching tightwire back at home.

When did you start circus?

I started circus back in January 2017, soon after I started secondary school. I needed some kind of after school activity and sports weren't exactly for me.

What is your favourite thing about circus?

My favourite thing about circus is that it’s this strange bunch of people who are united over their obsession with this weird and wonderful art. It is plainly and simply fun. And as I have discovered since travelling outside of Ireland and meeting some amazing people, the circus family extends over any border without question. All of these bizarre individuals are part of the same community and will always welcome you in. It is a space where you are celebrated for uniqueness and individuality, and there are no rules. It is the epitome of freedom.

What is a favourite memory you have from Galway Community Circus?

My favourite memory from Galway Community Circus would be the ABCirk youth exchange programme where a few members got the opportunity to travel to Belgium to work for a week with other youth circus members from Belgium and Czechia. Getting to meet these amazing people and talk about nothing but circus for a week was the taste of this world that I needed to be hooked for life.

How has your time at the Academy of Circus and Performance Art in Fontys University been so far?

My time at ACAPA so far has been the most amazing, exhausting, inspiring, and fun experience ever. I’m learning so much and getting to train with some of the coolest people ever whom I look up to a lot. I have had so many opportunities already after just one year. Getting to live in this bubble of circus is such a privilege, and getting to do the thing you love non-stop everyday of the week without fail is such an honour. It’s like being on the most physically exhausting holiday every day of the year. The longer I am here, the more excited I get about circus.

Can you share a little bit of wisdom you’ve learned at university with us?

Some things that I have picked up from my short time at university is this:

-Being “weird” is genuinely the biggest compliment you can get and is something you should strive for. (It was literally a comment on my official feedback from my teacher.)

-If you have a passion for something, commit 100%. Find ways of bringing everything in your life back to your passion and use it to help you.

-People are always there to help you, you just have to ask. Galway Community Circus showed me this.

Do you have any tips for aspiring future circus artists?

My previous answers can apply here too of course, but some other advice I can give if you want to be a performer is:

-Don’t go for the obvious, go deeper with your ideas. Most likely 100 other people have thought of and tried your idea, so find what makes you unique. Don’t force uniqueness, but don’t stop looking for it either.

-Networking and meeting people at every occasion will benefit you so much when it comes to finding opportunities.

What is your favourite thing about tight wire?

My favourite thing about tight wire is that it requires so much focus and attention to detail. It’s a form of meditation and flow. You are so dedicated that you almost have a relationship with your wire, you communicate, listen to it, adapt to it. It is balance. It is a metaphor in itself.

How does it feel to come home to Galway and teach tight wire to people in Ireland?

I am so excited to teach my workshop back in Ireland. The circus community is growing more and more here and I’m so excited to be part of it. It’s going to be so much fun and I hope to do it again in the future.