Circus is for Every Body - A New Project with Extraordinary Bodies
At Galway Community Circus, we believe circus is for everyone. In autumn 2025, we were proud to launch Circus is for Every Body, a new project in partnership with Extraordinary Bodies, making circus participation and performance more accessible for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent young people in Galway.
Project kick-off and Culture Night
The project kicked off on Culture Night on Friday 19 September with a special event at Galway Community Circus featuring Extraordinary Bodies. Audiences enjoyed performance demonstrations and a short film screening that marked the start of this exciting journey. This event was funded by Galway City Council Arts Office and Arts Council Ireland. Extraordinary Bodies also conduced some inclusion training with Galway Community Circus trainers and staff while they were in Galway.
This project builds on our collaboration in 2024, when Extraordinary Bodies delivered inclusive training for our circus tutors and presented a powerful Culture Night event. Now, they return to work more deeply with us, our partners and young people, leading towards a brand-new inclusive performance in February 2026.
Extraordinary Bodies is a vital collaboration between show-makers Cirque Bijou and Diverse City, a charity that champions diversity and equity in the performing arts. Bringing together the skill and talent of D/deaf, disabled, and non-disabled artists, their work is testament to how diverse, extraordinary people can work equally together on and off stage. Extraordinary Bodies will work with us throughout the project, bringing their expertise and experience to Galway in October and February.
The project so far
Funded by the Rethink Ireland Disability and Participation Awareness Fund and the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, the project is creating opportunities for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent youth to access and participate in circus arts. We are working with partners Galway Autism Partnership and Enable Ireland, as well as international leaders in inclusive circus, Extraordinary Bodies.
In 2025, the project delivered:
- Inclusion training for our circus trainers with Extraordinary Bodies and Pete Duncan, ensuring best practice in accessibility
- Weekly circus workshops with young people from Enable Ireland (ages 14-24)
- Weekly circus workshops with young people from Galway Autism Partnership (ages 14-24)
- Three days of collaborative workshops with both groups and Extraordinary Bodies, exploring new skills, ensemble work and inclusive performance-making
The project will continue into 2026 with ongoing weekly workshops for each group, alongside the development of a new collaborative work-in-progress performance. This piece will be created with artists and staff from Extraordinary Bodies and young people from all three groups, and will premiere in February 2026.
Why it matters
D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people are often excluded from arts and cultural activities in Ireland, with limited visibility of disabled artists in circus. This lack of representation can narrow horizons for young people: “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”
Circus has been proven to build confidence, resilience, mental health, and connection for young people. ‘Circus is for Every Body’ ensures disabled youth can experience these benefits by creating a supportive, inclusive and inspiring space to learn, perform and create.
