Step Off from worry, fear, doubt, angst, pressure, and ordinary – at Galway Community Circus

Step Off: to stop involving oneself with someone or something; to get away from someone or something.

'Step Off' was produced by Galway Community Circus with Morgan Creative and commissioned by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. It focuses on the experience of an ordinary person achieving an extraordinary feat while finding confidence, hope and joy on a tightwire. The film was created with and performed by young Galway Community Circus artists, and incorporates themes of mental health, overcoming, hope, positivity and courage, and includes poetry, imagery of wirewalking, music, and iconic Galway landscapes.

The film was born out of the Wires Crossed project, a European-wide community project based around funambulism, the art of walking across a wire using a balancing pole. Working with Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture, the highlight event of the project was to be a crossing of the River Corrib and Claddagh Basin by people from all around Europe in 2020. The site of the crossing was chosen in acknowledgement of the loss of life in the river in recent years through suicide, with the aim being to highlight the importance of positive mental health within our communities with a public display of hope, solidarity, and strength.

The Covid-19 pandemic pressed pause on live in-person programmes during 2020, so the idea for the short film came about.

“We couldn’t do the crossing in 2020 due to Covid-19, but we wanted a way to be able to share and celebrate everything that had happened so far with Wires Crossed,” explained Becca Clayton, producer at Galway Community Circus. “We wanted to find a way to share the message and meaning behind Wires Crossed and bring a bit of hope and light to people in a way that could still happen during Covid-19. We decided that a short film would be the best way to do that. We talked a lot with Luke and Jake of Morgan Creative about where the project came from, what it meant, and what we wanted to say, and they worked with us to find the best way to communicate this through film. It was also really important to us that the film told the story of some of the young people that had been part of the project, and that it came from their perspective.”

Though the crossing was set to be the highlight event, it was only ever one part of the project. Wires Crossed is about the long-term development, the learning and sharing, and connecting and empowering people through the journey. Galway Community Circus and partners in the Wires Crossed project still plan to adapt a version of the original river crossing in July 2022.

“’Step Off’ was about finding a way to share the personal journeys of the young people involved in the Wires Crossed project who went from experiencing anxiety and fear (whatever shape that took for each individual) to finding hope, balance and inner-strength on the wire," explained Becca. "The film is not meant to replace the crossing - but was the way that we could share the story so far and create a bit of hope and positivity for what is still to come.”

‘Step Off’ is a Galway Community Circus production lovingly handmade by Luke and Jake of Morgan Creative, commissioned by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council, Erasmus+ and Creative Europe.

Performers:
Anna Fitzgerald
Anna Fogarty
Becca Clayton
Camilla Tritini
Ciara Moloughney
Fred Rush
Isabela Melo
Mairead Dewar
Naoise Walsh
Naomhan McKeon Joyce
Oisin Maguire
Tony Mahon

Circus Rigging: Acrophobia and High Performance Productions

Special thanks to:
The Galway Community Circus team for everything you do, as well as the Galway 2020 team, Galway City Council, Murphy Ireland, Irish Water, Molly Dowling, Stephen McGinley, Emilija Jefremova, the families of the performers, and our partners at the European Funambulism Network.

Thank you to our Wires Crossed partners, artists, participants, supporters and everyone who has been a part of our Wires Crossed journey so far.

“Limits exist only in the souls of those who do not dream.” -Philippe Petit, Highwire Walker