Youth Circus 2024: Building Skills, Friendships, and Futures

Youth Exchanges: Expanding Horizons

Our young people participated in four transformative youth exchanges, each offering unique opportunities for skill development and connection:

Circus Explored: Held during our Mayhem Youth Circus Festival, this exchange brought together youth from In Your Space Circus (Derry), Circusful (Belfast), and Galway Community Circus. Participants learned new circus skills, explored leadership techniques and learned how to teach their peers, and took part in workshops with circus trainer Pete Duncan and professional clown Fraser Hooper. Circus Explored is supported by the Creative Ireland Programme in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as well as under the government’s Shared Island Initiative in the Department of the Taoiseach. It is led by ISACS and delivered in partnership with In Your Space Circus, Circusful, Dublin Circus Project, Galway Community Circus and Circus Factory.

Italy Youth Exchange: This fantastic youth exchange in partnership with Pirilampo Scuola di Circo and Badabam Scuola di Circo offered participants the chance to learn new circus skills, build lifelong friendships, learn about different cultures as well as train and perform in a stunning natural setting.

Irish Aerial Creation Day: Hosted by the Irish Aerial Creation Centre, this project brought youth from across Ireland for an inspiring day of aerial dance.

Irish Youth Circus Gathering: Organised and hosted by Cloughjordan Circus Club, this annual gathering brought together young circus enthusiasts from across the island for a weekend of workshops, social events, and a group performance.

Youth Performance Troupe: Shaping Future Circus Artists

The Youth Performance Troupe is our Young Artist Development Programme for emerging circus artists. This year, troupe members received specialised training and performed a work-in-progress showcase. In January 2025 they are preparing for a professional development trip to London to visit other circus schools and see a Cirque du Soleil performance to get inspired. With expert guidance, they honed their skills in teamwork, discipline, and performance artistry, setting the stage for future careers in circus.

Mayhem Youth Circus Festival

This year’s Mayhem Youth Circus Festival drew 3,154 engagements and featured a fun line-up of events for our members and community.

Highlights of the programme included:

• Circus in the Park: This family-friendly day included circus skills workshops in our big top tent taught by our youth exchange participants, outdoor aerial and funambulism workshops, stilts walkabouts by our youth performers, and two hilarious performances by professional clown Fraser Hooper.
• Scratch Night: Our youth members performed alongside peers from In Your Space Circus and Circusful, sharing acts in an inspiring and supportive environment.
• In-class performances and workshops for member families and friends to join in on the circus fun.

Performances: Taking the Stage

Performance opportunities are a cornerstone of our programme, and 2024 was no exception. Our youth members showcased their talents at Scratch Nights, the Galway St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and our annual Christmas Cabaret. Our Unicycle and Stilts class members were standout performers at Mayhem, while the Youth Performance Troupe debuted an exciting new work-in-progress show. Participants in Circus Transformation 7 also put on a fantastic performance for our community while they were in Galway.