pitch at Spraoi Festival 2026

Tumble Circus is a modern circus company, based in Belfast and co-founded by Ken Fanning and Tina Segne. They have won international awards for their work and have toured throughout Ireland the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia. They provide a unique experience of innovative and contemporary Irish circus, specialising in high skill circus – theatre – comedy. At the core of Tumble Circus is a dedication to training, learning and constantly pushing the boundaries of their own work. It is their desire and life’s work to create new and exciting circus that entertains, amazes and is accessible to all.

Orlaith is an Irish performer, movement director and creative producer based between Kildare and Galway, working across theatre, dance and street arts in Ireland and abroad. She is co-founder of Fizz & Chips Creative Collective, with an artistic practice rooted in storytelling through movement-led, collaborative work. Recent credits include Magic Hunt (Adelaide Fringe, 2026), An Fathach Leithleasach (An Taibhdhearc, 2025), Deirfiúr (Smock Alley, 2024) and the award-winning Juno and The Jetpacks (San Diego Fringe, 2023). Orlaith is a former ISACS Emerging Producer grantee and is currently developing Céilí Cáit for the Tallinn Fringe Festival supported by Culture Ireland.

Cian Kinsella is a creator and performer working in the arts in Ireland since 2006. He is a contemporary circus performer and clown working both as a solo artist and with the company Lords of Strut. Through contemporary circus performance, using skills such as acrobatics and clowning, he creates experiences that entertain, provoke, and amuse audiences. He draws on traditional theatrical techniques of storytelling, physical movement, and character to push the boundaries of contemporary circus. A growing focus of his work is creating spaces and places for people to come together in a fun and creative environment. His artistic research extends beyond performance into land-basedpractice. He manages a five-acre rewilding, biodiversity, andfood-growing project in Carlow, and his work increasingly engages with environmental advocacy, cultural ecology, queer identity, masculinity, and play as a creative strategy. This integration of land, culture, and performance sits at the core of his practice.

Alex Vostokova is a dance artist, choreographer and director working across live performance, improvisation and film as well as teaching and facilitating in Ireland. Their practice is influenced by K.R.U.M.P., contemporary dance, acrobatics and physical theatre. An Associate Artist at Dance Limerick in 24-25, they have been extensively supported by Arts Council Ireland and Dance Ireland. Alex explores how our environment impacts identity, with a focus on socio-cultural issues, surrealism, and the intersection of dance with other mediums.

Gill Byrne, is a multidisciplinary circus artist specialising in dance trapeze, hula hoop, & fire performance. An artistic background in theatre led her to explore the captivating world of circus arts to express her creativity and passion for movement. She has performed at festivals across Ireland, including Dublin Fringe Festival, Púca Festival, and Cairde Festival, collaborating with renowned companies such as Fidget Feet, Broken Theatre, and Twisted Lane. Her artistic vision is deeply rooted in the exploration of the human relationship with technology and the natural world.

Juggler Brendan is a circus artist, performer and circus skills educator. He performs and teaches all over Ireland.

Brendan likes to blend humour with skill, precision with chaos, and science with silliness. His work is often based around unusual and unexpected props, such as folding chairs from IKEA, and of course, raw eggs.

Brendan lives in the south-east of Ireland with his wife, daughter, and dog, in a house where most things have been juggled at least once.