We were delighted to bring our fourth and final instalment of DELVE 2021 to the National Circus Festival (NCFI) in Tralee, county Kerry.

The DELVE (Discover, Explore, Learn, Visualise and Engage) programme – aims to support artists to experience and be inspired by art through a range of festivals and programmes throughout Ireland. We go, we see, we watch, we listen, we learn, we connect with art and art makers and we get inspired.

At the NCFI, ISACS artists Aoife Carry, Barry Cahill and Doulab for Circus and Dance were invited to join Lucy Medlycott (Director of ISACS) to experience the festival.

Together, they attended the following:

Friday 5th November 2021.

  • 6pm: Bachram – an Irish Circus Showcase and International Networking.
  • 8.30pm: Nueveuno Circo and their contemporary circus show Sinergia 3.0.
  • 10pm: Circus Sideshow Festival Club – a circus sideshow featuring Bicurious, DJ Ben Ó Faoláin and some surprise pop up performances.

Saturday 6th November 2021.

  • 11am: Share – an Irish Street Art Circus and Spectacle (ISACS) Networking Event.
  • 5.30pm: Circus Siamsa – an entirely unique show has been created by Fanzini Productions.
  • 9pm: Circus Double Bill featuring Wes Peden & ISACS artists Maleta Company.

Sunday 7th November 2021.

  • 4pm: A Matter of Time – A special commission by the NCFI from ISACS artists Teatime Company.

The  artists also received a festival pass that granted them access to the full programme of events that took place over the weekend.

Gallery of images from the shows attended:

 

Here’s what our artists had to say about their DELVE experience:

I returned to Ireland during the pandemic and have found it very difficult to make meaningful connections and meet people. DELVE offered me a fantastic opportunity to not only to be in the same space as everyone, but to be introduced by Lucy and this was invaluable. Lucy, along with the Festival, created such a warm, welcoming and supportive environment, and I am so grateful to everyone who puts this programme together. It was wonderful to be part of this programme along with Doulab for Circus and Dance, who have also recently returned to Ireland. Sharing the experience with people in a similar situation was really lovely. THANK YOU! Aoife Carry

My weekend in Tralee with DELVE at the National Circus Festival was an immense experience. And one that I will remember for a long, long time. It is such a great opportunity to network and see new work by highly skilled artists from home and abroad. I was so ecstatic to be selected by ISACS to travel and enjoy this year’s festival. All of us were warmly welcomed by Lucy and all the staff from ISACS. I left Tralee inspired by the festival, and hope to reconnect again with the circus arts community someday soon. I’m very grateful and want to give my thanks and praise to everyone associated with ISACS, The National Circus Festival of Ireland, and to Lucy Medlycott for this wonderful experience. Barry Cahill

We were so fortunate to be able to attend the National Circus Festival of Ireland with ISACS’ DELVE programme; it was truly a wonderful way to experience the festival. It was very interesting and helpful to be able to meet so many people involved in various fields of circus, street arts and spectacle in Ireland, in such a short space of time. Mostly, we appreciate and would like to thank the amazing and heroic efforts of the ISACS director, Lucy Medlycott, who is so wonderfully involved, connected and a true advocate of the whole field. She really went out of her way to make us feel welcome and connected.

The DELVE programme is something that we hope will continue into the future, as it is helpful to any artist, especially if you, like us, are new to the scene here in Ireland. One of the many benefits of the programme was that we were able to experience live performance; observe and feel the audience and how they interact with different performances, which was enlightening for us, and useful to our practice. It was also wonderful to be able to engage in discussions about the works with like minded artists, in person, and not on Zoom! Thank you ISACS, for the wonderful welcome and opportunity. Doulab for Circus and Dance