With the appearance of Tainan City’s first-ever big top tent earlier this year, a week of fun and celebration was at hand… as were the dreams of circus artists from Taiwan and the world over. Originally published in the second 2023 edition of the DuMaXi quarterly, published by Taiwan’s Formosa Circus Art (FOCA), this article takes us through the experience of a brand-new circus festival as it is built from the ground up.

Tainan’s Sweetness, Performing Arts’ Heat, and Vigorous Circus Energy The first FOCASA Circus Art Festival took the stage at Shueijiaoshe Cultural Park in Tainan (a city located in southern Taiwan) from February 22nd to 28th, 2023. Its big top, the Village-13 (V-13), has brought much magic and laughter to an audience of over 80 thousand spectators. The first-ever FOCASA was presented by Taiwanese long-time creators of the circus arts, FOCA (Formosa Circus Art), and the Tainan City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau. Besides companies from Taiwan, performers from France, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Cambodia also joined in to form a lineup of 30 teams for FOCASA, presenting the audience with seven days and over 150 performances of surprises and fun. The V-13: A Giant Energy Field That Bursts Regardless of National Borders Located right in the center of t...