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 the park and covered with red and white, V-13 Theater is the first Circus Tent in Taiwan. Besides the main tent, an entrance tent is added to increase both the theatrical atmosphere and the layers of space. The audience enters the tent through an arched entrance, and the light gathers into a dark small square as they pass through the corridor and, till they arrive at the theater itself. At every step of the way, the beaming sunlight and noise from outside gently die down, and the 360-degree amphitheater comes morepreciselyinto view. 

Fills Monkey (France), Gravity & Other Myths (Australia), Phare – The Cambodian Circus (Cambodia) and more than ten Taiwanese circus groups such as Tien Circus Theatre, On.P.Young Circus, and Eye Catching Circus presented their shows on the V-13 Stage at FOCASA to show the public the diversity and power of circus. Not only does FOCA hope to connect circus culture with local features, but they also aim to help nurture new performers in the circus scene through the festival. Therefore, FOCASA collaborated with the only provider of a professional circus education in Taiwan, the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, to bring on stage exciting new shows created by teachers and students together. The lineup in V-13 was vibrant as well as multifaceted, and all audience members were sure to find something to their liking. 

Like Mass Migration, Audiences Flock to the Corner For Great Shows

In addition to the performances inside the tent, the outdoor park was also full of surprises. The towering Donuts Ferris Wheel, the Popping Candy Stage, and the FOCASA Fruit Stand took turns hosting performances from morning till night. If you saw crowds quickly gathering somewhere, everyone craning their necks to look at something, or dads letting their kids sit on their shoulders, then there must have be an exciting performance happening on one of these stages. Circus is not just a big show in the tent; it initially originated from the streets, with no fancy lighting or sound equipment—only highly skilled performers ready to wow the crowd.

During the event, more than 150 performances were presented on the three outdoor stages. The visually stunning “Mighty Ferris Wheel” act was performed at noon and dusk, with a giant wheel over six meters tall swaying back and forth like a pirate ship. Two Uni Circus performers achieved perfect balance on the Ferris wheel and even ran, jumped, and skipped rope as it swayed, creating a breathtaking moment for the villagers. 

Solo performances were also presented by independent performers from various countries. Naoya Aoki from Japan is a self-taught performer who combines juggling skills with Japanese humor and has performed at circus festivals in Asia and Europe. In addition to his identity as a performing artist, he also writes about his travel and performance experiences in his irregularly self-published magazine “PONTE,” making him a “philosophical juggler.” The cute Korean duo Circus D.Lab performed their “Circus Olympics” at the FOCASA Fruit Stand each day in the afternoon, deconstructing sporting events into circus performances, where imagination is the best inspiration, not the outcome.

The Details that Captivate: Red Noses and Stilt Walkers

As a circus festival that aims to provide an all-around fun experience, in addition to the main tent show and various activities around the park, FOCASA also sought to provide a few enchanting details that could delicately tug at the villagers’ heartstrings, like feathers lightly brushing against them.

Casting the first spell of the park, to the left-hand side of the entrance was a gachapon machine that offered guests of all ages their own classic red clown nose to wear and thus immediately transport themselves into the circus world, rekindling their childlike innocence. With the red nose on, everyone becomes a part of the circus, running around, jumping, or casually laying in the straw field with open hearts, having fun and taking photos—taking the first step towards becoming a circus villager and an integral part of the park’s atmosphere. 

Next up, there were the “Stilt Walkers” who appeared at irregular intervals. They can be considered FOCASA’s iconic mascots, having been a hit since the festival’s soft opening last year in 2022. This year, the two stilt walkers had a wider range of movement and more magnificent costumes, and every time they came out, they lifted the park’s atmosphere to new heights, becoming face characters that adults and children alike eagerly chased after and took photos with.

These two small details make up the soul of the FOCASA circus art festival. Although seemingly inconspicuous, each one is an important magic spell that enhances the overall visitor experience.

Why does Taiwan need a Circus Tent? A Dream that Started 12 Years Ago

12 years ago, the Taiwan-based circus organization FOCA first went on the international stage representing Taiwan. That performance was done in a tent, and the thrill and wonder of it left deep marks in the young hearts of FOCA members, most of whom were about 20 years old at the time. Back then, they thought of one thing only: “One day, we will have a circus tent of our own.” 

In the years since their establishment, FOCA has been to 77 cities around the world. In Avignon and Edinburgh, they saw that the positive influences an art festival has on individuals, teams—even a city or a country—are massive. FOCA believes that, through the form of a traveling theater like a circus tent, they not only bring effective cultural business opportunities to the city of Tainan, but also promote the city to the world.

This article originally written in Mandarin by FOCA's Gill Li, Stella Tsai, and Martina Lin. Translation by Stephanie Su and Gwendoline Chen.