Funambulism: the art of walking on a wire with a balancing pole.

Galway Community Circus is hosting a conference on funambulism from July 9-10th.  They are teaming up with The Serious Roadtrip Romania and École de Cirque de Bruxelles to host this wire-walking event. The conference, titled Head, Heart, Balance: The Art of Funambulism, will be fully virtual and free for participants. Over the course of two days, performances from Brussels and Helsinki as well as roundtable discussions with circus professionals will stream live.

There will be two sessions on the first day. The first will focus on the neurological effects of funambulism based on findings from Université Libre de Bruxelles’ research. The second session will center on the legacy of Wires Crossed and the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. The session will also include the premiere of “Step Off,” a short film by young Galway Community Circus Members.

On day two, there will be three sessions. To start off, there will be a conversation between five professional funambules concerning their lives as artists. Then, there will be a discussion on the practice of amateur funambulism and teacher training, as well as a special performance by Finnish tightwire artist Hanna Moisala. During the final session, there will be the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the European Centre of Funambulism which will include a highwire crossing of Brussels Canal.

Information provided courtesy of the Galway Community Circus