Aerial and Performance | The Haven Residency

We are delighted to welcome Emmen Donnelly and Chris McAuley to Circus Factory for a Four Day Aerial and Performance residency.

Four days of professional development and creative direction residency with Emmen Donnelly and Chris McAuley at Cork Circus Factory The Haven Residency will bring together two of the leading voices in aerial and circus in Ireland to promote the creation of original work and support positive and inclusive working practices.

Last chance to Register:

What is the Aerial and Performance Residency?

This is a four-day residency space curated by Emmen and Chris to give those wishing to push their performance skills further supporting them in creating a deeper connection to originating repertoire for performance.

During the residency space the artist want to provide time to dedicate to technical learning, breaking down elements of dynamic patterning, intricate pathways and sequencing from the artists own choreography and skilled handling of Supports (Trapeze static/dance and hoop) and Verticals (Rope & Silk) as a group and through one to one mentoring.

This residency is suited for those wanting to push their professional development and performability by;

• Pushing and promoting new repertoire
• Developing tools for self-creation
• Solidifying pathways & creative choreography
• Undertaking technical guidance
• Understanding to value of the outside eye.

Registration deadline is August 31st.

Who is this Residency Aimed at?

The residency is aimed at those looking to develop their individual approach to creating and developing new and engaging repertoire whilst working in the air. We would like to provide a space for those with an inquisitive nature, who are daring to push the limits of one’s own practice to help enrich the landscapes of aerial in the public space.

Planning Your Residency

** Day Start**
10.00AM

Your days will be divided into technical group sessions and individual practice. Both sessions will provide opportunities to dive deeper into your understanding of the body in flight as well as push your individual application with personal one to one work.

The mornings will see you utilise the floor for warm-up, conditioning exercises, and movement-based practices aimed at creating new connections with the moving body. Elements of contemporary dance and soft acrobatics will be presented as means to connecting floor work to aerial work as well as providing all-over physical application and healthy movement.

From here, the group will dedicate time in two smaller groups getting to grips with the artist’s own choreography and technical repertoire with the aim of incorporating it into your own practice. This content will be engaging, challenging, and presented to help push one’s understanding of aerial awareness. The artists will create a conversation around the repertoire, breakdown its fundamental movements, and what it takes to apply ones self to the repertoire. These led sessions aim to promote healthier connections to difficult choreography or aspects of technical application one may find challenging when working alone with the support of the group as a whole.

Chris will work exclusively on Support Apparatus meaning anything with a bar such as trapeze, static or dance as well as hoop. Emmen will focus on those working on Vertical Apparatus like rope, double rope and silks. Having the two artists there to focus on their specialist skill sets will give you the freedom to explore at your own pace under guided tuition and experienced mentorship.

**Lunch**
12:30pm to 1:30pm

Mentorship in Aerial and Performance Residency

After a lunch break, the artists with promote independent practice in the Mentorships Space. During these sessions you will work solo on your own material, presenting your current work and routines to both artists in a more one-to-one setting and posing questions for them about how one can develop and connect deeper to what you’re working on. Similarly, the artists will come with creative challenges and curious questioning about their practice in the hope of promoting independent and organic means to tackle the questioning of their own work.

They may give you physical challenges. They may promote an alternative way of approaching your material or they may even provide a space for you to talk about applying conceptual movement to the work. Nothing is off the table. These sessions are aimed at promoting healthy working practices where we can question honestly, push our physicality safely, and support one another in taking new steps in our overall practice no matter how big or small.

Every day will finish with either an active cooldown or carefully curated conditioning session with both artists. Keen to help support your individual practice when in your own space, the artists will take it in turns to share their own personal approach to decompressing after a day of physical activity. As well as allowing conversation and personal connection throughout!

**Day End**
4.00PM