Circus Factory Cork is delighted to host an Aerial Rope Workshop part of the Crosspollination Intensive Weekend with Julie O’Connell Kent and Chloe Commins!

Aerial Rope Skills Workshop Details

Brewing aerial rope magic lies in meeting your rope as a dance partner.

Unlock your movement vocabulary with guided improvisation prompts and creative constraints tailored to help you discover new movement pathways on the rope. This workshop is designed to take you beyond the standard “trick-to-trick” mentality. Together, we will dive through twists and loops, and you will be guided in weaving your own paths on the rope.

Rather than only technical skills, this workshop will focus on supporting the development of your relationship with the rope as your partner,

You will come away from the workshop with a warm heart, a pocketful of technical skills, and an abundance of inspiration.

Join the Aerial Rope Skills Workshop

Who is this Intensive for?

Intermediate and up. If you have a basis in aerials, you’re very welcome to attend any of the workshops!

Are there any prerequisites to attend?

• Confident in your grip, climb and straddle inversion in the air
• Openness to exploration in the air
• Comfort with inversions in the air and staying in the air for 1-2 minutes at a time.

Why you should join the Aerial Rope Skills Workshop

1. Break Free from “Trick-to-Trick” Fatigue
This workshop teaches you how to see the rope as a continuous canvas, focusing on the “in-between” spaces.
2. Conjure Movement that is Uniquely Yours
Through guided creative constraints and movement alchemy prompts, this workshop is specifically designed for you to reveal your own way of moving on the rope.
3. Create More, Memorise Less
You won’t just leave with a video of a routine you might forget next week. You will leave with a personalized toolkit for generating your own choreography.
4. Connect with Other Rope Artists
This workshop is a gathering space for passionate rope artists looking to expand their horizons. You’ll get to brainstorm, share transitions, and feed off the creative energy in the room.
5. Work Smarter, Not Harder
Twisty, dancerly movement should feel easy. We will focus on how to move in a way that fits for your body.

What should you bring?

• Wear tight clothing and long sleeves
• Bring ginger for spinning
• Circus Factory has a microwave, kettle and small kitchen. The Marina Market Food Hall is also just across the road.

Location: Circus Factory
Day: Sunday, October 11th
Times: 4PM – 6PM

Suitable for ages: 18+
Price for Weekend: €200* if you book all four
Price for Single Workshop: €60 (no discount on single session bookings)

*10% Students and Unwaged Discount Code at checkout: CFCONC10%
10% Discount for Practitioner Members
20% Discount for Professional Members

About Chole Commins and Julie O’Connell Kent

JANAS is a circus theatre company composed of Julie O’Connell Kent, Eric Munday and Chloe Commins. These three artists formed the collective in 2024, funded by the EU’s Island Connect project.

In Sardinia they found their name, JANAS – which means ‘people of the fay’ or ‘fay folk’. Their time in Sardinia raised questions about the similarities between colonised islands, and how folklore and myth is used to make sense of the struggles of its peoples.

JANAS’s current project is a full-length aerial and acrobatic outdoor theatre piece built around the fundamental pillars of island life: the sea, the sun, and the land. The work personifies these three forces, following their journey. Using powerful aerial artistry and partnered acrobatic movement, JANAS offers an exploration of the struggle for culture and autonomy.

They will present their full-length show in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown in June 2026.

Julie is an aerial artist who loves to both perform and share her love of circus through teaching. She has been exploring aerial rope and silks for nine years. Her practice extends internationally across performing, mentoring, producing, coaching, and collaborating with fellow artists. She loves to explore the boundaries of what is possible in her chosen artform. Her areas of interest are in mythology, queer experiences and the occult – all through the lens of mindful movement.

Chloe is aerial performance artist, who has performed regionally and internationally, her performance work is inspired by generational stories and personal experience. Chloe has produced and curated a number of cabaret events, such as ISL Fest and Wild Roots.

In 2023 she presented RESONANCE. An aerial theatre piece with takes inspiration from her experience growing up CODA (child of Deaf Adult)and includes ISL (Irish sign language) physical theatre and aerial hoop. She has had the opportunity to show this at the Scene & Heard festival Dublin, Festival of Fools Belfast and as  a full length solo show at Dublin Fringe festival.

In 2024, she travelled to Vienna, Berlin and Italy as part of research and development for JANAS company. She was invited to partake in the judging panel for Dublin Fringe Festival. She also worked with companies such as Dead Centre, Amanda Coogan and the Dublin Theatre of the Deaf, and acted as an aerial advisor the show ‘The Race’ at the Ark theatre Dublin. In 2025, She performed for Lunar New Year festival, Hi Pony Beyond the Pale, RDS Christmas event and Teelings Whiskey.

In 2026, She was selected to be an Axis Assemble artist while working with Extaordinary bodies, Rock and Roll Circus in the UK and successfully launching her own youth program with the Holy Family School of the Deaf.

She frequents the Dublin Drag scene as a resident artist with Haus of Wig. She has completed training with The Gaeity School of Acting, Theatre Lovett and Youth Theatre Ireland. She is fluent in Irish Sign Language and holds a degree in Chinese and Business from DIT

Previous Aerial Rope Skills Workshops