The internationally renowned Formosa Circus Art (FOCA) team will be performing in the Melbourne Fringe Festival from Oct. 11 to Oct. 15. Aiming to showcase Taiwan’s unique style of circus art, FOCA is invited by the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney and the festival organizer, under the Fringe Focus Taiwan program.
This year marks the fourth iteration of the Fringe Focus Taiwan program in Melbourne Fringe. Noting that Australia is one of the main partners in the New Southbound policy, an initiative of Taiwan that aims to strengthen cooperation and exchange with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Australasia, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said that Melbourne, acclaimed as Australia's cultural capital, has long captivated Taiwanese people with its vibrant culture.
Fringe Focus Taiwan emphasizes our emerging and experimental contemporary performing arts and artists, so it helps to build the brand of Taiwanese performing arts while growing Australian audiences and developing international networks, the MOC added.
The Creative Director and CEO of Melbourne Fringe Simon Abrahams mentioned that the festival is dedicated to promoting circus art and FOCA, as an avant-garde of performing arts, is not to be missed. He believes that this event is able to deepen the connections between the Taiwanese and Australian creative communities.
Dubbed the "Cirque du Soleil" of Taiwan, FOCA was established in 2011. Its members came from varied backgrounds, including stunt, acrobatics, street dance, contemporary dance, martial arts, and theatre, and they skillfully combine traditional culture, folk culture, street culture, and theatre arts to form their extraordinary style. During the festival, they will be performing "Mr. III三III" (Mr Three) at the National Circus Centre of the National Institute of Circus Art; and "Puzzle" at the Melbourne Museum Forecourt of the Queen Victoria Market.
For more information, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or the event page of Mr. III三III and Puzzle.