Over the last 3 years the EmeraldCircus.com site has grown from a simple online forum to a community both online and offline, we’ve attended most of the Juggling Conventions / Circus Festivals around the country since we started, we’ve even been part of the Street Performance World Championships (SPWC) for the last 2 years and will be joining in the fun again this year. World Juggling Day celebrations will once again be hosted by the EC:Live team at the SWPC and we encourage everyone to come join us. more details on WJD celebrations can be found here

The site would not have got where it is today without the support of the community but we’d like to take this oppertunity to thank Richard at Jugglin Dublin who has backed the site and many of its projects and has even funded some of our ventures. It’s support like this that really helps projects like EmeraldCircus.com evolve from a simple community online into a driving force promoting Juggling, Circus & Street Performance accross the country. We also picked up a few other sponsors along the way with a lot of prizes, workshop and demo equipment (worth almost €2K in total) being provided to the site by Erik’s Poi Toys and Play UK (Oddballs) so we’d like to give these guys a huge shout out and thank them for their support. the workshop equipment has been invaluable at a number of events and gatherings we’ve attended and even helped get the UDC Juggling Soc started in 2009.

We’ll be at the Dublin Circus Festival over the weekend and have a few new projects and ideas we’d love to get feedback on, so come say hi and we’ll see you there! There’ll be a bit of a party atmosphere at the stand as we’ll be partying all weekend to mark the 3 year milestone, with 3 being the most common number of objects used in juggling we felt it was a birthday not to let pass uncelebrated

Traces takes place in a make-shift shelter, an unknown catastrophe waiting outside the doors of tarp and gaffer tape. The five characters constructed this clubhouse to live to the fullest what they believe could be their last moments, hoping to leave nothing unsaid or undone. In the face of this impending disaster they have determined that creation is the only antidote to destruction, and their brand of creation is the fleeting impulses and desires that extend through bodies and unfurl onto a stage — the stories told through music, song, dance, speech, illustration, and high-risk acrobatics. They use every mode of expression available to them, hoping to leave a lasting mark… to leave their traces as best they can.

As they tell stories of their past, share with us their various personal strengths and weaknesses, the audience gets to know these five performers from every possible angle. The familiarity grows, and the acrobatics the seemingly “inhuman” element takes on a startlingly human nature. At its heart, Traces celebrates five individuals, their particular bond and their particular talents; their risk-taking the ultimate affirmation of life; their unbridled energy proof of a collective pounding pulse.

Traces is high-energy urban acrobatics — poetic and explosive, humorous and thoughtful. Combining traditional acrobatic forms with street elements such as skateboarding and basketball, mixed in with some theatre and contemporary dance, it surprises, awes and delights at every turn.

Check out the video below to get an idea of just how energetic this show actually is!

[See post to watch Flash video]

EmeraldCircus:Live is a site that requires updating on a regular bases and the old site just wasn’t up to the job but now we can keep you in the know of what we’re up to and where we’ll be over the next few months.

The site still has a few empty sections at the moment and the contact form is offline for the next few days, but all will be fully funtional in time for the Dublin Circus Festival 2010!