Stretching it: Street performers compete in world championships in Cork
CONTORTIONISTS, PIANO jugglers, magicians, breakdancers, comedians and an array of world-class jesters descended on Cork’s Fitzgerald Park over the weekend as part of the Midsummer Festival.
The first heat of the fourth annual AIB Street Performance World Championship took place in Cork city over the last two days, with the second round scheduled to get under way in Dublin’s Merrion Square from Thursday to Sunday next.
Performers participating in the Cork event and in Dublin later this week include Betty Brawn, who claims to be the strongest woman alive, and the USA Breakdancers, one of the world’s most acclaimed breakdancing troupes. Titan, the undisputed heavyweight of robots, at 8ft 2in, will also take part.
Six stages were set up at Cork’s Fitzgerald Park, and 10 will be erected at Merrion Square.
A spokesman for the championships said 31 of the world’s best street performers were participating.
“Over 150,000 people will pass through both parks, enjoying as much free entertainment and belly laughs as they can handle. Over both weekends, voting booths will be at both event sites and the act with the most votes will be crowned the 2009 AIB Street Performance World Champion.”
Some of the gravity-defying, head-spinning highlights of the championships this year include Australian contortionist Alakazam, the man who has made a career out of squeezing his entire body through the mouth of a squash racket; Canadian Mike Wood, who catapults cabbages onto a helmet on his head; and Rob Williams from the US, who makes sandwiches with his feet.
Sign interpreters from the Centre of Deaf Studies will be in Dublin on Saturday and Sunday, interpreting every show on both days.
For those keen for more hands-on entertainment at the Dublin event, there will be free clay modelling workshops, face painting, balloon modelling, juggling workshops, and a show that takes place in the belly of a 30ft sleeping sow.
For details see www.spwc.ie.