Union Black / Far From the Norm

Produced by Crying Out Loud (UK), Le Plus Petit Cirque de Monde (France),

Subtopia (Sweden) and Cork Midsummer Festival.

By helping to fund the world premiere performances of Union Black in the Neptune Stadium as part of Cork Midsummer Festival in 2018, UCC Creative consolidated its focus for that year on hip hop forms (also supporting the hip hop takeover Can I Kick It? / Yes You Can) and gave dynamic performative expression to the integration of hip hop and circus.

Union Black was a vibrant mix of dance-theatre and circus from critically acclaimed hip hop collective Far From The Norm and a selection of Europe and Ireland’s best hip hop artists and circus performers.

With a breathtaking combination of the dancers’ fast-paced footwork and physical routines, alongside the skill and strength of Chinese pole and tightwire of the circus artists, the show channeled one of the globe’s favourite sports – football – to tackle questions about Europe both before and after Brexit.

Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union

Funded by The Arts Council; UCC Creative; Institut Français; The British Council; Cork City Council Arts Office.