Circus meets art and contemporary dance at Taiwan’s Focasa circus troupe, coming to Hong Kong next year

For Lin Chih-wei, the journey into the circus world began out of necessity. Raised by a single parent, he enrolled in a drama school that offered room and board to ease the family’s financial burden. Training was gruelling—with days stretching from 5am to 9pm and intense physical demands. Over time, he built the strength to lift up to 500kg (about 1,100lb) while riding a bicycle. Quitting was never an option; doing so would have meant his mother repaying years of educational costs.

Despite such hardships, Lin discovered beauty in the communal nature of the circus—and in its versatility. “Performers can create wonders with anything—from advanced technology to everyday fruits,” he says.

In 1989, while studying at the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, he witnessed the integration of the dance and performance departments. That crossover led him to train in ballet and tap dance. Yet, after graduating, he noticed that while dance majors secured leading roles in grand productions, circus performers were often relegated to supporting acts or street shows. “Why can’t we be the protagonists?” he recalls thinking—an early spark behind his mission to elevate perception of circus arts.

A turning point came in 2012, when a collaboration with Cloud Gate gave Lin the chance to combine circus movement with contemporary dance. His performance in the re-run of Cloud Gate’s The Nine Songs, where he literally carried a dancer on his shoulders for a full ten minutes, marked the beginning of a creative friendship with Lin Hwai-min, who admired his resilience and artistry.

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“The circus isn’t just about animals or old tricks anymore,” Lin says. “Like contemporary dance, it’s about movement, expression, and connection. We listen to music and react to it as performers, building stories through motion.”

That same year, Lin founded Focasa, intent on blending circus performance with dance training, breathing techniques and visual aesthetics. The troupe’s boundary-pushing philosophy has taken it to more than 25 countries, including appearances at the Festival d’Avignon in France and the Fringe Festival in Scotland—two of the world’s most prestigious performing arts platforms.

Hundred: A Brave Journey, which premiered earlier this year, celebrates Focasa’s 15th anniversary and represents a technical leap forward. “In the past, we performed our acts individually,” says one performer. “Now we move as one, in synchrony, like dancers.” Fellow performer Chiang Yu-ping, who plays the bold young protagonist, adds: “Combining my circus skills with acting has been a whole new adventure.”

Following over 30 sold-out performances in Taiwan, the troupe hopes its Hong Kong debut will cement Focasa’s place on the international stage—and spotlight Taiwan’s growing influence in contemporary circus arts.

Now 78, Lin Hwai-min observes the younger performers with quiet pride. “The whole production is a dream,” he says with a smile. “Their skill and vision are extraordinary. My wish for them is simple: continue to grow—but never grow old.”

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