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Dublin: 15 °C Sunday 19 May, 2013

Hula hoops, fire jugglers and human cannonballs…it’s the 2012 Street Performance World Championship

The championships head to Cork’s Fitzgerald Park this weekend.

Lizardman Erik Sprague is one of the sixteen finalists at this year's championships.
Lizardman Erik Sprague is one of the sixteen finalists at this year's championships.
Image: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

CORK CITY IS set to be dazzled this weekend as Fitzgerald Park is transformed into a mystical playground for adults.

The Laya Healthcare Street Performance World Championship kicks off at the outdoor venue tomorrow and will feature 16 of the craziest performers from around the world.

Organisers have promised one of the most dangerous hula hoop tricks in the world from Netherlands finalist Lisa Lottie, a mind-blowing show with whips, chainsaws and machetes from previous winner, the Australian Space Cowboy, and a physics-defying performance from the UK’s Gary ‘the Human Cannonball’ Stocker. And more.

The finalists will travel to Dublin’s Merrion Square on 19 July for another three days of madness but yesterday photographers in the capital were given a sneak-peek of what to expect:

Hula hoops, fire jugglers and human cannonballs…it’s the 2012 Street Performance World Championship
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  • Street Performance

    Uri Weiss holds his one-year-old daughter Hally. As you do. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Don't try this at home Dads. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Lisa Lottie is a former Dutch national hide-and-go-seek winner but now performs solely with her hula hoops. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Jonothan Burn, also know as the Human Pretzel, is not only a great contortionist, he's also pretty funny. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Seemingly Jonathan Burns' career began when he told his parents that he was going to make a living from squeezing himself through a toilet seat. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Snap Boogie and Peter Rabbit are from New York hip-hop group 2on1. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Rob Williams and Casey Mertin from Kamikaze Fireflies and Reuben DotDotDot at yesterday's launch. Reuben DotDotDot will peform his chinese pole skills over the weekend. He promises a one-handed hand-stand 20 feet in the air! Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Jamal, Aziz and Ali from the Hakuna Matata Acrobats. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    'Deadly Serious' and Reuben Dot Dot Dot pictured at the old Pigeon House Power Station Dublin. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performance

    Self-professed 'professional freak' Lizardman Erik Sprague is another finalist. He has spent more than 700 hours getting tattooed with close to 0,000 worth of ink. He has also had his tongue split to mimic that of a reptile's and had subdermal implants inserted above his eyes to form horned ridges. Also, can you tell what that he's fanged his teetch. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
  • Street Performances

    Three-year-old Finn McCool waves up to his father Damien Ryan who is one of the sixteen finalists who arrived in Dublin yesterday. Photo:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.

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Comments (7 Comments)

  • It’s a fantastic day out,every year, without fail.

    Reply
  • Love the kid in the first few images, happiest face I’ve seen in a while.

    Reply
  • Mr. J 13/07/12 #

    Ive had the great priviledge workin as security as this fantastic event in both cork and dublin for the last nimber of years. Im always blown away by the acts, crowd participation and the sheer crowds drawn to this event. Great couple of days out with brilliant entertainment and superb food on offer too. I strongly urge people to go to both the cork and dublin events :-)

    Reply
  • Was at it last year.. cracking day out. lets hope the weather comes good

    Reply
  • Child endangerment and a lizard freak man. Can’t wait.

    Reply
    • Explain please.

      Child Endangerment – To me that child looks extremely happy and obviously spends a lot of time with her beloved Daddy. This argument arose before with the guy in Russia (I think) who worked in a circus and was training his daughter up. He would do stretches with her and she would do other physical activity to prepare her for life in the circus. As part of the show they took the little girl to a Dr. for scans, tests etc and found her muscle fiber were more developed, and of a wider strand than a normal child. She was also at the height of health. The father and daughter spent every waking hour together and loved it.

      Please explain.

      Freak Man – Have you spoke to this guy or are you making sarcastic derogatory statements because of the colour of his skin or the life style he has chosen for himself?

      This day always goes down great without any hassle as opposed to any sort of Dance music event. I’m not speaking purely about the one just recently but nearly every single one that has taken place before.

      Freak or shell suit wearing pill popping 90 degree angle baseball cap wearing pissed out of your skull looking for a fight??

      Call me a freak any day!

      Reply
    • Good man Stephen. Way to negate the point you were making.

      You take exception to Pete’s apparent narrow mindedness and generalising.

      You then go on to make a sweeping generalisation about the type of people who attend dance music events.

      Bravo.

      Reply

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