The story of Lin Chih-wei and the FOCASA Circus goes back 15 years to 2011, when a fresh-out-of-school Lin and a group of like-minded friends founded MIX Dance Theatre. Instead of pursuing street performances or cruise ship gigs, they had a bigger mission: to prove that acrobatics is a legitimate form of performing art. At the time, street dance was all the rage and many young people, including Lin, were captivated by B-boy culture. MIX combined street dance, theatre, acrobatics and youthful grit—a spirit that was carried over when they regrouped as FOCASA Circus a few years later. "Most circus performers in the West would specialise in one move. If you're a juggler, you just juggle. If you're a stilt-walker, you walk on stilts. But we do it all," Lin says. 

This meant they had to work twice as hard as others—but it also brought unexpected opportunities. Lin Hwai-min instantly lights up at the mention of his connection with FOCASA—despite having told the story countless times. In their early days, the FOCASA members had to train in public parks as they could not afford a space of their own. This is when Lin Hwai-min stepped in. He handed them the key to his rehearsal studio—and a site to pursue their dreams.