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Cirque Éloize’s and Review
West Side Story meets urban dance meets heart-in-mouth circus! Cirque Éloize’s ID RELOADED comes to Milton Keynes Theatre on Fri 10 & Sat 11 Oct.
Back in 2009, the original iD was a huge global hit for Canadian circus wizards Cirque Eloize. This autumn, the show is reborn as iD Reloaded with the company returning to the UK for the first time since 2019 to give its world premiere on their Dance Consortium autumn tour of the UK.
Simon Tuck went to see it.
"Cirque Eloize: A Masterpiece of Movement and Joy
The theatre was packed with families, all gathered to witness an ignition of passion, joy, excitement, and skill. Cirque Eloize immediately takes the audience on a journey with a palpable "West Side Story" feel, where every "fight" is a dynamic dance.
The performers' discipline is astonishing. You'll gasp at their seamless integration of juggling, aerial threads, trampolining, and cycling. Their precise movements are a testament to their dedication—seven weeks of intense preparation built upon a lifetime of performance. They bring their "A game" night after night, making the show feel utterly flawless.
Dance isn't just a part of the show; it fills the stage and beautifully serves as a key element of the scene changes. This is variety entertainment at its absolute best.
The show is full of laughter and wonderful crowd interaction—especially involving the one lucky (or perhaps, unlucky!) guy brought up to "help." Let's just say, you'll be glad it wasn't you!
You have one more night to see it in Milton Keynes before it moves on to its tour. Don't miss the chance to invite the whole family. It's guaranteed to inspire your dancers and floor athletes with its incredible artistry."
Directed and created by the company’s co-founder Jeannot Painchaud - himself formerly a renowned acrobatic bike circus artist - iD Reloaded is an intoxicating blend of breathtaking circus skills, urban dance music, b-boying/b-girling, breakdance and hip hop - more colourful, more cartoonish, and with even more energy and dare-devilry than before. Prepare not to breathe for 75 minutes.
Like West Side Story gone Hip Hop gone circus, the action takes place in the heart of a city. Sometimes futuristic, sometimes ancient, it’s a place where you can be who you want to be.
Just announced is the nine-strong cast of strikingly individual characters, bringing their own exceptional circus skills into the show’s edgy urban arena. They are Florence Amar (aerials and hand-to-hand), Bryan ‘Slinky’ Boyer (dance and b-boy), Alexia Medesan (contortion and aerials), Christophe Bate (straps and cyr wheel), JP Deltell (juggling and trampoline), Lakesshia ‘Kiki’ Pierre (dancer and b-girl), Trevor Bodogh (trial bike), Adam Dransfield (dancer, b-boy, chair balancing, trampoline) and Kayden Woodridge (Chinese pole, hand-to-hand and trampoline).
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The stage fizzes with infectious energy and phenomenal physical feats as the cast perform against a kaleidoscope of eye-popping projections, set to a pulsating and stimulating soundtrack by Jean-Phi Goncalves (aka Beast) and Alex McMahon.
iD Reloaded promises to be a thrilling piece of work, full of attitude, energy and invention.
Jeannot Painchaud says: “iD in its first version was questioning the diverse identity within a community. The evolution of the dance and acrobatic scene in 15 years is remarkable. iD Reloaded is a visual fest, still fun and energetic, more cartoon-like and colourful. It’s in complete resonance with the challenges that our teenagers are facing, where screen shots and “likes” constantly change your image and create new identities. What’s real and what’s not? Who am I? In this extraordinary period of time, it’s more important than ever to celebrate our differences and our sense of community. Welcome to iD Reloaded!”
A driving force on Quebec’s cultural scene for 30 years, Cirque Éloize’s artistic adventure began in the Magdalen Islands in the early 1990s when Jeannot Painchaud and seven young artists decided to found a circus company. Innovative from the start, Cirque Éloize wanted to move away from the traditional big top to create a new kind of circus with new narrative forms for an audience seeking meaningful entertainment. It is also part of circus history, with co-founder and early collaborator Daniel Cyr inventing the Cyr wheel.
This eight-venue tour is presented by Dance Consortium, a group of 23 large-scale venues whose mission is to engage people across the UK and Ireland with the very best international contemporary dance.
Performances at Milton Keynes Theatre are on Fri 10 & Sat 11 Oct. Book your tickets now at ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes