Review: Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded at Wolverhampton Grand

★★★★

Dance Consortium presents Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded, a show inspired by the original West End hit iD, which brings an energetic blend of circus arts and urban dance styles to a cityscape staging.

Cirque Eloize iD Reloaded - Caroline Thibault

Directed and curated by Jeannot Painchaud, iD RELOADED is an incredible, thrilling, and awe-inducing production which uses break dance, hip hop (Adam Dransfield, Bryan 'Slinky' Boyer, Lakessia 'Kiki' Pierre) and other dance elements to transition between the phenomenal physical feats and shocking stunts.

Set to a pulsating and stimulating soundtrack by Jean-Phi Concalves and Alex McMahon, which narrates the people and the movement that make up the heartbeat of any bustling city, the famed Canadian circus troupe perform against a backdrop of video projections that pull audiences into the city setting, while vibrantly lit elements are a bright reminder of the neon nightlife.

The production is a little slow to start and the storyline isn’t always clear, however, that really doesn’t seem to matter when the show’s main draw is the spectacle of movement and soaring stunts. When the action does kick off, the open fight scene is reminiscent of West Side Story meets contemporary circus styling, with adrenaline-fuelled shocking moments that continue to ramp up and up throughout the show.

Featuring trial bike tricks (Trevor Bodogh), juggling with unique twists (JP Deltell), breath-taking Chinese pole (Kayden Woodridge), chair-ography balancing acts (Adam Dransfield), trampolining triumphs (JP Deltell, Adam Dransfield, Kayden Woodridge) , beautifully balletic acrobatics, aerials including swooping silks (Alexia Medesan, Florence Amar), contortion (Alexia Medesan), cyr wheel (Christopher Bate), jump rope gymnastics, and even moments of comedy, there is very little this talented company can’t and won’t do.

Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded is a striking, skilful, intense and dizzying production filled with gripping movement, electrifying circus tricks and breath-taking feats of balance.

Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded plays at Wolverhampton Grand for a short run until 4th October, so book tickets before its gone. Alternative dates at venues across the UK can also be found online.

This review was written following a press invite to the production.