Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Director and curator: Jeannot Painchaud

Choreographer and Associate Director: Elon Höglund

Musical Composers: Jean-Phi Goncalves and Alex McMahon

Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded welcomes its audience into a modern Agora, a dystopian looking meeting place where the anonymous seek refuge from the ordinary, and express themselves in the heart of an electric city. Nine performers from the Canadian contemporary circus crew perform dazzling and daring feats against a backdrop of vivid video projection to an adrenalin peaking soundtrack. Aerialism, juggling, tumbling, breakdancing, bike tricks and even skipping amongst many more (although the latter two are by no means the mundane school yard activities the audience might be used to). There’s a feel of West Side Story meets Cats via Moscow State Circus as gangs arrive, compete and combine in a burst of community.

Set Designer Frederick Ouellet has created a visually stimulating set of a triple layer scaffolding lit with LEDS. Barrels, bins and crates are scattered around for the performers to interact with. It’s all enhanced by Stéphane Ménigot’s wonderful lighting. The whole immediately primes the audience to expect something is little grungy, a little urban, a little out there. Punk street wear costumes from Liz Vandal only add to this anticipation, with their warm and cool colour split delineating the gangs as they arrive, peeling off monochromatic black and white outerwear And then the madness kicks off.

It’s impossible to highlight individual acts, all nine performers are excellent at their crafts. Alexia Medesan’s almost superhuman contortion and JP Deltell’s clownish set ups and juggling are both particularly fun, while Lakesshia “Kiki” Pierre has some fascinating B-Girl dance interaction with spot lights. Trevor Bodogh low key terrorises the audience with a trail bike. Adam Dransfield’s gravity defying Chair Balancing astonishes. Kayden Woodridge throws himself around a Chinese Pole as if it’s nothing, as does Florence Amar on aerial hoop and silks. Bryan “Slinky” Boyer lives up to his name with his fluid B-Boy dancing and Christophe Bate makes everyone dizzy with his LED enhanced Cyr Wheel (a piece of kit named for the Cirque Éloize Co-Founder who invented it).

Director Jeannot Painchaud has 40 years of experience creating shows, and his precision is clear in every moment of iD Reloaded. So too the choreography from Elon Höglund, an original iD performer. Individual acts are enhanced by group numbers and background interactions to form a show that is genuinely thrilling to watch. The audience barely has time to breathe from gasping with delight, although unfortunately all momentum and immersion is lost at the end when setting up a trampoline is covered by an odd selfie taking exercise which feels tacked on and out of place. This means the trampoline act does not get the appreciation it deserves, and sadly the end of the show feels slightly underwhelming.

Despite this, iD Reloaded is a joy to experience for all ages. The feats on show often seem impossible even for the highly skilled artists performing them – the audience can expect a night with their hearts in their throats and their fists clenched expecting a crash that never happens. And maybe they’ll leave more open to the idea of breaking away from the everyday and trying something extraordinary (or at least with a new desire to visit a BMX park or buy a set of juggling balls…)

Runs until 15th October 2025