Cirque Eloize ID Reloaded - Milton Keynes Theatre

iD Reloaded is an intoxicating blend of breathtaking circus skills, urban dance music, b-boying/b-girling, breakdance and hip hop – with a West Side Story vibe of two rival gangs, this show will have you holding your breath for 75 minutes.

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.  Directed and created by the company’s co-founder Jeannot Painchaud - himself formerly a renowned acrobatic bike circus artist.  I did not know what to expect.  This show has more energy, more daredevil stunts and more … well adrenaline than you can imagine.

Think about things you tried as a kid.  Skipping with a rope, juggling tennis balls, hula hoops, Trampoline and a bit of dance.  Think you can still do it?  Think again.  If Gen X invented street dance and hip hop, then Gen Z have taken it to a new level and that level is extreme.  There are no safety mats.  And trust me some of the equipment they are jumping, dancing and climbing on are as high as the top of the stage.  In my head I was alternating between OMG and Wow!  It is awesome with a capital A!  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.  It gives an atmosphere that is the perfect accompaniment for the performers.

The acrobatics and dance make it the coolest thing you will see all year. If you have kids – take them, even stroppy teenagers will thank you for this.  And even if you don’t have kids, the kid inside you will love this.  The seven-year-old inside me feel she can do most of this – trust me – I can’t!  I can skip, but not skip on a bike with double Dutch skipping.  I could juggle a couple of tennis balls, but not seven or eight balls against some glass quicker than I could count them.  You genuinely cannot imagine what you are actually seeing.  I loved the quieter moments too.  There is a very bendy and flexible girl who literally looks like she has no spine.  Her body can bend over backwards – its scary and amazing at the same time.  The bike jumping over a person from the audience (or not) got so near his face I found myself gasping and covering my own mouth in awe.  Climbing up a pole is one thing but dropping and stopping yourself from falling from that height is something else.

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).  We were so lucky that after the show there was a Q&A where we could ask questions directly with three of the performers who are from all over the world.  As I had recently broken my shoulder and know the pain of that, I asked them what was their worst injury.  They had all suffered some injuries to get to where they are now, but you can see they are dedicated to their art and love what they do. Just don’t try this at home.

iD Reloaded promises to be a thrilling piece of work, full of attitude, energy and invention. Stop reading this review and get yourself a ticket to the most mind-blowing performance you will see all year.

It’s at Milton Keynes Theatre on Sat 11 Oct.