If I had a tenner for every time I said “oh my God!” while watching the unbelievably talented Cirque Éloize circus crew perform at the Hull New Theatre, on Friday evening, I would be laughing all the way to the bank.
This production, iD Reloaded, is inspired by the company’s international hit, iD, created in 2009.
Presented by Dance Consortium and directed and created by the Canadian company’s co-founder, Jeannot Painchaud, I was immediately impressed by the wonderful opening stage setting of industrial metal frames with a backdrop of a built-up city scape – an eye-popping video backdrop that changed and dazzled throughout the performance.
The action takes place in the heart of a busy city, out in the open, in a space that encourages individuals to express their personalities and physical capabilities – be it by dancing, breakdancing, b-boying or b-girling (aka breaking), trampolining, acrobatics, biking, skipping, contortion and juggling to name just a few activities.
The group of nine performers start off with just the aforementioned metal framed apparatus, which included a Chinese pole upon which artists displayed feats of breathtaking strength as they held on at right angles. One stand-out performer, Kayden Woodridge, took my breath away with his mind-boggling grace and strength.
But as the show progresses, other equipment comes into play, with individual crew members wowing us in the audience with displays of, oft, death-defying stunts.
Honestly, it all had to be seen to be believed.
We were treated to a dazzling display of aerial silks, with the artist, Florence Amar, at times, only held aloft by “ribbon’ wrapped around her body, and one dare devil (yes, you Adam Dransfield), climbed atop a pile of simple wooden chairs, only to do a handstand while spinning on a small pad wedged into a chair – using just one hand.
A trial bike rider whizzed off the stage on his seatless bike and dashed around the theatre chasing one of the crew members, who rested for a while on the aisle seat in front of me, only to run back to the stage, with the biker in hot pursuit.
One stunt Trevor Bodogh, the bike rider, performed had me putting my hands over my eyes with horror. A “willing” audience member was enticed on to the stage and, as Bodogh rode his bike perilously close to his prone body, at breakneck speeds sometimes, I just couldn’t look. It was thrilling, yet terrifying.
Happily, the “victim” survived unscathed.
Equally thrilling, yet, thankfully, less terrifying, was Christopher Bate on the Cyr wheel – you know, one of those huge circles where the performer stands inside and hangs on for dear life, while spinning like a whirling Dervish.
Bates also performed on the aerial straps, showing breathtaking dexterity and strength.
This energetic bunch seemed to really enjoy jumping on to a huge trampoline, at speed, with split-second timing ensuring they didn’t collide. However, by this time in the show the jumps had become gravity-defying feats of derring-do, each one eliciting cheers from the audience.
A jokey character all the way through showed his skills, not only on the trampoline, but also with his amazing juggling skills. I lost count of how many balls he had up in the air at any one time; take a bow JP Deltell.
All the above kept us entertained for almost 90 minutes, but the amazing stage setting often drew my attention away from the artists, it was so mesmerising. Showing everything from stormy clouds scudding across a dark city sky, to whizzing us full pelt through the starry Universe, to the inside of a factory and out to a construction site with its moving cranes, it just couldn’t be ignored, being a huge part of the production.
And all the while the most amazing, hypnotic drum beats pervaded the air. Composed by Jean-Phi Goncalves and Alex McMahon, the piano was included at times, but it’s the drum beats that I felt entranced by.
Completing the nine crew members are Alexia Medesan (an amazing contortionist whose displays heralded a sense of calm) and dancers and breakers Bryan “Slinky” Boyer and Lakesshia “Kiki” Pierre, whose differing skills all added to an evening of sheer incredulity.
And while in our city, this talented group will take time out to do a dance-circus skills workshop with youngsters from Hull’s renowned Beats Bus project. Truly inspirational.
This production left me open-mouthed for its entirety (around 85 minutes, no interval). I loved it and, judging by the audience’s enthusiastic reaction at the show’s end, I wasn’t the only one.
Reviewer: Jackie Foottit
Reviewed: 17th October 2025
North West End UK Rating: