The circus came to the city last night, but not the kind you might expect. Dance Consortium has brought CIRQUE ÉLOIZE back to the UK for the first time since 2019, and their new show ID Reloaded turned the Wales Millennium Centre into a restless, ever-shifting metropolis of dance battles, aerial feats, and moments of theatrical spectacle.
Created and directed by Jeannot Painchaud, the production is staged entirely within the borders of a city. Sometimes it looks futuristic, at other times ancient, but it is always a place of transformation. This setting allows the performers to explore identity, rivalry, and freedom, reminding us of the possibilities of urban life: in a city, you can be whoever you want to be.
What follows is 80 minutes of circus, West Side Story-style drama, and hip hop woven into one. Acrobatics tumble into breakdance. Juggling and balancing acts echo the swagger of a street crew. A duet in the air hints at romance, then slides into rivalry. The familiar categories of circus “acts” disappear and instead we watch a flow of stories that rise and fall with the rhythm of the city.
What makes the production distinctive is the way it merges influences that might not, at first glance, belong together. There is the grit and rivalry of West Side Story, the pounding physicality of hip hop dance, and the daring spectacle of contemporary circus. These strands are not simply presented side by side but interwoven, so that a piece of breakdance can spill into a circus trick, or a balancing act can end with a gesture borrowed from street dance. The results are exciting, sometimes surprising, and occasionally even funny.
The performers are the heart of the experience. Cirque Éloize has always excelled at showcasing the versatility of its company, and here each artist seems to carry their own miniature story. One moment a dancer is sliding across the stage in sneakers, the next they are climbing into the air on a rope, or spinning inside a Cyr wheel. Acrobatics, juggling, and aerial work appear throughout, but they are never treated as isolated ‘acts.’ Instead, they feel integrated into the rhythm of the city. The city is alive, restless, sometimes chaotic, and each performer is part of its pulse.
A highlight comes in a sequence where the stage transforms into something resembling a back alley. The company moves together in a kind of dance battle, with breakdancers throwing down challenges and acrobats responding with impossible flips. The energy in the Donald Gordon theatre at this point was electric, the audience gasping and applauding with every trick. Yet the show also finds quieter moments. A duet on straps suggested both romance and rivalry, suspended high above the stage but tethered together in motion. These shifts of mood keep the production from feeling relentless and give the audience a chance to breathe.
Visually, ID Reloaded is striking without being overwhelming. Projections and lighting create the shifting cityscapes, but they never dominate the live performance. Instead, they frame the action and underline the idea that this city is a place of transformation. One scene feels rooted in the present, another in some imagined future, and then suddenly we are watching something that could have happened centuries ago. That fluid sense of time strengthens the show’s theme of reinvention.
We went along to the pre-show rehearsal and spoke to Dance Consortium’s Chief Executive JOE BATES about the show and talents of Cirque Éloize…..
It would be possible to approach the evening simply as a circus spectacle, and certainly those who came for thrills and athleticism were not disappointed. But what makes Cirque Éloize stand apart is its determination to weave those thrills into something more theatrical. The nods to West Side Story are more than decorative; they bring a sense of narrative tension, the suggestion of gangs, rivalry, and street culture. Meanwhile the hip hop vocabulary grounds the show in a contemporary language that audiences of all ages can recognise.
After the eighty minutes of performance, the company invited the audience to stay for a post-show Q&A. This was a welcome opportunity to hear directly from the artists about their training, their travels, and their experience of building ID Reloaded. The discussion revealed how much collaboration goes into a production like this, with performers drawing on their individual specialisms but constantly adapting to the needs of the group. For many in the audience, it deepened the appreciation of what they had just seen.
The return of Cirque Éloize to the UK feels timely. After years of disruption to touring schedules, it is refreshing to see a company bring such vitality and invention to the stage. ID Reloaded does not ask its audience to puzzle over meaning or endure abstraction. Instead, it offers a direct hit of movement, music, and daring skill, wrapped up in the spirit of a city that belongs to everyone. Judging by the standing ovation in Cardiff, the Welsh capital was ready to welcome them back.
At its best, the show reminds you of the joy of live performance: bodies pushing limits, art forms colliding, and a crowd carried along by the shared excitement of the moment. That is a rare thing to capture, and Cirque Éloize has done it with style.
You’ll need to be quick as CIRQUE ÉLOIZE is at the Wales Millennium Centre for their final performance this evening at 7.30pm. For more details and tickets go HERE.
You can also read our feature HERE.
