The same appeal as watching a runner complete a marathon without breaking a single sweat.

One of many death-defying stunts in Cirque Eloize: iD Reloaded

When you think of the circus, the prevailing image is an outdated likeness of the big top, clowns, and performing animals. 

Dance Consortium has broken the bounds of expectation in its depiction of the circus as an energy-infused mash-up of electric hip-hop energy and urban dance.

Cirque Eloize: iD premiered in 2009 and served as the initial take on the 1980s punk style, which went on to achieve significant success and tour worldwide.

Cirque Éloize: iD Reloaded is inspired by this show, with some of the performers having grown up watching it and being inspired to take on the circus through what they witnessed. It serves as an update to its predecessor from over fifteen years ago. 

While I have not seen the original, the follow-up is a clear love letter to the original and is packed to the brim with infectious energy.

The space-themed ring section at play

The show is set in a city scene. The cast is clearly a counterculture movement against the stuffy and oppressive capitalist culture that pervades the backdrops. 

They are introduced, shunning their noir-inspired drab suits to reveal the colourful and energetic clothing hidden beneath. 

The suggestion is that the energy on-stage is also present in the audience. In place of a central narrative, a compelling idea holds the show together thematically. 

We witness a myriad of tricks and show-stopping sequences during the show, which runs for a tight hour and fifteen minutes. 

Highlights include a construction site set for a juggling act, a space-themed ring section,  aerial hoop and rope feats, and multiple extended trial bike set pieces from Trevor Bodogh, whose mastery of the vehicle was awe-inspiring.

 A part of the show included taking an audience member on stage and having Trevor jump the bike over him, in the only sequence that genuinely had me on the edge, worried about mistakes, despite the greater complexities of later stunts. 

Trevor Bodogh on the trial bike

The prevailing factor for the show’s success is the evident and extreme athletic ability of its central cast.

Multiple moments had me involuntarily gasping at what these performers are capable of doing, and especially the moments where they interact, jumping through each other and otherwise interfering with solo performances. 

I found that the show’s aesthetic sometimes detracted more than enhanced it, feeling gimmicky and distracting from what should be the show's focus. 

The attempts at humour do work often enough, but the tone feels a bit confused, though it doesn’t detract from how impressive the acts are - what everyone is there for anyway. 

A consequence of prolific audience interaction is that performers often go into the seats themselves, in an attempt at interplay. 

While this may prove successful for those below, anyone sitting in the circle has absolutely no sense of what is happening. So the show stops and starts in awkward silence, as the cheers below do not adequately convey what is being missed. 

While I have a few quibbles with the staging and style, they are minor complaints. Leaving the theatre, I was left with a sense of just how impressive these artists are - the same appeal as watching a runner complete a marathon without breaking a single sweat.

Cirque Eloize: iD Reloaded continues its tour across the UK, beginning at the Wycombe Swan Theatre.