Press Release: Canadian Circus stars, Cirque Éloize present iD, Peacock Theatre, 1 - 19 October 2013

[Jan McNulty]

Cirque Éloize
iD
Peacock Theatre, WC2A
Tuesday 1 - Sunday 19 October 2013
Performances at 7.30pm
Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2:30pm
Tickets: £15 - £42
Ticket Office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com

 

“You’re not going to find a more energetic, mind-blowing, roofraising piece of entertainment” Toronto Star

 

Canadian circus troupe Cirque Éloize have become world leaders in contemporary circus since the company was founded in 1993.  Staging innovative productions based on the wealth of multidisciplinary talents of its artists, Cirque Éloize specialises in creating shows that fuse circus arts with music, theatre and dance. Directed by Jeannot Painchaud, Cirque Éloize will bring iD – an exciting family friendly production, blending circus, street dance and hip hop - to Sadler’s Wells’ West End venue, the Peacock Theatre, 1 – 19 October 2013.

 

Set against an urban backdrop in the heart of the city, iD  incorporates innovative multimedia elements, a rock and electronica inspired soundtrack created by composers Jean-Phi Goncalves (the producer behind the Canadian indie-electronica outfit Beast) and Alex McMahon and a cast of 14 performers utilising 13 different physical disciplines, in keeping with Cirque Éloize’s tradition of using multidisciplinary performers from around the world.  The show uses dazzling combinations of strength and balancing feats, BMX stunts, circus staples such as juggling and aerialist acts, with hip hop and street dance to put a fresh and high octane spin on the audience’s expectation of what circus can be.  iD takes the audience through the heart of a futuristic city which fuses the aesthetics of comic book art, B-Movie science fiction and the rich artistic world of graffiti art, on an exciting and highly entertaining journey that is the ideal West End evening for the family.

 

The production’s Director, Jeannot Painchaud says, “I imaged this show at the heart of a city, where the omnipresence of image causes us to lose our reference points.  In the middle of this surreal megalopolis exists a public place, as a spot where one can seek refuge and escape anonymity, to express one’s individuality and affirm one’s identity, in order to reclaim possession of public space, and to dance through the city.”

 

With ten productions to its credit, Cirque Éloize are positioned at the heart of the renewal in French Canadian circus arts, which includes companies such as Cirque Alfonse and Cirque du Soleil. The company has toured extensively all over the world including to Australia, throughout North America including Broadway in New York, Japan, China, Israel, Mexico, the Middle East and across Europe. The company have also been featured in international festivals around the world and have won numerous awards including 9 medals and prizes at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de demain in Paris, two Gemini Awards for Best Performance in a Performance Arts Programme or Series, and a nomination for Broadway’s Drama Desk Awards.