Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is this week one of the few theatres in the UK to host Cirque Éloize - a fusion of dance and circus, showing for two nights only. The electric production, iD Reloaded, features jaw-dropping feats and high energy street dance side-by-side.

Hailing from Montreal, Cirque Éloize has been creating productions for 33 years - this is a revamped version of iD, which promises a mixture of “urban dance, daring stunts and dazzling acrobatics”. After last night, it's safe to say that the company ticks all the boxes, and has created a 75-minute journey to be enjoyed by young and old alike. 

The production takes place in a grungy urban landscape, with towering set pieces (designed by Frederick Ouellet) and an impressive moving projection, by Bernard Mauran and Yannick Doucet, spanning the stage - cranes sweep over a construction site silhouettes cross windows at night, and in more abstract moments, the animation spans time and space. All this takes place to a pulsing soundscape created by Jean-Phi Goncalves and Alex McMahon.

The dancing troupe comprises nine performers who take part in ensemble dance numbers across the urban landscape of the stage, including antics with skipping ropes and sparring gangs squaring off at each other. The concept behind the show aims to use street dance storytelling to give shape to the narrative, where in traditional circus, the show would simply comprise a series of disconnected acts. 

Instead, the performers of Cirque Éloize are each given a moment in the spotlight, and the opportunity to develop a distinct stage personality. From the first scene, Kayden Woodridge was prompting gasps from the audience, courtesy of death-defying acrobatic feats on the Chinese Pole. Chrisophe Bate and Florence Amer created elegant aerial acrobatic shapes, and on the ground, Bryan ‘Slinky’ Boyer and Adam Dransfield led the break dance numbers. 

Street dancer Lakesshia ‘Kiki’ Pierre was particularly good at engaging with the crowd, as was JP Deltell, in a wordlessly charismatic juggling performance. Finally, Alexia Medesan offered up mesmerising contortionist dance and rollerskating, and trail bike artist Trevor Bodogh occasionally swept in to perform acrobatics on two wheels. 

In all, Cirque Éloize is an energetic and adrenaline-fueled introduction to circus, with eye-catching street dance to complete it. The overall story could be tighter and more streamlined, but the response from the crowd speaks for itself. Audience members of every age were gasping and applauding - and with only one more performance, it’s well worth catching. 

Four stars

Cirque Éloize was reviewed on Friday 3 October by Jessica Clixby at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, where it concludes on Saturday 4 October.