Sydney Opera House Presents Cirkopolis

After touring Europe and the US, Cirque Éloize's latest production, Cirkopolis, will premiere at the Sydney Opera House from 2-6 October, during the spring School Holidays.

Combining the worlds of circus, dance and theatre, this new show features twelve acrobats and multidisciplinary artists who rebel against the daily grind, reinvent themselves and challenge the limits of the factory-city, Cirkopolis. Performing within an inventive stage design, and accompanied by an original musical score and innovative video projections, they live in a world where fantasy defies reality.

Montreal's Cirque Éloize is at the forefront of contemporary circus.  Cirkopolis is their ninth original touring show and is co-directed by Dave St-Pierre and Jeannot Painchaud.

Cirque Éloize Cirkopolis Artistic Director and Co-Director Jeannot Painchaud said, 'Cirkopolis was imagined as a crossroads"between imagination and reality, between individuality and community, between limits and possibilities. The show is driven by the poetic impulse of life, the physical prowess of the circus and its humour, at once serious and light-hearted. Entering Cirkopolis is all about letting go and allowing yourself to be borne aloft by hope."

Robert Massicotte's stage design plunges the audience into a sculptural universe. In this stern and imposing city, giant gears and dark portals symbolize a mechanism that crushes individuality. As Cirkopolis unfolds, Cirque Éloize's twelve performers defy this gloom to magically overcome routine through courage, fantasy, music and humour.

Critics are raving about Cirkopolis. The New York Post said the show was 'Extraordinary. There's the circus, and then there's Cirque Éloize. These guys are on a whole other level!" The New York Times wrote 'There are much bigger shows than Cirkopolis, (…) but I'd bet there aren't more beautiful ones" while the Montreal Gazette wrote 'Cirkopolis is a wonder. This was to be expected, given that it is a Cirque Eloize creation." Perez Hilton exclaimed 'If Christopher Nolan directed the circus, it would be Cirkopolis! A must see!"

In Europe, the reviews were equally enthusiastic 'Carefully designed choreographies highlight the essential that is the artists' virtuosity. Dance and movement dominated the whole show. […] Never, an hour-and-a-half performance flew by so fast." Demokraatti, Finland. In Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote 'Way more than simple entertainment," while in the UK The Stage wrote 'Cirque Éloize created another gem" and Belgium's Le Soir Magazine said 'It's in fact more than circus, it's a reinvention, a new perspective, a definite novelty. It wakes up all the senses, we walk out dazzled."