iD represents iDentity and indiviDuality according to Cirque Eloize but in my opinion, another definition should be added to that list – integration of diversity.

The diversity of the show can be seen from the makeup of the team itself which consists of 16 performers from seven different countries across ten circus disciplines as well as urban dance.

Jeannot Painchaud (pictured below), the director of the show, said that the team is always looking to work with artists from different countries. He thinks it’s something rich to have performers from different cultures coming together to put together a show.

On top of their own disciplines, the performers also had to learn other disciplines for the show.

Melissa Flerangile, a dancer in the team, said that learning from each other was a really great thing but it was not easy and “there can be blood, sweat and tears every day, day in and day out.”

The efforts of the team paid off as collaborations between different disciplines were well-integrated and transitions between acts were smooth. There were even scenes where the whole team was on stage performing as one, disregarding their differences.

Painchaud said he imagined the show at the “heart of a city where the omnipresence of image causes us to lose our reference points.”

This did not apply only to the performers but to the audience as well as the stage was so full of energy and action that one is at a loss as to what to watch on stage.

The themes of iDentity and indiviDuality were also clearly expressed as performers were able to perform their own specialty amidst all the different disciplines in the show.

This is the first time that Cirque Eloize is performing in Singapore.

Their show, iD, is about the quest of the performers to find their place in the futuristic city where the show is set. It is held at Marina Bay Sands from now till 26 June 2011.