Imago, DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE & CIRCUS

Review

Imago, created and performed by former Cirque du Soleil artists Gabrielle Martin and Jeremiah Hughes, is a work of breathtaking innovation and emotional depth. At its core, the production explores the fragile space between holding on and letting go—of another person, of trust, of love. Performed as a duet, it is brought to life through a cinematic original score, visceral floor-to-air choreography, and a dreamlike visual design that lingers long after the performance ends.

What makes Imago extraordinary is its daring invention of a new aerial language. Built around a custom-designed rope-loop apparatus, the work abandons familiar circus vocabularies in favour of an original, sculptural movement practice. The apparatus is not just equipment but an unstable partner, amplifying the precariousness of intimacy as performers negotiate weight, balance, and power in real time.

This is not spectacle for spectacle’s sake. Instead, Imago prioritises emotional resonance over virtuosic display, transforming circus into a meditation on connection, loss, and transformation. Its interdisciplinary format—bridging circus, contemporary dance, and visual theatre—renders it accessible across cultures and languages, while its touring adaptability ensures international reach.

The award jury recognised Imago with 2nd Place in the Best Production Award for its bold redefinition of what aerial performance can be: not merely an acrobatic feat, but a haunting, poetic exploration of human vulnerability. Seductive and unsettling, innovative yet intimate, Imago exemplifies the power of contemporary performance to both astonish and move.

Synopsis

Directed by former Cirque du Soleil artists, Imago is contemporary aerial-dance that explores the space between holding onto and letting go of another. It's a gripping duet brought to life through cinematic original music, visceral floor-to-air choreography and dreamlike visual design. Winner of the Isadora Award for Excellence in Choreography, Corporeal Imago's previous show was nominated for a Total Theatre Award in Physical and Visual Theatre and described as a 'dark, quietly riveting gem of aerial drama' (List). Part of Spotlight Canada 2025, supported by the High Commission of Canada and The Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation.