Penn Live Arts debut of Cirque Éloize's iD - Evolution, an urban circus show that reinvents the company's hit iD as a story of identity and encounters.
Cirque Éloize brings iD - Evolution to the Zellerbach Theatre on Saturday, January 23, 2027, at 2 PM. It's their Philadelphia premiere and their Penn Live Arts debut, so it's the first time the company has performed in the city.
iD - Evolution is a reimagining of iD, the show they first created in 2009. That original version toured the world for years, playing more than 2,100 times across 33 countries and 140 cities. This new version takes that global hit and turns it into an urban ballet where the city itself acts as both the stage and a character. It blends trampoline, aerial hoop, trial biking, and breakdancing, with a few other disciplines mixed in. The story follows identity and the encounters that happen in a world where bodies speak, clash, and respond to one another.
Behind the scenes, Jeannot Painchaud handles creative and stage direction, Elon Höglund takes on choreography and associate stage direction, and Jean-Phi Goncalves and Alex McMahon provide the music. The company has been at this for more than three decades, and they've spent that time redefining contemporary circus. The Toronto Star has called them one of Canada's national treasures, and The Stage once described them as Cirque du Soleil's hipper, sexier cousin.
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Tickets run from $36 to $84, and the show is at 2 PM on Saturday, January 23, at the Zellerbach Theatre, 3680 Walnut Street.
