Last Updated on September 5, 2025
Collective Brilliance in Motion: Copenhagen Collective’s Latest Triumph
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Following a highly successful European tour, Copenhagen Collective’s The Genesis arrived in London last night, opening at the Peacock Theatre for a brief run as part of The Danish Showcase. The sixteen-strong international ensemble brings a dazzling fusion of global artistry, blending acrobatics, athleticism, and sculptural choreography into a one-of-a-kind contemporary circus experience.
From the first taut, trembling beat of its score, The Genesis asserts itself not merely as a circus show, but as a daring exploration of human connection in motion. Copenhagen Collective’s ensemble conjures a spectacle that is at once breathtakingly athletic and quietly tender, where gravity-defying lifts and intricate group formations become poetry in motion. The performance dazzles not through spectacle alone, but through a meticulous weaving of individual brilliance into collective harmony, challenging conventions with a celebration of strength and vulnerability.
The artists are dressed in simple black gym gear, giving the ensemble a starkly androgynous look as they step onto a bare stage, sparsely yet evocatively lit by Stefan Goldbaum Tarabini. The opening of The Genesis is powerful: a multilingual soundtrack ripples through the space as the performers move swiftly and rhythmically, leaving one figure frozen at a time, like an Antony Gormley sculpture caught mid-breath. The score, a stirring blend of soaring strings, delicate piano, and raw, textured acoustic sounds, perfectly underscores the tension and beauty of each movement. It sets the tone for what follows – a piece that is as much about sculptural stillness as it is about explosive, impossible motion.
What quickly emerges is a physical language of startling clarity. Movements ripple and repeat across the group, forming patterns that feel almost ritualistic before dissolving into playful spontaneity. The acrobats build impossibly high human towers, springing and leaping with remarkable elegance, defying expectation while maintaining flawless composure. Under the direction and choreography of Patrick King and Johan King Silverhult, there’s an undeniable poetry in the way the ensemble communicates, one that flows seamlessly through the 75-minute show and holds the audience in its grip. This is not just circus spectacle, but a kind of kinetic storytelling, where strength, vulnerability, and connection are written into every lift and catch.
The casting itself amplifies this message. Heavier bases, both male and female, ground the stage with raw power, while lighter, impish acrobats dart between them – compact, wiry bodies that seem to bend physics as easily as they bend their spines. When they take flight, the stage brims with contradictions: solidity and fragility, danger and trust, individuality and unity. Together, the group builds something more than circus tricks; they create a living, breathing metaphor for collaboration and resilience.
If the piece has a weakness, it is in its lack of narrative thread and sustained audience connection; the acrobatics, however astonishing, can feel abstract at times. Yet moments break through, offering warmth and charm. At one point, a single artist stands alone, addressing the audience directly, the sudden spark of humour and rapport changing the dynamic in an instant. These flashes of intimacy enhance an otherwise sculptural intensity, reminding the audience of the humanity underpinning every lift and catch.
For all its abstraction, The Genesis is a striking achievement: a work of sculptural beauty and raw physical daring that reimagines what contemporary circus can be. Its cool aesthetic and lack of narrative may keep audiences at arm’s length at times, but when the ensemble locks into synchrony, or when a flicker of humour emerges, the show soars. Copenhagen Collective have created a piece that celebrates strength, collaboration, and human connection in ways that feel both timely and timeless. By the time the lights dim, it’s clear that this is contemporary circus at its most audacious, intimate, and remarkably human.
Copenhagen Collective
The Genesis
Peacock Theatre
Portugal Street,
London
WC2A 2HT
Tel: 020 7863 8222
http://www.peacocktheatre.com
Until Sat 6 September 7.30 pm
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