Compagnie 111 from Toulouse, France, perform their show IJK with the stage set with numerous different-sized, wooden, hollow, colourfully painted boxes. Then begins an hour or so of balls – balls that bounce on, in, across and inside the boxes, manipulated with precision by Anne de Buck, Aurélien Bory and Olivier Alenda. Music also features heavily in IJK: Anne plays the accordion and is accompanied by the rhythmical beating of the bouncing balls on the boxes, which resonate at differing pitches. There is also a juggling number to a tango played on a guitar. Rhythm, musicality and juggling are the main focus of the show. The cubes are used to good effect; they are moved around the stage, hidden in, juggled upon – and there is a great sequence in which Anne begins walking up the staircase of cubes and carries on walking in the air aided by the other two performers.
The largest cube was utilised as a slide and climbing apparatus, and a scene evolved which had beautiful child-like qualities to it. However, the surprise scene was the shadow section where the movement of the balls in shadow were producing some impossible balances and fantastical illusions of balls passing through wood.
Nevertheless the play between the three artists stayed on the same emotional level throughout – soulless. An air of pretentiousness came across: 'We're good and we know it'. This is not to take anything away from their high technical skill levels and imagination, but the show lacked something that left it as a mesmerising demonstration rather than a magical and moving piece of circus theatre.