Forget the Safety Net - This Love Story Happens 15 Feet in the Air. Meet The Brains Behind Fringe Show ‘IMAGO’

In Imago, creators Gabrielle Martin and Jeremiah Hughes blend aerial circus, contemporary dance and cinematic visuals into something audiences may truly have never seen before. After years performing in lead roles in Cirque du Soleil, they now bring full creative agency to this intimate and physically daring duet. Here, the duo share how their real-life relationship, custom-designed rope apparatus and love of visual storytelling shaped the show’s Edinburgh debut.

You’ve both had huge careers with Cirque du Soleil. What did you feel was missing from that world that you’re trying to build into Corporeal Imago?

We both love the magic potential of the stage; while we were at Cirque du Soleil, we inhabited this space 7-10 times a week and it was made that much more transportive by the incredible production scale. We also both loved the intensity which demanded we surpass ourselves each night. That same intensity is present in Imago - it asks a lot of its performers which is ultimately cathartic for both audience and artists. What differs from our work with Corporeal Imago compared to Cirque du Soleil is the creative agency. At Cirque, we played teenage Na’vi characters on James Cameron’s Pandora and, after four years, we craved to portray a range of emotions that reflected the depth of our human, adult experiences. 

Imago blends circus, dance, and visual design - what was the process of developing this hybrid style?

The hybrid style reflects our own artistic trajectories; we both started training in dance before moving into the circus space, so dance is really our first love. We love the ease of emotional expression in dance - it’s much easier to articulate your body in nuanced ways when you’re not also engaging all your muscles to stay in the air. But we are always pulled back to the themes inherent in aerial circus - themes of fate in insurmountable limitations and the endurance of human will. We also share a natural affinity to visual design; we often start a new creation through images that compel us and visualize the design from its inception.

What’s it like working as a couple on a show like this?

Our real-life relationship roots the show in trust. Before we were a couple, we played love interests in Cirque du Soleil’s TORUK. One of the things I loved about Jeremiah from the beginning was that he lived by this old school code where you take care of your stage partner no matter what. But beyond the literal trust that we won’t let go of each other at the wrong moment, is the trust that we will stick out the challenge and intensity of the work because we’ve made a commitment to each other. Some of the choreography is literally nauseating, some of it causes extreme physical discomfort (such is circus), but we hold each other to the task of pushing through these moments because we owe each other our best performances.

Can you tell us about the custom rope-loop apparatus that you use and how this pushes the boundaries of aerial movement? 

We had been performing on vertical aerial ropes where you can’t sustain more than a 5 minute act because there are no real resting positions. We knew we wanted to challenge ourselves to make a full length work, and so we created an apparatus of three, tiered rope loops that we not only use to sustain dance in the air, but that offer rich symbolism such as the limbs of another and the ties that bind us. This modular apparatus has allowed us to develop an entirely new movement vocabulary, and to integrate suspension in unexpected ways - such as low-flying work as well as trapeze-like partnering. 

How is Imago different from other aerial or dance shows people might have seen?

In conventional circus, performers are often seen as godlike—superhuman figures the audience admires but doesn’t necessarily relate to. In Imago, there’s still risk and strength, but the virtuosity is woven into a physical language of intimacy that we hope creates a greater emotional impact. And with half the show happening in the air, it offers something quite different from most dance performances.

What do you hope people are saying about Imago long after they leave the theatre?

We hope people leave Imago at a loss for words! And that they’re still carrying the beautiful, haunting images and profound sensations with them days later.

Imago will be performed at 1.00pm in Assembly Roxy (Central) from 30th July – 24th August (not 6th, 11th or 18th)

For tickets and more information, visit: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/971-imago