Dance and circus at IF: Milton Keynes International Festival

The eighth edition of the biennial IF: Milton Keynes International Festival returns to Milton Keynes from 18 to 27 July, continuing its mission to surprise and engage audiences and add layers of meaning and memory to this new city. This year, the Festival’s distinctive mix of large-scale outdoor spectaculars, installations and free family-friendly work features some wonderful dance and circus.

With the climate crisis at tipping point, German duo Klub Girko’s Human Time Tree Time explores the precarious and delicate balance of the relationship between humans and nature. In the woodlands of Campbell Park, two performers create a heart-stopping acrobatic performance where they balance tree trunks, branches, twigs and themselves – natural and human elements in constant equilibrium. This UK premiere takes place 18-20 July. Tickets are £6, and under-16s are £5.

The elite acrobats of YUCK Circus (Australia) champion the female voice with skills and attitude. This self-titled show in The Stables Spiegeltent, Campbell Park combines high-flying acrobatics, absurd confessions, groovy dancing and feisty comedy on 18 & 19 July. Tickets are £25.

Bamboo by NoFit State Circus (UK) uses only bamboo and human bodies to reveal the fragility and beauty of life on this planet whilst celebrating the sense of jeopardy at the heart of great circus. The performers arrive at an empty stage carrying bundles of sticks which unfold like giant trellises and are formed into sculptures six metres high. The show becomes an animated circus installation with moments of beauty, impressive feats of strength and agility and elements of physical comedy. Bamboo comes to Campbell Park 18 & 19 July, and to Queen’s Court 20 July. Admission is free.

Pagrav Dance Company’s One Sky (UK) brings the spirit of India’s Kite Festivals to Milton Keynes. Inspired by the rooftops where kites are flown, six dancers engage with the audience and each other in a dynamic interplay of movement and puppeteering. Blending neo-classical Indian dance with modern aesthetics, One Sky explores the fusion of heritage and contemporary expression and celebrates the beauty of shared experience. The largest outdoor work in the company’s history, it is choreographed by artistic director Urja Desai Thakore, co-commissioned by the Festival and Sadler’s Wells and marks Pagrav’s 20th anniversary. This world premiere comes to Campbell Park on 19 July. Admission is free.

The rollerskating whizzes of 15ft6 (Belgium) present Les Patineurs, a gasp-inducing and hilarious battle in a tiny arena. They combine their impressive circus skills with the lyrical Skaters’ Waltz. Les Patineurs comes to Festival Square on 19 July and to Campbell Park on 20 July. Admission is free.

Four years in the making, Transe Express’ DNA, Vertical Odyssey (France) is a show in the sky which began as an engineering project. The action -a vertical choreography of climbing, aerial dance, circus, precision drumming and the singing and playing of an original score – takes place on a 40-metre-high sculpture under a 200-ton crane. The performers can feel the structure, a work of art in its own right, moving both with the wind and with their own and each other’s movements. The UK premiere will be at Secklow Gate car park by The Point on 25 & 26 July. Tickets are £7.50, and under-16s are £5.

Joli Vyann’s beautiful duet Drop Me If You Dare (UK) is a beguiling mix of dance and partner acrobatics. It’s about the connection between two people, exploring the elements of strength and submission, weakness and control within a relationship. Drop Me If You Dare comes to Campbell Park 26 & 27 July. Admission is free.

You Too Can Tutu (UK), Gandini Juggling’s first-ever children’s show, blends the grace of ballet with the playful precision of juggling. Colourful pointe shoes and hyper-coloured balls dance together to form mesmerising patterns and shapes in a joyful spectacle of movement and rhythm. You Too Can Tutu will be presented in a double bill with SAY on 26 & 27 July at Campbell Park. Admission is free.

SAY’s the album: skool edition (UK) at MK Rose in Campbell Park combines fast-paced and slick contemporary dance routines to exciting new music, including tracks by UK beatbox champion MC Zani and alternative pop artist Naomi Banks. Co-produced by The Place, the album: skool edition is an interactive dance created for kids and their families and choreographed by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui.

Visit https://ifmiltonkeynes.org/whats-on to book now.

IFMK2025, Transe Express’ DNA, Vertical Odyssey, Image credit IFMK2025