A GRAVITY-DEFYING dance-circus production is being staged at Watergate Bay.

WILD, the hit show from internationally renowned dance-circus company Motionhouse, will be taking to the sand to wow audiences in a series of breathtaking free performances on July 5 and 6.

The performance unfolds in a striking ‘forest’ of tall poles, set against the sand and sea. Performers climb, swing and soar through the vertical world of the canopy and the shifting ground below.

The show has been a major hit with audiences of all ages since its premiere in 2019. Touring cities, festivals and open-air spaces around the world, WILD has gripped more than 100,000 people with its gravity-defying dance, acrobatics and circus.

Motionhouse first performed on the beach at Watergate Bay in 2004, as part of the participatory dance project Road to the Beach.

This culminated in a one-day performance, The Edge, which saw a cast of 700, including professional dancers and local schoolchildren, lead an audience of 2,500 along the beach before its finale of dancers and four JCB diggers ‘dancing’ on the sand.

This summer, over 20 years later, Motionhouse returns with a strong ecological message as WILD examines our relationship with, and impact on, the natural environment.

WILD communicates powerful messages with its dynamic dance, emotive narratives and sound scores taking inspiration from common human concerns and people’s connection to the world.

Expect gasp-worthy acrobatics with expert performers jumping, climbing, dancing and moving like animals through the ‘forest’ of poles.

Laura Smith, Watergate Bay Hotel head of events and programming: “We’re thrilled to welcome Motionhouse back to the beach here, two decades after they first wowed Cornish audiences. After taking this brilliant show all over the world, it feels very fitting that our local communities and guests will be able to experience their unmissable performances, with a choice of six show times across the weekend.”

The free access is thanks to the event partners Cornwall Airport Newquay.

Josie Hutt from Cornwall Airport Newquay said: “We’re firm believers in access to the arts for all, and this promises to be a unique experience on one of Cornwall’s most beautiful beaches. We can’t wait to settle in on the sand, which is quite literally at the end of our runway and watch the show with everyone.”

The Summer Social sunset silent disco will be held after the afternoon performance of WILD on Saturday, July 5 between 6pm and 8pm.

All the WILD performances are free to watch, 45 minutes long and will be held throughout the day from 11.30am to 5pm on Saturday, July 5 and 11am to 4pm on Sunday 6 July. Suitable for all ages.

Watergate Bay’s Arts on the Beach festival is taking a pause for 2025 – but will be back in summer 2026. The beach will also play host to a full programme of summer events in 2025, from artist residencies to surfboat, volleyball, beach football and American football championships, and the annual English National Surf Championships.