Whether they are diving through hoops or flying from bar to bar, the stars of Cirque du Soleil make their gravity-defying stunts look simple.
But seconds into my own attempt to complete some of their most basic manoeuvres I am struggling, in agony — and beginning to wonder whether they are superhuman.
The Standard was given a rare opportunity to experience a day in the life of a Cirque du Soleil performer at the Royal Albert Hall, where the company is in the middle of a run of Amaluna.
When I arrive I am taken straight to a dressing room. Performers usually do their make-up themselves, but as a novice I am helped by Laura-Ann Chong and Amara DeFilippo, both 27, who play Amazons in the show.
When they first take on a character it can take them up to three hours to do their make-up, but with practice they cut it down to 45 minutes. My own transformation into an Amazon involves layers of creams, powders and eyeliner — and, at one point, leaning my head over a bin to brush off the excess setting powder. At the end I genuinely do not recognise myself.
Next comes the costume, a one-piece made of denim, lycra and neoprene. It feels quite comfortable — until wardrobe assistant Patsy Boulais laces me into a corset.
Safety is crucial. “Each day we go through all the costumes to find all the little holes — because if something happens they might get caught on it,” Patsy says.
Performers do not wear their costumes for training so I wriggle out of mine and go to the training area, to find American star Haley Viloria is casually standing on her head.
I start with the uneven bars, which I’m familiar with from watching gymnastics on TV. I’m not optimistic about my own chances, however. Guided by Canadian gymnast Yvonne Tousek-Renne, who plays an Amazon in the show, I attempt a forward roll.
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To my surprise I manage it, although it requires the help of two people and afterwards my hands are red and burning — making hanging from the bars extremely painful.
Next I join Haley, 24, for the contortion straps, which she trains on for two hours every day. First she shows me how to do a “straddle up”, then a “tuck hang” and a “meat hook”. With quite a lot of help I manage to get into the positions — it feels amazing but holding them is excruciatingly painful. Most performers begin training when they are very young and my body simply isn’t strong enough.
Afterwards I am ecstatic but also emotionally drained and exhausted — and that’s without even going on stage.
Amaluna is at the Royal Albert Hall until March 6.
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