A look behind the scenes before a performance of Zaia at The Venetian

By Rebecca Lo Translation by Amanda Mao, Takako Whilden Photography by Gary Mak

Many kids have entertained thoughts of running away to join a circus. Deep within The Venetian Macao, in the training room before an evening performance of Zaia, it seems that the artists have realised their childhood fantasy of doing just that. With their families for company, the performers tumble through the evening’s routine on three-storey high swathes of fabric while toddlers teeter alongside on floor mats. The atmosphere is warm and surprisingly calm, with strapping Russian acrobats exchanging jokes in between nonchalantly somersaulting through the air.

In the past 25 years, Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil has blossomed from a group of street performers to revolutionise entertainment across the globe. Its shows fuse a beguiling blend of original stories, stage sets, costumes and music with eye-popping dance, acrobatics and juggling. Zaia was created along with a purpose-built nine-storey theatre designed into the Venetian Macao.

The story is told from the viewpoint of a young girl named Zaia as she explores the wonders of space. One of the show’s most striking features is a giant sphere that projects images while navigating artists around a 360-degree oval track high above the audience.

Over in the prop room, lead prop technician Ben Grant is overseeing the repainting of silver rings for the evening’s juggling segment. “There are almost regular changes to the props,” he notes. “The daily wear and tear of the show sees to that. We also make sure the props are in the right positions for the artists to use.” The most time-consuming things to maintain backstage are shoes – all of which require hand painting and touch-ups. “The characters work hard in their shoes,” says Wong Lih-qun as she dabs crimson-coloured paint carefully onto a ballet slipper. in wardrobe, a series of industrial washers are spinning away; all the costumes were made locally in Macau. assistant head of wardrobe Ellen Flatters explains that there is a plastic head of each cast member for new headgear to be fitted without the artist being present. “all of the 30 different wig styles use synthetic hair, except for ones in the fire act, which use real hair to prevent them melting on stage,” says Flatters. all the artists are required to be at the backstage 90 minutes before the show starts. Many use that time to stretch and warm up before they apply make-up and change. in the green room, one artist relaxes with a novel while others play pool. Just before dashing off to effect his transformation into the lead fire artist, Srikanta Barefoot talks about how playing with fire turned into a profession.

"I’ve always had a knack for object manipulation,” shrugs the california native. “Like every kid, i played with matches. There is something universally appealing about fire. When i joined cirque in 2007, i was the last artist to be hired for the creation of Zaia. The choreographers had no experience with fire, so i came up with the ideas. Before i came here, i had never even heard of Macau. it was a complete surprise. When i’m not working, i hide out in coloane, where it is green and quiet.” But for now, the stage lights are cueing up. it’s show time.

Did you know?

Blue make-up glitter used annually: 2kg
Youngest performer: Age 17
Weight of sphere: 1,815kg
Technicians required to operate set: 40
Laundry detergent required to clean costumes annually: 468 litres
False eyelashes used annually: 500 pairs
Make-up remover used annually: 900 bottles