What does it take to be a circus performer? Cirque Eloize’s Ryan Shinji Murray and Nadia Lumley, who have been entertaining crowds at Mall of the Emirates during Eid and take to the stage in the circus’ iD show from Thursday, share their experiences.

“It’s a visual extravaganza that blends acrobatics, street-dance, hip-hop and extreme sports. They are all meshed together,” says Murray of the show. “We don’t do it on a big top tent. Cirque Eloize is a show that’s staged in theatres,” added Lumley, a breakdancer, explaining the difference between Cirque Eloize and Cirque Du Soleil. “Also, we have a smaller cast. There’s 15 of us on any given time and we have to be multi-skilled. Some might do trampoline as well as dance. Everyone is in it from start to finish. It’s incredibly tough but it’s fun because of it.”

“Cirque Eloize has the ability to be a narrative show. You almost develop a relationship with the performer towards the end of the show. Sometimes that’s lost in a big show,” said Murray.

The highlight of Cirque Eloize show?

“Watch out for our trampoline act. It will look as if gravity doesn’t matter,” says Murray.

Did you know?

“There will be times when the viewers are scared for us. What we do is extremely technical and sometimes it is scary to watch. But the energy of our show is about youth. It’s about being cocky, about having fun and being slightly arrogant in what we do. That’s our impetus. It’s structured but it’s all about having fun,” said Lumley.

Their top tips for performing?

“Even on a bad day, we need to have big smiles on our faces. Every risk we take is calculated. Doing circus means you are making yourself vulnerable in front of an audience. It’s different from being an athlete where you are performing in front of judges,” said Murray.

“You have to be a strong, reliable performer to be a part of Cirque Eloize. You can blag your way through for a minute but not for eight minutes. Even if you are injured, you complete your act ... And remember, most of the training starts much before you join the circus. Whether it’s martial arts or gymnastics, you need to begin early. I began training early and then comes artistic development. We do a certain number of hours a week for maintenance as artists and then we decide how many hours we put in for artistic development. But you need to work hard,” said Lumley.

You need to hold your breath when ...

“Sometimes it is scary to see other people perform because you may not understand that technique. Sometimes I look at somebody performing on a trampoline and I wonder how they do it every single time. You will see things in this show that you don’t expect. To be a part of Cirque Eloize you have to be incredibly strong and well trained,” said Lumley.

Is there a room for improvisation?

“No shows are ever alike. We keep making changes. We don’t have back-ups. So everyone has to do their bit. Even if you are injured, just do your best because we rely on each other,” Lumley.

Running away to the circus? Not anymore:

“Everybody has a personal pattern to how they joined Cirque Eloize. Personally, I was always into gymnastics, diving and martial arts. I have been doing this for three years,” said Murray.

“I was contacted by Cirque Du Soleil and when this show came along they put me up for it. I was head hunted by them. I didn’t know about the company before I started but I was always interested in being part of big companies, big lights. There is so much room to learn and experience new things when you join them. At the time of audition, I was in Abu Dhabi for another show. So when I checked the company online, I loved it. I sent around 50 videos and a 40-minute interview about myself. From my cat’s name to when my sister got married, it was all in there,” said Lumley.

Their most memorable show:

“Performing in Mexico was memorable. The conditions there were different because of the pollution. We had oxygen tanks backstage that we had to use after every act,” said Murray.