Behind the glitz and glamour, the 20 members of the troupe spent six months toiling over logistics, costumes, props and choreography, as well as going through gruelling training and rehearsals. The Circus of Altrades crew, including creative director Beverly Wan (centre), watching videos of their rehearsals during one of their many night practice sessions in a studio in Ubi. Meanwhile, Mr Foo Ping practises his one-arm handstand in the background.
The preparation was made even more difficult as most of the troupe members also hold day jobs – there is an auditor, a cross-fit instructor, an interior designer and a yoga instructor among them, for instance. Altrades crew members practising a human pyramid formation, a popular acrobatic routine, where people on the lower tiers support those stacked on top of them. But the young and energetic troupe members – all under the age of 30 – managed to juggle this and pull off a successful show. Multidisciplinary performer Gaz Leong putting on make-up before one of the last full-dress rehearsals at the Gateway Theatr