From child gymnast to one of the best jobs in the world: Gold Coast performer Helena Merten on joining Cirque du Soleil

Helena Merten was only five when she began gymnastics, and she took to it like a natural.

The Gold Coast girl had found her calling, a calling that would lead her to join the largest contemporary circus producer in the world, travelling the globe with her partner by her side.

"So I did a range of different gymnastics sports," Merten, 29, tells 9honey. These days she describes herself as "a bit of a generalist".

Watch the video above.

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Merten was seven when she saw her first circus show in Brisbane.

"And it was always in the back of my mind since then," she says. "I just loved it. I was blown away and I always thought, wow, that would be the craziest best job ever."

Once she finished school she "never looked back".

Joining a travelling circus crossed her mind, so too did competing at the Olympics. "I loved all sorts of sports."

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Having trained to be a performer throughout her entire childhood, Merten was just 18 when she was cast in the show The Seas in Macau.

"So I started in that, which was just phenomenal for me. I really thought that I was really fortunate," she recalls.

The show The Seas was by one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil. Merten set her sights on the best job in the world. Cirque began in Canada, founded in 1984 by street performers.

Since then the company produced 55 productions, 17 of which are currently being performed around the world.

Merten sent audition tapes to the company for years before being added to the database for a future role.

"I was applying for a long time," she says, adding that she continued to train across various disciplines to increase her chances of being cast, including learning hoop diving and acrobatic poles.

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She was eventually given the opportunity to audition in person. After missing out a role in one Cirque production, her dreams came true when she was asked to join LUZIA, which is currently at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney until February 9. It will then head to New York.

Merten plays a butterfly in the show, which those who have watched any Cirque show before will know, requires a stunningly elaborate outfit. She also plays a hummingbird. Merten has been performing in LUZIA for the past 10 years, including in front of family and friends in Brisbane at the end of 2024.

Performers are taught how to do their own makeup and travel with a "fridge full" of cosmetics.

She says there are three Australian performers in the cast of LUZIA at the moment including "two permanent" and one casual cast member.

Her partner was already part of the show, and they would get to travel the world and perform in the show together.

"We're pretty much on tour all year round," she says. "Maybe we'll have a month or two off, but that's pretty unusual.

"We usually have maximum two weeks off between cities, because usually it's going by truck to the next city. It depends, but typically we don't really have off-season or anything like that."

Performers are flown home once a year to visit family and friends, Merten to the Gold Coast and her partner to Poland.

During their time in Australia, Merten is getting plenty of time to see her family.

A typical day involves two to three "mandatory trainings" in which the group practices acts for the performance.

"Otherwise I do maybe one to three hours of my extra training in the day, whether it's strength and conditioning or just generally things that I like to do outside of the show," she says.

"Sometimes we do three-shows in a day ... it really depends on the week." Merten and her fellow performers also take the time to rest as needed.

"I like to listen to my body," she says. "I like to train a lot but then there are times where I'll just have a break, just do shows and be prepared for the shows because it's the most important thing at the end of the day."

Of all the tricks she performs in the show, and there are many, she finds the swing to swing the most challenging, during which she flies through the air.

What does it feel to fly through the air?

"It's an amazing feeling," she says. "I love being all the way above the audience and looking out over everyone. It's so quick but in your mind, it goes quite slowly and you see everything. It's a lot of fun to do. That's the best part."

Purchase your tickets to LUZIA here.

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