Just before Thursday night’s Gala Premiere of Cirque du Soleil Zaia, Asia’s first permanent Cirque show, we got taken backstage for a tour.

We didn’t just go back, we went on top, in front and under, since the Zaia’s set includes an impressive ceiling track, which circles actors and props above the audience.

As most of the major props emerge from under the stage, you can imagine the hive of activity taking place underneath the action would be almost as exciting as what you’d see on the stage.

Here is set and props designer Guilaume Lord conducting interviews while strapped onto a massive “iceberg” which helps create the arctic setting for one scene.

Though each iceberg is held up by two fragile looking wires, each of the thin threads of steel are capable of holding 900 pounds of weight each.  That’s about the average weight of 46 men, so they weren’t taking any chances.

As Zaia is set in outer space, the track allowed the performers to glide, fly, dance and even ski through the air, creating the impression that they were weightless.

Like the costumes, the make-up style for Zaia is vibrand and bright, with a lot of orange, reds and blues.

Here, make-up designer Nathalie Gagne, who has been working with Cirque du Soleil for 15 years, uses celebrity MAC Makeup and Ben Nye, a professional brrand of make-up to make up a cast member.

In the wardrobe department, designers work on fantastical headgear and colorful costumes, some of which are made of recycled toys and objects.

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