Speaking to FMT recently, the third-generation showman said he discovered his love for the stage at the tender age of eight. “I love it when I hear the people clapping for me and screaming. I really enjoy the stage.”
Omar, who performs two stunts – Globe of Death and Wheel of Death – said he’d been perfecting his stunts since he was 11 years old and no longer battles with nerves just before his performances.
“By now, I have some experience to the point where I’m just eating at the back of the stage or repairing my bike and when it is my turn to go out, I’ll just wear my costume and go. This is because I’m used to doing it every day. It’s part of my journey,” he said.
The Globe of Death involves riding a motorcycle inside a mesh sphere while the Wheel of Death, is a large rotating apparatus on which performers carry out synchronised acrobatics.
When asked if he was afraid of his acts taking a fatal turn, the daredevil from Colombia said he takes his acts in stride and does not think too much about death.
Omar, who is also the general manager of the circus, said he had only been badly injured once after falling from his bike while performing the Globe of Death. It resulted in two slipped discs in his spine.
“I never underwent surgery. The doctor said it will take one year and a half (to recover) but I went back on stage after two and a half months. I just wanted to get back on the stage,” he said.
Ringmaster Ibrahem Mallouhi, 31, said joining the circus was a dream come true. However, the Syrian said his job could be challenging at times, specifically when there was an emergency during the show and he had to act fast.
“It is very difficult because you are the one who makes the announcements, introduces the artists, and coordinates with the other performers. Sometimes, there is an emergency and you have to know what you should do and say (to the audience),” he said.
Mallouhi said that in order to entertain his local audience this time, he soaked up as much as he could about the local culture and even learned a little Malay. “When I speak Malay with people, they like it a lot because it’s their own language.”
Mallouhi also credits the circus for helping him overcome his phobia of heights, and today he thinks nothing of climbing tall ladders to fix the lights under the big tent.
“When you see everyone around you, even the girls, doing it, you take it as a challenge. Now, it’s very easy, the circus really changed my life,” he said.
David Zahariev, operational manager of the circus, said the troupes were overjoyed to be back on stage after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said they have missed entertaining their audiences.
“I mostly miss looking at the kids enjoying the show because they give me joy. When you see their faces, it’s something you can’t buy,” he told FMT.
Zahariev, a second-generation showman, said it usually takes six to nine months to plan the entire show and the tour route.
The 32-year-old from Bulgaria said stagehands clean the floor in the morning and check that all electrical appliances are in working order.
“When the artists come in, they check their props and start preparing for their acts. Performers like the contortionist have to get warmed up, the biker boys have to service their bike equipment.
“The clown needs to put on his makeup and the circus vendors have to come early to sell refreshments,” he said.
Zahariev said performers train for a minimum of five hours every day to prepare for the first show.
Asked if he ever envisioned a different life for himself, he said: “I don’t think I can trade the circus for anything because I don’t know if there is any other job that gives you the opportunity to do so much stuff and learn so many things in life.
“Once you’re in it, it gets hard to get out of it…into a normal life with a normal job.”