Video | How an elite Macau show acrobat keeps in shape: workouts, diet, and his toughest and most important exercise
The House of Dancing Water demands incredible physicality of its acrobats, and they require intensive training before and after the daily shows. Ryan Bartlett, 20, lets us in on the secrets to performing safely 17 metres in the air
On a recent Thursday afternoon at The House of Dancing Water theatre at the City of Dreams in Macau, several cast members are practising the most dangerous scene of the show known as the Russian Swing.
The HK$2 billion production is the water-based, acrobatic and stunt-filled spectacle envisioned by the chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts and Entertainment, Lawrence Ho, and directed by Franco Dragone. The show, in the seventh year of its run, requires 300 cast and crew and has been watched by more than five million spectators.
A trio of performers are perched on a swing and build momentum on the platform. On reaching a certain height, an acrobat flies off, showcasing his or her aerial prowess, before diving into the water with athletic grace.
“If you don’t have the right technique, you can fall off and land badly and the swing can come back and hit you and kill you, as the swing is so heavy – especially when it has a lot of people on it,” says house troupe performer Ryan Bartlett.
Incredible physicality is on display in The House of Dancing Water scene after scene. Most of the talented performers on show are former athletes, including Olympians. Among the performers is Bartlett, an elite gymnast for 10 years, a London native who joined this production in 2016.