At this ambitious circus, everyone does everything – from aerial acrobatics to building the stage itself

Two days before the Fijian Flying Circus show opened, many of its performers were helping put up the tent and install the seats. Photograph: Aaron Walker Photography

I’m watching a young man dressed like a bird flying through the air under a big top when I look past him, outside the tent door opposite me, and see a line of people holding on to a rope, muscles straining and shining with sweat in Brisbane’s muggy heat. My eyes trace the cable back inside and I realise that this rope and this group of people are what is holding the performer up in the air.

Moments earlier, the rope wranglers were on stage themselves, dancing and performing acrobatic tricks. I don’t know if this is how other circuses work but it’s how things go with the Fijian Flying Circus, whose performers are responsible for every bit of magic you see on stage – including the stage itself.