One of the major reasons for the change in perceptions of what a circus is has been the inception of Cirque du Soleil, which was founded in Montreal in 1984 and has gone on to become the largest contemporary circus in the world, with annual revenue of more than $1 billion.

If you happen to have missed the hoopla – or the presence of the Big Top at Hamilton Northshore in Brisbane’s inner north – the circus is back in town, with Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities playing until February 23.

In Kurios, the audience is transported by an eccentric inventor to a fantasy steampunk world by a 19th-century inventory called The Seeker, who is convinced his curio cabinet contains a hidden world that defies the laws of time, space and dimension.

Needless to say, when the oddball inhabitants of this hidden world unlock the door to The Seeker’s dimension, they turn his life upside down with displays of acrobatics, trampolining, twists and contortions and assorted other clowning around.

The Keeper’s Cabinet of Curiosities comes to life in Kurios. (Photo: Cirque du Soleil)

Featuring world-class gymnasts, acrobats, contortionists, hand-puppeteers, yo-yo wizards, clowns, actors and musicians, the show features 47 performers from 17 countries, including two Queenslanders, Fletcher Donohue and Nathan Dennis, who both perform in the Acronet portion of the show.

Originally from Ipswich, Dennis – who in addition to being one of the seven trampolinists in The Acronet, also serves as one of the troupe’s strength and conditioning coaches – has been performing with Cirque du Soileil for the past 13 years, and with Kurios since its inception in 2014.

“When I finished school, I was doing an apprenticeship for a building company and we used to drive past the airport all the time and I was always thinking, ‘one day I’m going to go to the airport and run away with the circus’, and it actually happened,” the 32-year-old told InQueensland.

Dennis, who has trained in competitive trampoline sports and acrobatics since he was a child, set his sights on joining Cirque du Soleil after seeing the troupe perform in his early teens.

“I saw my first Cirque show when I was 13 and thought that’s what I really wanted to do, so throughout my competitive career I was focusing on one day auditioning for the company and then when I finished school, I auditioned, and then I passed the audition and got a call-up for a contract on [touring show] Saltimbanco,” he said.

Nathan Dennis in Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities. (Photo: Cirque du Soleil)

“I’ve been with Kurios for almost six years now, and I was involved in the creation of the show. The act I’m in is called the Acronet, and it involves a large net that covers the whole stage with seven guys on it.

“Six people stand around the outside of the net, and one guy stands in the middle and we all do a big bounce together and we all double-bounce the guy in the middle and he flies all the way to the top of the big top.  It’s kind of like your backyard trampoline double-bouncing you used to do when you’re a kid.”

Dennis became involved in CrossFit several years ago when training in Canada after being introduced to the multi-discipline training regimen by one of Cirque du Soleil’s assistant coaches and “fell in love with CrossFit and functional fitness”.

“It grew to be a passion and I went into wanting to be able to coach it and I did my personal training course and CrossFit course and then the company was looking for a strength and conditioning coach at the time so I put my hand up and said I would do it if they were willing to have me.

“Balancing [performing and coaching] is pretty easy, actually.  Other than rehearsals, we have most of our day free, so I can run classes at work and do one-on-ones with some of the artists during the day, before the show.”

Following the conclusion of Kurios’s Melbourne season, which kicks off next month, Dennis will be retiring as a Cirque du Soleil performer to pursue a career in fitness training.

“After the Japanese tour, I was planning to retire, but then they announced they would be coming to Australia, so then I thought, oh, well I’ll come and do three cities and ease back into life in Australia.  It’s easier to slip off tour when you’re in your own country.

In the meantime, he has been enjoying the opportunity to perform for a hometown audience in what has been hailed by many critics as Cirque du Soleil’s strongest show in years.

“Last Sunday was the first time 30 of my family members had seen the show, so that was a nice Sunday afternoon performance for me, having everybody there.

“It’s a low-tech show that showcases human performance. Some of the shows have all these crazy gadgets on stage and I think it kind of takes away from the performance.

“People can come along and just forget their worries and their day and enjoy themselves.  Many people leave very emotional and awakened, so if you want to experience that come along and see the show.”

Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities is at Hamilton, Brisbane, until February 23. For tickets, visit cirquedusoleil.com/kurios or phone at 1800 036 685