TWO Osborne Park physiotherapists were lucky enough to run away with the circus and work with Cirque du Soleil performers on a global tour.
Cobie Starcevich and Brett Whyborn from Quality of Life physiotherapy on Main Street treated performers in the show Totem when it toured around Australia, Singapore and Japan.
Ms Starcevich said the most exciting aspect was working with a group of highly creative individuals.
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READ NOW“They are a very inspiring group of people to be around, and with 110 people all up on the show (including support staff) we do become a big touring family consisting of people from all over the world,” she said.
She said the pair’s experience as physiotherapists for sporting teams helped with the extensive interview process and the emergency training for the job.
“The emergency rescue training was a big part of our job as the acts can be very high risk,” she said.
“If an artist was injured we have a lot of communication with the head coach and artistic director to keep artists performing to the best of their ability, while still allowing the injury to resolve.
“This involves a bit of creative thinking at times to ensure the act is still high quality acrobatics, without putting the artist at increased risk.”
Treating contortionists was a part of the job but Ms Starcevich said it was similar to treating regular clients.
“They still can feel stiff and sore, despite their view of stiffness being about double the movement of ‘normal’ people,” she said.
“The key is they need to be really strong in order to control all the extra movement they have, otherwise they will be susceptible to injury.”
Ms Starcevich said she would be working with Cirque du Soleil again in September for tours of Brussels, Scandinavia and America.
Mr Whyborn is currently in Las Vegas and Montreal at the international head quarters to manage the physiotherapists on touring shows.
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