Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia lights up Claremont Showground thanks to Perth-born head electrician Jacob Harding

Exploring the globe had always been a big ambition for Jacob Harding while growing up in Parkwood, where the idea to start an electrical apprenticeship was sparked when he saw a friend use his electrician qualification as a ticket to travel the world. Not necessarily knowing whether he would work as an electrician while he travelled, or if his choice of career would just fund one adventure at a time, Harding lucked out at the end of 2018, managing to score a job that combined both as an electrician for the renowned Cirque du Soleil. “I was actually looking at possibly moving overseas to Canada and I was just working in mining at the time, trying to get a bit of cash away,” Harding recounts. “Someone who used to mentor me when I was an apprentice received an email from Cirque du Soleil that they were looking for someone. I just replied, had a few job interviews with them and before I knew it, I was off to Montreal. “Cirque du Soleil was never even a thought before I managed to get the job. I’ve always been a big fan of live shows. I’m a big fan of magicians and just the old carnival style of circus but, to be honest, I had never actually seen a Cirque du Soleil show before I got the job, so that was a very fun thing to say in the job interview.” Harding’s nomadic lifestyle began on Cirque du Soleil production Alegria before moving to Luzia, an imaginary journey through Mexico combining traditional and contemporary circus discipline, and the first creation by the company to integrate the element of water. Having since stepped into the role of head electrician on Luzia, the 29-year-old Como Secondary College graduate is enjoying the opportunity to be back home in Perth with family and friends for the show’s Claremont Showground season. “You can try and describe the job as best you can, but until someone comes to the show or sees the site, it’s hard to really give them the whole picture,” Harding says. “No matter where I travel, Perth’s always going to be home.” With no two days the same, Harding’s role ranges from helping transform an empty car park in each new city into Le Grand Chapiteau wonderland with the tent set-up, to maintaining the day-to-day operations while onsite. He is the master of Big Top temperature control, maintaining the same tent temperature whether it is 30 degrees Celsius or minus 30C in the outside environment. “We like to keep it at around 22 degrees. If you can walk into a room and say, ‘yeah, that’s room temperature’ then we’re good to go,” he states. “It’s a big challenge, but it’s something that I love doing. “During the performance, I would have worked earlier in the day, ensuring everything was running smoothly and preparing for our next transfer to our next city, and I will be wandering around site, answering any emergency calls or other things that might be needed.” With water being a huge part of Luzia — all 10,000L of it — every metal-based infrastructure element, as well as the electrical and electronic equipment (including lighting and sound equipment) installed close to water, must be protected from electric shock. “It depends which way you look at it, where electricity and water, they either love to mix, or they don’t,” Harding says. “So, it is just making sure that everything is running safely.” Far from those early days of being unacquainted with the awe-inspiring moments Cirque du Soleil delivers to its audiences, Harding believes no one could ever leave disappointed from their Luzia experience. “It’s not like going to an arena to see a show,” he adds. “The moment you see the tent, and the moment you step inside, it feels like you’re transported to somewhere else.” Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia is Under the Big Top, Higham car park at Claremont Showground until September 1. Tickets at cirquedusoleil.com/luzia.