Backstage with aqua show La Perle by Dragone – in pictures

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  With its bungee ropes, slack lines, tumble track and even a diving pool with boards at a height of 11 metres – 14m lower than the stage show – the space resembles a gigantic adventure playground. Victor Besa for The National

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  Of the 65 performers – who were chosen from auditions in Australia, Cuba, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany – fewer than half have stage experience. Victor Besa for The National

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  The group are in Dubai Studio City, in a “training and formation” phase at the Middle East’s largest studio space. Victor Besa for The National

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  Much of the show will take place over water, with a 2.7-million litre “aqua stage” that can be drained in less than a minute for land-bound stunts. Victor Besa for The National

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  The performers train from 9am until 5pm, five days a week. Victor Besa for The National

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  A centrepiece of the training space is a circular apparatus for parkour stunts, complete with Korean cradle stations, which will be lowered into the venue from a height of 30 metres. Victor Besa for The National

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  The safety equipment area. Spreadsheets pinned on the walls dictate who is learning and what skill. Victor Besa for The National

Billed as “Dubai’s first permanent theatre show”, the 1,300-seat venue will host more than 450 performances a year. La Perle by Dragone, a theatrical, Vegas-style spectacle that will take up permanent residence at a purpose-built theatre in Al Habtoor City later this year.