Top 5 rules of teamwork by Cirque Du Soleil standards.

A night call woke me up a few months ago. My close friend Ania Solovyova was calling — she asked me to share my teamwork experience from one of the best acts in Cirque du Soleil.

Even though it was late, I eagerly accepted and attended a meeting of company leaders the next morning. It was a unique opportunity, but I was ready — I had long compared sports to business. Sport is the best proven system to achieve results. Business operates by the same rules, except athletes have a score on the scoreboard and entrepreneurs have accounting.

Working at height amplifies every sporting principle and turns a group into a real team. A few words about High-Bar — this is the cult aerial act of the Alegria show. A team of 10 artists performs incredible stunts at a 12-meter height. Working at High-Bar taught me a lot, but I decided to pick out 5 crucial points and share them with you.

Rule 1: Trust or Die

The act has 2 positions: a Catcher and a Flyer. The Catcher fixes himself on a moving swing, stays focused, and prepares his body to catch the Flyer. The Flyer must reach the right place at the right time after a series of dizzying elements.

The Flyer must trust completely and simply give his hands after entering free flight at 12 meters. When two people both try to catch each other, there's no progress. The same situation happens in business. Tasks aren't clearly shared, partners don't trust each other, and instead of focusing on their own area of responsibility, everyone tries to grab control.

To prevent this: assess each other's strengths and weaknesses, clearly divide areas of responsibility, tasks, and business processes. Rely on each other and stretch out your hands. It takes a training period to get in sync, but once you do, everything runs like Swiss clockwork.

Rule 2: Agree on Everything on the Ground

"Imagine working at a 12-meter height: as soon as you're unfocused, you fly down."

Work first, chat after. Don't mix them. At 12 meters, you're so concentrated that the density of air seems to change. Any unexpected shout from a partner can break that state.

Separate time for work and time for chat. Give yourself 20–30 minute blocks: put on headphones, turn off notifications, give the task 100%. If a strategic discussion is needed, schedule it properly — don't let it bleed into focused work time.

Rule 3: The Stronger, the Easier

Another discovery: the stronger the partner is able to tighten his body after a flight, the easier he becomes to catch. In every stressful situation, people want to spin and flail like they're panicking. Even a small partner feels very heavy when you catch them like that.

Doubts after making a decision are the most common reason for falls and failures. Don't let doubts in after you've made a decision. Just act. When you've completed the basic movements, analyze — but don't mix those two stages.

Rule 4: Keep the Swing Going

"A good partner feels hesitation in their whole body and can always adjust in motion where it's needed."

When the pendulum slows down, the opportunity to do the trick disappears. 80% of people around you will try to slow your swing. They'll criticize, say you won't succeed, pull you into frustration. Complaining about life is a convenient position — it excuses fear, uncertainty, and lack of initiative.

If you're surrounded by people who move with drive and energy, they'll wake you back up. An active environment is 50% of your success — find it, build it, expand it.

Rule 5: The Show Must Go On

Whatever happens, the show must go on. There are no truly "good" or "bad" situations — only your attitude toward them and your readiness to act. In Cirque du Soleil, every show has a Back Up ready — Plan B prepared for any unexpected situation.

Back Up for Fuck Up.

Non-standard things happened during my 4 years: high-tech stage pistons failing, lighting lamps burning out, ceiling heights that couldn't fit the required equipment, artists getting injured. For every seemingly "unforeseen" situation, there was already a prepared answer — a solution that triggered in a second. So the show always went on.

Cirque du Soleil has celebrated over 35 years and created more than 30 cult shows. It became the number one company in world entertainment. That's only possible when you continuously act, believe in your dream and your team, and improve with each subsequent step.

The same principles that kept us alive at 12 meters are the foundation of every training program I build. If you want to train with the same precision — start with the Fitness Checkup to find out exactly where your body stands today.

FAQ

What is the key lesson from working at Cirque du Soleil?

Trust is the foundation of everything. When each person clearly knows their role and trusts their partner to do theirs, the team performs at a level no individual could reach alone.

How does the "stronger, the easier" rule apply outside of acrobatics?

When you commit to a decision fully — without second-guessing mid-action — you become easier to work with and harder to knock off course.

What does "agree on everything on the ground" mean in practice?

It means all communication, planning, and alignment happens before the work begins — not during it. Interruptions during focused work are as dangerous in a business context as an unexpected shout at 12 meters.

Why is environment so important for sustained performance?

The people around you either amplify your momentum or slow it down. Building an environment of driven, active people is one of the highest-leverage investments you can make in your own performance.

Keep Reading

• Reflections of a Cirque du Soleil Artist — more lessons from life inside the show
• From the Stage to the Screen: My Journey from Cirque du Soleil to Kononov Club — what happened after the curtain closed
• Kindness, Leadership, and Resilience in Sport and Life — the deeper leadership lessons from a gymnastics career
• Continuous Sequence — the performance principle that applies to every area of life
• The Best Training Algorithm — how the same discipline from Cirque applies to every training session