Elena Khaw

Elena climbs up the long, draping fabric, suspended from the ceiling in two long tails, and breaks from dramatic wraps to dynamic drops, with her head mere feet from the ground

THE YOUNGER ME USED TO stay at home, watch TV and sketch. At 16, I started archery, and played for Selangor for awhile, before I turned into the challenge of long-distance running. I could not even run 100m! But that was only the beginning, as I have kept to the challenge, advancing to 7k, 15k, and 21k on a daily basis.

ACROBATICS IS circus. That’s what makes circus. I chose it because it was challenging. It obviously increased my strength and flexibility. It pretty much changed me as a person. I never used to be that confident before.

STUNT WORK IS LIKE PLAYING WITH FIRE; you have to be aware of your body and your own limits. If not, you’re bound to get injuries. The worst injury I had, I needed to get my kneecap fixed. It popped out, then back in. It was misaligned, so I had to go see the doctor. I slowly recovered and was back in the air after six months.

MY BEST ACROBATIC TRICKS ARE my contortion moves up in the air. But I am never satisfied. I always feel the need to get better at everything—flexibility, control, endurance and core strength. For endurance, I gotta run a lot more!

IT’S ABOUT BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY. True and true. Bear in mind that these two need a lot of core strength training.

ACROBATICS TAUGHT ME TO BE a better woman. I thought it was impossible for me to do it at the age of 20 and, with the fact that I’m doing it now, I realized it’s never too late. It’s not about the physical appeal, but it’s the confidence and the strength one gains from it.

RUNNING AND ACROBATICS COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER that the moment I started running again, I noticed how much longer I could stay up in the air, on the silk and other equipment. Running increases my stamina and endurance. It helps to balance my training. If I’m not training hard on a specific day, I try to mix it up with something else.

I WANT TO TRY skydiving, but I’m afraid of heights—how ironic! At times, we get the jitters and we just hold each other’s hands backstage. The highest I was on was two stories above the ground.

A SEXY WOMAN DOES strut her stuff, as she has to be comfortable of what she has. She knows what she wants, and she flaunts it.

I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER how my mom ended up completely supporting me. I dropped my Biomedical Science degree for circus. It was my last year when I dropped out of it. Although, it still helps me along my journey through acrobatics. It made my life easier, because I understood more. At first, as a parent, she was not happy about it. It’s a taboo in our culture. After a few years, she started coming to my performances and, now, she fully supports me. I will never forget that.

I’M LUCKY TO BE PART OF Viva Circus. I was extremely happy when they offered me a contract as a full-time performer in 2012. I was their student first. They do performances from Burlesque to Pole, local and overseas.

ONE CHEAT DAY MEANS ice cream, french fries, sleep and not going out—this is the best cheat day ever. Also, if I take you to my day, you would just see me teaching, training, teaching again and sleeping.

BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, I want to get a few moves sorted out, and I also want to travel to teach, perform and learn. Early this year, I went to Australia and New Zealand. In August, I would be exploring Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, and hopefully Brazil by the end of this year.

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME, Do you juggle? This happened a couple of times, but no, not everyone in circus juggles.

CONFIDENCE COMES FROM knowing what you have. A woman must take pride of what she possesses. She must walk with confidence, and not give a care on what others think about her.

I AM AN ACROBAT AND I AM NOT AFRAID OF trying new things. We push our body to its limits, but still we know when to stop and when to continue. More importantly, we know when to ask for help.

I AM TRYING TO BE a better performer—a better daughter.