IT’S been just a leap and a bound for gymnast and circus whizkid Lewis West to winning a gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris.

Born in Canberra on Australia Day, 1988, West grew up in the national capital until age 18, gaining his earliest circus experience with youth group Warehouse Circus while studying at Deakin High and Narrabundah College, then heading straight to the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne.

We’ll soon see this dazzling circus star at the Canberra Theatre in “Wunderkammer,” literally “cabinet of curiosities”, a showcase of chills and thrills.

The production is by Circa, Brisbane’s remarkable circus and physical theatre company, whose director, Yaron Lifschitz, says he aims to meld “quantum complexity with high entertainment into a sinuous fugue of great beauty”.

“Wunderkammer”, West tells us, draws on the idea of the boxes or cabinets in which rich Europeans collected and classified unusual objects. A meteorite might sit next to a pineapple, for instance.

He describes “Wunderkammer” as “a circus take on burlesque, cabaret and skills, where we take a bit of everything and mix it up”.

As they try to “charm and delight the audience”, he says, the challenge is to jam-pack the entertainment with virtuoso skills and – much harder – “to make the audience feel something”.

In Melbourne, he studied with professional clowns who taught commedia dell’arte and audience reactions, but really, he says, “there’s no better way to learn than to get up in front of an audience and present what you’ve got so that they like it”.

He’s in the right company for that. Circa travels the world as a showcase of what young artists can do.

“It’s constantly interesting and challenging,” West says.

“Wunderkammer”, Canberra Theatre, March 26-28, bookings to 6275 2700 or canberratheatrecentre.com.au