The Batemans Bay big top will be the centre of death-defying stunts and jaw-dropping action until Sunday, June 25.

Circus spokesperson Leanne Linden said the show differed from traditional circuses, with a focus on the “extreme”.

“It will have you on the edge of your seat,” Ms Linden said.

“We don’t have caged exotic animals – it is a more human-based performance and is moving with the times.

“We have an extreme element in our shows with some classic acts thrown in to balance it. We get your heart going, then ease it down again.”

Performers from Russia, Colombia, France, Australia and New Zealand will wow the crowd with high wire and trapeze acts and the blood-pumping trail bike cage and wheel of death.

For cage trail bike rider Ricardo Costa, 32, the word ‘fear’ does not exist in his vocabulary.

The Brazilian-born, sixth-generation circus performer said his love of extreme stunts began when he was five-years-old on a pushbike. By age eight, he was performing with three riders in the globe.

Despite a reluctance from his parents to keep the family tradition alive, Costa said he was born to perform and live life on the edge.

“If I wasn’t in the circus, I’d be doing something crazy, like jumping out of an aeroplane,” Costa said.

“For me, it’s very natural, just as it is for people working in an office with a normal job.

“We ride four bikes in the globe of death, when the size is designed for three bikes.

“I prefer the smaller globe because it’s more dangerous and there’s more risk and action.

“I push it to the limit. Anything you can do inside the cage, I do it all.”

Fellow adrenaline chaser Hewin Lyezkosky, 40, said a childhood curiosity with gravity-defying acts prompted him to tackle the high wire and wheel of death.

“When I was a kid, I always looked at other performers and it was fun seeing people playing with speed, strength and gravity,” Lyezkosky said.

“With the high wire, I was curious about how people could walk on such a tiny rope and balance at such a height.”

While the stunts would give many people butterflies, for industry veteran Lyezkosky, working with the fear was all part of the performance.

“The fear is what keeps you concentrating. It’s when you’re comfortable that you stuff up,” he said.

“My parents always taught me if you’re fearful and have respect, you will be safe.”

The Great Moscow Circus will be at Corrigans Beach Reserve until Sunday. Tickets at www.thegreatmoscowcircus.com.au