Working his magic on The Greatest Show on Earth

David DaVinci has found a job where he can strap on a straitjacket and straddle two traditions on a nightly basis.

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Sun Junjie jumps through a hoop of swords and fire at the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus.

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You can't afford to have a bad hair day if you're Widny Neves and Viktoriya Medeiros of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus.

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David DaVinci performing The Squisher in his illusionist act for the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus.

He has taken the role -- sort of -- of ringmaster on the new Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Illuscination show. Illuscination, which features clowns, elephants and aerial acts, was built around DaVinci's specific skills.

He's a magician.

Over the course of the show, he performs serious stage illusions and escapes.

At one point, he hangs upside-down over a cage full of lions, struggling with the aforementioned straitjacket. He said moments such as that are what have made running away and joining the circus so satisfying.

"When we developed this, we looked at both the illusions I had done before and new magic we could create," he said in a recent telephone interview. "It was an interesting challenge.

"Magic, for one thing, is rarely done in the round -- for a variety of reasons. But the restaging turned out to be fun."

Although familiar in magic circles, he is new to circus fans, DaVinci said. He quickly learned that the circus community takes its traditions every bit as seriously as illusionists do, he added.

He said rather than intimidate him, the prospect of winning over circus fans with his sleight of hand has inspired him to continue evolving as a magician and circus performer.

"I'm absolutely taking the half-full glass approach," he said. "I'm inspired to make each show that much better.

"I have learned that not only is there this enormous circus community, but that I want to be part of that circus family."

The more intimate scale of Illuscination has proved an excellent introduction to circus life, DaVinci said.

Unlike performers in larger, three-ring shows, DaVinci never finds himself in competition for the audience's attention.

He said the ebb and flow of the show have been carefully constructed, using his magic as not just an act but also a storytelling device.

"That's the cool thing about how they put this together," he said. "There really aren't acts that upstage each other. The magic, the way they have used it, is as a transition.

"They really made a show that matched my personality. It was very clever and very encouraging. I mean, I never thought I would meet a producer that would do something like that."