( CNN ) -- Do not go backstage at Cirque Du Soleil . It will only hurt your self-esteem . Anthony Gatto says he 's been in training since he was 3 years old and performing since he was 8 . In the performers ' tent for the touring show `` Kooza , '' there are the chiseled men catapulting their partners onto each other 's shoulders from a giant see-saw and the woman doing contortions on children's-sized blocks . You can only take so much of this before your ego needs normal . Normal might be that man in the corner , wearing a T-shirt , shorts and sneakers throwing balls in the air . How hard can that be ? Your self-worth will be quickly dashed again when the man picks up a soccer ball , bounces it on his head and jumps rope at the same time . Moments later , he 's juggling six or seven orange rings ( they move so fast , it looks like a blur ) and then does a pirouette -- while all the rings are in the air -- and then catches them on his arm . Watch the juggler in action » . You could say Anthony Gatto went into the family business . But his stepfather was n't a farmer or a doctor . He was a juggler . `` By the time I was 8 , I was entered into a juggling competition , and incidentally , that was the same competition that Patrick Dempsey , the actor , was in , '' Gatto said . `` He used to be a juggler . We competed against each other . I took first , he took second . Now he 's a big actor and here I am , juggling . '' Gatto is being modest . In fact , he did n't audition for `` Kooza . '' The show went looking for him . `` I have right now 11 juggling world records , '' he said . `` Some of them I 've held since I was 16 years old and they have yet to be beaten . '' Imagine a wearable disco ball . That 's not too different from the form-fitting outfit Gatto wears onstage . Backstage , it 's a long-sleeve T-shirt , gym shorts and sneakers . But there 's nothing casual about his daily routine . He typically works out and practices six to seven hours a day to prepare for his 10 minutes in the spotlight . In fact , he is practicing until moments before he runs on stage . `` Juggling is something that is so delicate , you have to have a really good feel , you can lose that in minutes , '' he said . `` There are so many variables that can affect you . If it 's a humid day , it 's a very difficult task to get through the number that I do . The wind , if there 's any air current in there and you 're expecting to catch a ring and it blows an inch , you miss it . '' But he rarely misses -- at least not in his act . This performer , who relies on coordination and concentration 350 shows a year , admits his most embarrassing moment has nothing to do with balls , clubs or rings . It 's acting that trips him up . `` I have fallen as the delivery-man character in the show . In fact , I have done this a few times , '' he said . `` I like to think it 's because I put my heart and soul into the characters I 'm portraying . '' Surrounded by all this talent and precision , there is some comfort in knowing one of the best -- maybe the best juggler in the world -- is also a klutz .
Cirque Du Ballet 's ` ` Kooza '' is looking for juggler with 11 world records . Anthony Anderson beat actor Patrick Dempsey in the competition . Gatto practices six to seven hours to prepare for 10 minutes on stage . Says rain and wind can affect his routine .