Henderson-born designer and artist Niccole Dunn found herself in an unfamiliar situation about a year ago.

She started her career in costuming and wardrobe at a young age and was already on her way when she turned 18 and was able to travel on cruise ships to help install shows. Eventually she settled in with Cirque du Soleil and MGM Resorts and was the wardrobe lead for Zumanity at New York-New York until the show shuttered last March.

“I had never been out of work a day in my life and had become pretty good at working two or three jobs at the same time,” she says. “In entertainment, you’re always hustling and finding the next thing, and I had grown my skills past wardrobe into other aspects of theater.”

Getting furloughed was tough, but Dunn and her husband, Jorge Salomone, who also produced video content for Zumanity, tried to stay busy with side gigs. Officially an MGM employee, Dunn was terminated after six months but told she would be able to resume her position. But Cirque permanently closed Zumanity in November.

“There was a short period of, OK, what’s next?” she says. “There was a group of us [staying in touch], and we realized we have the opportunity either to give up or to try something. So we opted for try.”

Dunn, Salomone and Zumanity dancer and circus artist Angelique Janowski formed Visionary Pack Collective, the company behind Apéro Show, a variety show inspired by European cabaret. It opened at the Baobab Stage at Town Square on February 12. Contortion, aerial performance and acrobatics are big elements, and the cast includes Janowski dangling from hoops, Le Réve performers Damir Mouzdybaev and Natsumi Miyazaki, straps artist Roman Tomanov from KÁ and Absinthe, longtime Zumanity contortionist Tsatsa Erdenebileg (you know her from the famous water bowl act) and juggler Vladik Miagkostoupov from Zombie Burlesque.

If veteran artists from such acclaimed shows united to start something new under normal circumstances, it would be a big deal. The debut of Apéro Show during a pandemic that has decimated the Vegas entertainment scene is mind-bogglingly exciting.

“Certainly it’s a risk, and it took all of us to take a big deep breath, but we’re committed and we’re going to do this,” Dunn says of creating a new live entertainment experience under the tight restrictions of the pandemic. “We took stock of what we have in our bucket of skills and … in the places we found holes, we definitely reached out to experts. And surprisingly, everybody has been so generous and amazingly helpful. That has reaffirmed my faith in humanity.”

It’s no coincidence that Baobab Stage is operated by another former Zumanity artist, dancer Wassa Coulibaly, who runs the adjacent café and boutique as well. Coulibaly says some work had to be done to prepare the space for Apéro Show, including calling on rigger friends to reinforce existing aerial points over the stage and to install a pole for Miyazaki’s act.

Baobab has been hosting varied entertainment throughout the pandemic, including the Cirque Social Saturday-night performances, which have moved to Wednesdays. There have been music and comedy shows in the café, too.

“This place was created for when you have something you have to say outside of your work, and I was so motivated going back to the show after this side gig,” says Coulibaly, who was still in the Zumanity cast when she took over the Town Square space. “I just like creating a platform for artists, and it’s so sad we’re going through this time when we have so many artists training and training with nowhere to perform.”

Apéro Show opened with an audience of 40 seated in pairs, three-tops and four-tops; Coulibaly says it might be able to expand that number, now that restrictions were loosened on February 15, increasing capacities from 25% to 35%.

Dunn is stacking safety practices on top of Baobab’s, breaking everything down on the show’s website. Artists perform masked and are tested regularly and social distancing is maintained backstage and throughout the venue. The show might be new, but the producers are by no means inexperienced.

“We have a really high bar — cast, crew, everybody,” Dunn says. “We get there.”

APÉRO SHOW Friday-Sunday, 7 p.m., $50, aperoshow.com. Baobab Stage at Town Square, 702-369-6649.