Most Contortionists in Cirque du Soleil Are Mongolian, Says Performer
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
Ninjin Altanhoyak, a 30-year-old Mongolian contortionist in Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza, spoke about his deep ties to Korea and his bilingual fluency. He lived in Seoul for a year at age 15 while his father served as a defense attaché and learned Korean mainly from dramas and variety shows. He also received brain tumor treatment in Korea at age five. Altanhoyak trained in contortion (contortion, a circus art of extreme body flexibility) from age five in Mongolia, spent four years in Pyongyang attending a Russian embassy school, and won a silver prize in a North Korean arts festival. He joined Cirque du Soleil at 19 and has performed in Kooza for ten years, touring almost year-round. He noted that many of the show’s contortionists are Mongolian, citing their light bodies and strong endurance, and said Korean audiences’ enthusiastic reactions energize the performers.
