Have you wondered what it takes to perform with Cirque du Soleil? Kai Curry from the NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY spoke with two of Cirque’s talented artists, Mizuki Shinagawa and Ninjin Altankhuyag, about their journey to Cirque’s most recent show, KOOZA.
First: Commitment
Shinagawa and Altankhuyag both yearned for performance careers from an early age.
Shinagawa, who performs aerial silk acts with Cirque, has wanted the circus life since childhood.
“My dream was to be a circus artist,” Shinagawa said.
But there is no comparable circus life in Japan, she said—and, as one might expect, her engineer parents weren’t 100% on board.
Around the age of 12, she began taking gymnastics, which did exist in Japan, and learned a little bit of contortion—anything to get her body moving, she recalled.
After a couple of years, and the young Shinagawa’s interest showing no sign of waning, Shinagawa’s mom enrolled her in the one school in Tokyo that taught aerial silks. From there, it was off to circus school in Montreal. Shinagawa said she was living the dream.
Altankhuyag’s trajectory differed slightly, but had the same destination as Shinagawa’s.
In Mongolia, where Altankhuyag hails from, most young girls take contortionist classes, much like young girls may take dance classes in the U.S. They might then embark on tours around Mongolia, which Altankhuyag did, but they may not aim for something international, like Cirque.
Altankhuyag was 7 years old when she was first spotted by Cirque as a performer they might like to bring on. After more than a decade of training to be a professional performer, Altankhuyag joined Cirque at the age of 19 to be in a contortionist trio in KOOZA. She and her fellow contortionist performers are all from Mongolia.
Second: Creativity
Being a part of Cirque du Soleil doesn’t just mean a performer shows off their skills. Each performer must also adopt a character that fits the story.
Since its founding in 1984, Cirque has produced more than 40 different shows—which means more than 40 different stories. To go along with each production, there is a style of costume, of set, and of music. There are no animals in this circus, except humans. Performers dazzle audiences with acrobatics and antics, and many performances include audience participation.
Shinagawa and Altankhuyag told the Northwest Asian Weekly that it took them about four or five months to adapt themselves to KOOZA. Each act within the performance requires the performers in that act to come up with their own moves, they explained.
If they are a solo act, such as Shinagawa’s rapturous red silk performance, the integration into the show is a bit quicker, although there is still trust that must be developed within the entire cast, Shinagawa said. If they are part of a group, as in Altankhuyag’s case, they have to learn to work closely together (though, as it turns out, Altankhuyag already knew both of her companion contortionists from Mongolia).
KOOZA is described by Cirque as “a breathtaking return” to its origins. In their words, KOOZA “pays tribute to traditional circus traditions …with nail-biting acrobatics and bold slapstick comedy.”
KOOZA tells the story of “The Innocent,” a young clown, who is led into a magical world by “The Trickster.” Similar to Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker,” the Innocent is whisked into an alternate reality for a few hours wherein he is entertained by various performers. Some are funny, some are beautiful and mesmerizing, some are scary.
“KOOZA is about human connection and the world of duality, good and bad,” said writer and director David Shiner on KOOZA’s website.
Third: Skill
Shinagawa and Altankhuyag wow audiences with their remarkable skills, combined with stunning visual effects and costuming.
Shinagawa’s character in KOOZA is confident and dominating. She strides onto stage with a “take no prisoners” attitude, launching into a complex choreography of acrobatics, aerial leaps, and red silk.
“I always wanted to have a solo act with my skills,” she told us. “That’s what I’m using on stage—every single trick that I made—that’s really magical.”
Altankhuyag said that Cirque contortionism is much faster and more contemporary in style than in Mongolia. Mongolian contortionists, for the most part, still base their contortionism on Buddhist principles of calmness. Altankhuyag enjoyed the challenge of learning how to get into position and set her moves more quickly than she learned to do in Mongolia.
The message
Shinagawa and Altankhuyag represent KOOZA’s story in the flesh.
“KOOZA gives confidence, like anything is possible,” said Shinagawa.
Altankhuyag lives KOOZA’s message every day: “Find yourself and be yourself.”
