Mongolia: Circus artists fight for their craft
The circus used to be hugely popular in Mongolia, and the country's circus artists world-famous. But a lack of training facilities and financial support means that more and more artists are leaving the country.
Daredevil feats
Circus performers fly through a cavernous hall - despite warnings that it could collapse at any time. The circus school in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar is one of the few places where they can train. The high vaults are an ideal place to perfect the daredevil tricks that have made the Mongolian circus world famous.
Hard training
One of the artists is 18-year-old Uuganbayar Nerguibaatar. He wants to follow in his sister's footsteps and take part in international competitions. Hundreds of young acrobats have begun their careers in the old hall of the Mongolian Circus School. Today, many of them perform in celebrated ensembles such as Cirque du Soleil.
Floating artist
The circus once drew people from all over the country to see breathtaking shows of extreme gymnastics and aerial feats. But the public school - with dozens of students and 15 teachers - lacks suitable training facilities. Construction of new rooms is proceeding slowly.
International recognition
"When we go to international competitions and festivals, we're always asked to train international students," said Bolortuya Purevdorj, dean of the circus faculty at the Mongolian Conservatory. "But we have no training facilities." Faced with meager prospects at home, many of the best talents have gone abroad in recent years.
Precise choreography
The choreographic interplay of the acrobats may be perfect - the safety of the building though is not. Mongolia's only modern circus facility was donated by fellow socialist country Romania during the Cold War. But the government sold the facility, which was then used for commercial events.
Extreme flexibility
Today there are numerous small private circus schools like the "Flower Studio" in Ulaanbaatar. Many specialize in contortion, which is the extreme flexibility of the body that so-called contortionists gain through years of training. A good circus artist must also master costume design and stage language, said one of the teachers.
An optimistic outlook?
The acrobats hope that the government will lend them a hand: "Once we have built a proper circus school facility, circus arts will be successful again," says Gerelbaatar Yunden, the former circus director. After that, he says, "the government can expect results and success" and the Mongolian circus can "rise again". Until then, only the old halls remain.