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Culture

Talking Germany - Dergin Tokmak, Dancer and Acrobat

February 16, 2015

Dergin Tokmak caught polio as a very young boy. The disease could not slow him down forever, though. His crutches are an integral part of his acrobatic performances. Joining the Cirque du Soleil propelled him to global stardom. As he says himself: "I may not be able to walk, but I have at least learned to fly a bit".

https://p.dw.com/p/1By0F

Dergin Tokmak hopes to inspire people and to show them that anyone can be creative - regardless of their physical limitations. Dergin was just 8 months old when his parents took him back to visit their home village in Turkey. While he was there he contracted polio and lost the use of his legs. He spent most of his childhood and youth going to clinics, physiotherapy and schools for the disabled. When he was 12, his life changed after seeing a dancer on crutches in a breakdance film. He began to hang out with the hip-hop crowd in his home town of Augsburg and began to train for his first dance roles. His 6-year stint as the Lame Angel in Cirque du Soleil's show "Varekai" remains a unique achievement.