Young Mongolian circus performers soar through the air, attached to ropes attached to the decrepit ceiling of a building that threatens to collapse. Faced with a lack of resources, they want to resurrect the passion for this live show that makes their country famous. In the capital Ulaanbaatar, one of the few places where they can still practice the art is a dilapidated, century-old yurt-shaped hall with faded timbers, peeling paint and rusty equipment.
It’s hard to imagine that hundreds of students, many of whom now perform in world-famous venues like Cirque du Soleil, began their careers here. “I want to try to become a circus artist,” says Uuganbayar Nerguibaatar, an 18-year-old student who dreams of participating in international competitions, like his sister.
Due to its dilapidated condition, the building is no longer very safe, local authorities have warned. But for the artists, this structure with its very high ceiling remains essential for perfecting their reckless acrobatics, which have made the Mongolian circus famous throughout the world. “The circus used to be so popular. We all want to revive it,” Gerelbaatar Yunden, a former circus artistic director, told AFP. “It’s our duty”.
“When we participate in international competitions and festivals, we are always asked if we can train foreign students” in Mongolia, explains Bolortuya Bolortuya, dean of the Circus Faculty of the Mongolian Conservatory. “But we politely explain that we don’t have enough teachers or human resources,” he says. “We don’t have a training place.”
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For a long time, the circus was one of the most popular entertainments in Mongolia. It attracted crowds from all over the country, fond of shows with acrobatics, stunts and wild animals. Its contortionists were particularly renowned. However, faced with limited opportunities in their country, hundreds of young talents have gone abroad in recent years.
According to artists interviewed by AFP, 85% of their colleagues live and work outside Mongolia, including at least 400 in Turkey and 500 in the United States and Europe. “Antarctica is perhaps the only place where Mongolian circus artists have not yet performed,” jokes Gerelbaatar.
In 2007, the government privatized the country’s only modern circus hall, handing it over to Dagvadorj Dolgorsure, a famous Mongolian wrestler who ruled the sumo world in Japan in the 2000s. Renamed “Asa Circus”, the arena was to remain accessible to circus students. But the building is now mainly used for concerts and events. Yet it was the only real professional training venue for the Mongolian Circus School – a public establishment with dozens of students and 15 teachers.
A new training venue is under construction, but the site is years behind schedule. “Once we have a circus school worthy of the name,” the Mongolian circus will be “reborn,” says Yunden, the former artistic director. Faced with this situation, many artists have created small specialized schools. In one of these establishments, contortionist students in full training twist in all directions to form extraordinary human figures, their legs raised and their heads emerging from between their hips.
However, for Erdenetsetseg Badarch, a teacher and experienced contortionist, the available facilities are insufficient. “To become a circus artist”, you must also learn “costume design, stage expression, body language,” she explains. I can’t teach everything in my small school.”
Despite the students’ obvious talent, job opportunities are practically non-existent, underlines another contortion teacher. Unless, he said, the State intervenes. “Our own country is ignoring its most talented artists,” says contortion teacher Bud Tumurbaatar. This is why Mongolian artists leave Mongolia for other countries to benefit from better conditions and better income.”