Kenyan Street Break Dancer Joins Russian Circus

A Kenyan street artist has turned his skills as a performer into a ticket to the Russian circus, working as an acrobat in Moscow.   

           

Felix Katan, originally from Kenya, worked as a professional break dancer in Nairobi.  

            

[Felix Katan, Kenyan Street Artist]: 

"In Kenya we have no circus. We have parks - there are international parks all over there, and we used to do a show in the park, in the hotels when we were young. And then after that I finished school." 

            

Russian circus director, Vladimir Doreiko, discovered Felix while headhunting for performers in Kenya for his show "Millenium." 

            

Katan then moved to Russia and passed an entrance exam to the Russian State Circus to become a certified acrobat. 

             

Fellow performers at first weren't sure if a newcomer from Kenya would be up to the difficult demands of the circus, but soon discovered that Katan was an excellent acrobat.   

           

[Artyom Pak, Russian State Circus Artist]: 

"At first I thought that it would be slippery, because we make contact with our hands. But no, absolutely not - it's a vice grip, believe me - the guy is really strong." 

         

Katan regularly performs at a height of 15 meters (49 feet) in the Russian circus.    

          

He now hopes to return to Kenya one day to open his country's first national circus.