Mongolia's circus performers fight to preserve their craft

A young student practises contortionism at the Flower Studio in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolian circus performers fly through the air of a cavernous hall inspectors have warned could collapse at any time, one of the few places left to train if they hope to travel the world with their country's spectacular big top shows. Photo: AFP

Mongolian circus performers fly through a cavernous hall inspectors have warned could collapse any time, one of the few places left to train if they hope to travel the world with their country's spectacular big top shows.

The decaying, more than a hundred-year-old venue at the Mongolian Circus School is where hundreds of young artists, many now performing at celebrated outfits like Cirque Du Soleil, started their careers.