The Mongolian State Circus

The Mongolian State Circus in Ulaanbaatar stands empty, most of the time, its golden-tiled big top a monument to the glory days when a Communist state could truly fund a circus.

But at special times of year — like Mothers’ and Children’s Day or Naadam — the circus comes to town. And how.

Ringmaster at Mongolian circus, Ulaanbaatar.

There’s the ringmaster, rapid with the patter, suave in his top hat, keeping the balance right between the big ticket drama — contortionists, acrobats — and the smaller acts, the clowns, the jugglers…

Corde lisse at the Mongolian state circus.

The corde lisse is balletic.

And, oddly, feminist, too.

Corde lisse at the Mongolian State Circus.

The girl and the guy are equal partners. She lifts him, he her.

Ducks on a slide at the Mongolian State Circus.

The clown works the crowd with balloon animals, bringing kids and adults alike into the ring. But when the animal tamer sends the ducks down the slide, the building almost shakes with laughter.

Trapeze artists at the Mongolian state circus.

The trapeze artists don’t whelm the crowd so much as the acrobats, spinning vertiginously high into space, or the jugglers, balancing on rolling pipes while throwing bowls from head to head.

Contortionists at Mongolian State Circus.

Mongolia has the best contortionists in the world, some say. My jaw heads floorward at the sight of the girl on the left, but the audience takes it in their stride.

They’re waiting for the big act. The…

Poodle skipping on a rope turned by a dancing bear.

Yes, I’m afraid it really is. Not just a skipping poodle. But a dancing bear.

We don’t have dancing bears in England, any more. They went out not long after the bear-baiting they derived from.

Bear tamer with dancing bear, Mongolian State Circus.

And yet… Watching the sheer fear on the bear-tamer’s face, and the size of those savage, savage claws, it’s not hard to see why in Mongolia this is the highlight of the show.

Because, as Zac puts it, “It feels as though the bear could win.”


The UB Post is the place to look for circuses in Mongolia. There are also excellent contortionists, as well as throat-singers, nightly round the corner at Tumen Ekh.

14 Responses

  1. Andrea says:

    I love watching stuff like this…a dancing bear…too much! =)

    • Theodora says:

      I should, perhaps, have included the one with the poor bear in the mini-skirt.

      • Wait, there was a bear in a mini-skirt and you DIDN’T include a photo?!? Then again, that should be an entire post in its own right.

        Also I didn’t know which ‘girl on the left’ you were referring to – I thought there were just two girls, until I noticed a third head. How can she do that?!? I think I’d be kind of, you know, dead if I were to attempt that.

        • Theodora says:

          It says something about Mongolia that a bear in a mini-skirt didn’t strike me as especially unusual. Absolutely potty place. You should visit.

  2. How did you get photos? We went to circuses all along Russia and the Babushkas were absolutely maniacal about stomping on anybody who pulled out so much as a cell phone.

    They also had elephant and big cat acts that I had not seen the like of since I was a little girl. It shows you how far animals rights has permeated that while I was sort of nostalgically glad to see elephants making a balancing chain, my ten yr old daughters were vey worried about how they and the lions were being treated. Which is why the Moscow Circus does not bring the animal acts on tour anymore…

    • Theodora says:

      They weren’t bothered in the slightest — I don’t know why. Although we were at the back…

      Interestingly, Zac wasn’t bothered by the animal rights issues. He’s very hot on things like dolphin shows being evil, but he was absolutely unfussed about the bears. I’m not sure how he’d have reacted to lions or elephants, mind…

  3. Darla says:

    I absolutely love the circus! I think the fact that it’s not in town most of the time just adds to the giddy excitement of going to see a special performance. By the way, my jaw also hit the floor at the contortionists! Crazy!

  4. Heather says:

    Oh my god. Is the bear really helping to swing the rope for the dog? Animal cruelty issues aside, I would have loved to watch this.

    • Theodora says:

      It is indeed! And it’s a real guilty pleasure on the animal cruelty front. Which is kind of why I didn’t include the picture of the poor creature in a mini-skirt. But so glad I saw it all the same…

  5. Nonplussed says:

    You see? I’d love that, what with the throat singers and contortionists, that would beat a new David Hare at the Royal Court for me. I recall seeing a fab exhibition called Human Zoos at the Musee du Quai Branly and I was secretly not as condemnatory of the Tattooed Ladies, Pygmies riding Ostriches and Hottentot Venuses as I think I was supposed to be. A life in showbiz can be a magical escalator out of a deprived and colourless world.

    • Theodora says:

      Indeed. Although, as per the Irish Giant and Caroline Crachani, whose skeletons I both saw in the Hunterian Museum, the afterlife may not be as quiet as you’d wish it to be. Traditionally, though, circus has looked after its human, if not its animal, talent extremely well. Although I still remember the absolute horror of realising a) the hot acrobat who’d invited me backstage was 15 and b) that I was, at 28, only two years younger than his mum. They grow up quick is what, I think, I was trying to say….

  6. Estoy tratando de encontrar a Erka , Biembate que trabajaron en México con el circo Suarez en 1997 , si me pueden contactar se los voy agradecer . Soy Bety Bell´s