Summary

Across October 2025, contortion fans have a wide range of performances to choose from.  Major touring productions such as Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO, LUZIA, KURIOS, KOOZA and OVO bring contortion to big tops in cities from Calgary and Washington to Prague, Seoul and Houstoncirquedusoleil.com.

The Mongolian Contortion Convention in St. Paul offers an educational hub where legendary coaches lead workshops and a gala show | mcconvention.mnmcconvention.mn.

Regional circus companies such as Cirque Italia and Cirque Bon Bon tour North America and New Zealand with water‑circus spectaculars featuring contortionists | baycourt.co.nz.

New works like The Shedding (Circus City 2025) and Afrique en Cirque showcase contortion as expressive art, Elise Bjerkelund Reine’s solo blends trapeze and contortion in Bristol | arnolfini.org.uk, while Cirque Kalabanté’s Calgary show combines West African rhythms with anatomy‑defying contortion | springboardperformance.com.  Even Halloween‑themed shows such as The Vampire Circus incorporate contortionists into their spooky narratives | wilkesbarretheater.com.  These events illustrate the global appeal of contortion, spanning gala conventions, family‑friendly circuses, high‑end Cirque du Soleil spectacles and avant‑garde festival pieces.

🌍 Global Contortion Performances: October 2025

October 2025 is shaping up to be a spectacular month for contortion fans around the world. From Calgary’s big tops to Bristol’s art spaces, the month brings together a rich blend of traditional circus mastery and contemporary performance art with each pushing the boundaries of human flexibility and physical storytelling.

Below, we tour the world’s stages to highlight where contortion takes centre stage this October.

🇨🇦 Canada: From Cirque du Soleil’s Grand Tents to African Rhythms

Calgary, Alberta hosts two major events this month, proof that the city is fast becoming a hotspot for circus artistry. Under the iconic Cirque du Soleil big top at Stampede Park, Eddie John Browne continues his acclaimed run as “Sorio,” the principal contortionist in ECHO (through 19 Oct). Browne’s serpentine strength defines the show’s surreal visual world, while Penelope Elena Scheidler doubles as the hair-hang performer and trained contortion backup, a rare dual role that underscores the precision and resilience demanded by this production.

Just across town on 21 Oct, Afrique en Cirque by Cirque Kalabanté brings Guinean rhythms and “anatomy-defying” contortion to The Grand theatre as part of Springboard Performance’s Fluid Fest. Directed by Yamoussa Bangoura, the piece fuses traditional African dance, live percussion, and contortion into a celebration of joy, strength, and cultural heritage.

Further west, Cirque Italia’s Platinum Unit brings its water-themed big-top show to Medicine Hat (3–5 Oct) before moving south through Montana, with shimmering acts of hand-balancing and contortion performed over a 35,000-gallon aquatic stage.

🇺🇸 United States: Water, Vampires, and Surrealism

In Washington DC, Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA continues through 18 Oct with Aleksei Goloborodko and fellow contortionists weaving dreamlike illusions inspired by Mexican imagery. The candlelit set and slow-motion body sculpture sequences remain fan favourites.

Across several states, Cirque Italia delivers its triple touring spectacle:

• Gold Unit splashes into Virginia (3–6 Oct), Delaware (10–13 Oct), and New Jersey (17–20 Oct);
• Silver Unit tours Wisconsin, performing in Greendale, Green Bay, Appleton, and La Crosse across the month;
• Platinum Unit (shared with Canada) crosses the border into Montana mid-October.

Each unit’s show spotlights contortionists who twist gracefully above cascades of water jets — a signature blend of technical mastery and theatrical spectacle.

Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, things take a darker turn. The Vampire Circus, directed by Cirque du Soleil alumnus Francisco Santos, haunts three cities — Wilkes-Barre (2 Oct), Williamsport (11 Oct), and Erie (26 Oct). The production blends gothic cabaret with eerie physical theatre, featuring contortionists whose movements evoke both beauty and unease — a perfect fit for the Halloween season.

🇲🇽 Mexico: OVO’s Twisting Insects

Cirque du Soleil’s insect-inspired OVO flutters through Texas before crossing into Monterrey, Mexico (16–19 Oct). The show’s contortion highlights, the Butterfly twisting elegantly on aerial silk and the Spider performing impossible backbends on a webbed platform, remain some of the most recognisable images in Cirque’s repertoire.

🇨🇿🇳🇱 Europe: The Surreal World of KURIOS

European audiences will have two chances to dive into Cirque du Soleil’s fantastical steampunk dream KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities.

In Prague, performances continue at Letenská pláň until 12 Oct, with a four-person troupe of contortionists embodying deep-sea creatures in a rapid-fire, pyramid-forming routine. Later in the month, the same act resurfaces in The Hague, where KURIOS opens under the big top at Malieveld on 24 Oct, launching its Dutch run that extends through the winter.

🇰🇷 South Korea: KOOZA Balances Tradition and Power

From 11 Oct, KOOZA raises its red-and-gold tent in Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex. The show’s hand-balancing contortion trio exemplifies the raw athleticism that defines Cirque du Soleil’s earlier productions — equal parts classical circus and kinetic sculpture.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Circus City and an Intimate Premiere

Back in Europe, Bristol becomes a hub for experimental circus as Circus City 2025 (9 – 30 Oct) explores its theme, Bodies of Care. The festival spans multiple venues and embraces contortion, hair-hanging, and hybrid forms of movement.

Among its highlights is Elise Bjerkelund Reine’s The Shedding (16 Oct, Arnolfini) — an intimate solo blending trapeze, contortion, and performance art set to a power ballad. It’s a deeply personal reflection on transformation and vulnerability.

Elsewhere in the UK, Circus Starr’s accessible family show on 1 Oct in Milton Keynes features Paula’s light-hearted balloon-and-contortion act, bringing laughter and inclusivity to audiences of all ages.

🇳🇿 New Zealand: Glamour Meets Flexibility

To close out the month, Cirque Bon Bon lands at Baycourt Addison Theatre in Tauranga (23–25 Oct). Hosted by the flamboyant Mario, Queen of the Circus, the show mixes dance, comedy, and high-impact circus spectacle — complete with dazzling contortion sequences that push elegance to its theatrical limits.

🇲🇳 Contortion as Heritage: The Mongolian Contortion Convention

Finally, in St. Paul, Minnesota (3–5 Oct), the Mongolian Contortion Convention (Uyan 2025) brings together legendary coaches including Anna Venizelos, Undarmaa D., Sofia Venanzetti, and Erdenechimeg-Angelique J. Their workshops and gala shows celebrate the Mongolian roots of contortion as an artform — blending technical heritage with modern pedagogy.

✨ A Month of Flexibility Without Borders

From festival stages to high-gloss arenas, October 2025 reaffirms contortion’s global reach and artistic diversity. Whether performed underwater, wrapped in silk, or interpreted through avant-garde theatre, these artists remind us that flexibility is not merely physical — it’s cultural, creative, and profoundly human.

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