January 2026: Contortion on Stage Around the World

Written by
Contortion Space

January 2026: Contortion on Stage Around the World

A global roundup of live contortion performance - from festival tents to resident shows, variety theatres, private events, and cruise stages.

January is often treated as a “quiet” month in the arts calendar, but contortion doesn’t really follow that story. Across the first quarter of 2026, the performance landscape shows a clear split: major institutions and global touring giants continue to platform high-visibility, large-scale work - while a dense ecosystem of resident shows, variety houses, cabaret rooms, private events, and cruise contracts keeps flexible arts active night after night.

What follows is a global snapshot of where contortion is being performed live in January 2026, with named artists wherever we have confirmed performers.

The festival circuit: where careers shift in a single weekend

Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain (Paris) - 22-25 January 2026

Cirque de Demain remains one of the most important spaces to see where circus (and contortion within it) is heading next - not just technically, but in composition, dramaturgy, and how flexibility is paired with other disciplines.

Confirmed contortion artists in the 2026 programme:

  • Gildo Gomes (Straps + Contortion, Angola)
  • Show A: Thu 22 Jan (20:30) and Sat 24 Jan (20:30)
  • Yaya Diarrassouba (Contortion, Cote d’Ivoire)
  • Show B: Fri 23 Jan (20:30) and Sat 24 Jan (14:30)

These aren’t “contortion slots” pasted onto a lineup - they’re part of a competitive structure that often shapes bookings for years afterwards.

Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival (Monaco) - 16-25 January 2026

Monte-Carlo operates differently: it’s a prestige platform where classical excellence and high projection for a large big-top audience are central. Contortion reliably appears within that ecosystem, often framed through lineage and clean visibility - acts that read from the back row as well as the front.

Touring productions: contortion at arena and big-top scale

Cirque du Soleil - Europe and the US

A major indicator of the global contortion landscape this season is how consistently Cirque du Soleil features high-level flexibility work inside character-driven productions rather than isolated stunt moments.

  • OVO - Royal Albert Hall, London (9 Jan-1 Mar 2026)
  • This arena production places contortion inside a physical world inspired by insect movement and dynamic ensemble transitions. Featured performer: **Cooper Yarosloski**.
  • KURIOS - Seville, Spain (from 17 Jan 2026)
  • A big-top run where synchronized group flexibility is integrated into ensemble structures and scenic design. (Individual cast varies by tour stop.)
  • LUZIA - Atlanta, USA (through 25 Jan 2026)
  • Featured solo contortionist: Aleksei Goloborodko.

Cirque du Soleil - ECHO (San Francisco)

  • Eddie John Browne - performing in San Francisco through 18 January. Eddie will be opening for global movements projects after actively working with cirque for one year with a firm career shift.

Ringling (US arena tour)

  • Jordan McKnight - touring with Ringling Brothers (January dates within the wider tour)

Europe’s variety houses and theatre residencies: sustained, detailed work

A huge proportion of professional contortion employment still lives in varieté and cabaret infrastructure - shows that run for weeks, not days, and reward consistency, refinement, and audience connection.

  • Aleksandr Batuev - working at Moulin Rouge in Paris during January
  • Philipp Tigris - performing at GOP Bremen from 8 January through 22 March
  • K. Juma - currently performing in Flic Flac Duisburg (winter circus programme)

Two performers that should be explicitly on everyone’s January radar, based on confirmed runs in your Notion page:

  • Maxim Voronin - performing at Wintergarten Varieté (Berlin) through 15 February (active throughout January)
  • Tsetseglen Odgerel - trio contortion act at Alexander Kunz Theater (Saarbrucken) through 28 February (active throughout January)

Asia and regional circuits: institutional lineages and city-based performance economies

  • Chaoyang Acrobatics Theatre (Beijing, China) - ongoing January performances, where contortion is presented as a foundational discipline within repertory acrobatics
  • Aditya Malviya - confirmed January dates in India: Indore (6 Jan) and Bangalore (21 Jan, 24 Jan)

Cabaret, private events, and the working reality beyond public listings

A meaningful amount of contortion performance happens outside public ticketing systems - and still deserves to be named as part of the global ecology of the work.

  • Coralie - pole show on 10 January in the suburbs of Paris (with contortion-influenced work)
  • Klodi Dabkiewicz - performing private events (not open to the public)
  • Nestor Contorsion - performing private events (not open to the public)
  • Nikita Gergert - performing street shows in Fremont, Las Vegas, plus private events
  • Contortion Sisters - weekly at the Setai Hotel, Jaya Restaurant (Miami) plus other gigs (dates variable)(Contortion Sisters)

For London specifically, the “cabaret circuit” matters as a performance context of its own - short-form acts, changing line-ups, tight changeovers, and direct audience relationship:

  • Ryan Yeomans - performing across different cabarets in London through January (no single fixed listing)

Cruise stages: contortion at sea (fully live, just harder to access)

Cruise contracts are a major part of the global performance economy for flexible artists, especially through winter routing.

  • Arisa Meguro - performing aboard P&O Cruises Iona through May (active in January)
  • Yuka Hata - embarking 11 January for cruise performance work

What January 2026 tells us about contortion right now

January shows contortion operating across multiple professional worlds at once:

  • festival competition (Paris, Monaco): career-defining visibility and future bookings
  • touring giants (Cirque, arena tours): contortion as world-building and mass-audience storytelling
  • variety houses (Germany, Paris): sustained craft, repeatability, refinement
  • Las Vegas and nightlife circuits: frequency, intimacy, precision under pressure
  • regional circuits (India, Beijing repertory): lineage, local audiences, institutional continuity
  • private events and cruise stages: adaptability as a professional discipline, fully live and economically significant

That plurality is the point: contortion in 2026 is globally distributed, context-responsive, and professionally diverse - and January makes that visible.

Performer directory (featured in January 2026)

Do you have some performances in January? Let us know and we will add you to articles in the future.

‍

Contortion Space

Related Posts

General
Global Contortion Performances: October 2025
October 2025 brings a worldwide celebration of contortion, with performers twisting, balancing, and redefining flexibility across Cirque du Soleil big tops, international festivals, and contemporary circus stages from Calgary to Seoul.
Contortion Space
General
From Bridges to Beaches: Four Days at EuCoCo 2025
We review the European Contortion Convention
Contortion Space
General
A global look at contortion performances in September 2025
September is shaping up to be a rich and varied month for contortion performances around the world.
Contortion Space
General
Contortion performances in August
August 2025: Our monthly look at performances that are happening around the world,
Contortion Space
General
Contortion as a lifestyle
In this thoughtful article, a Andrei shares a perspective that redefines the art form as much more than just physical flexibility. They describe contortion as a holistic lifestyle that requires a deep connection between mind and body.
Andrei Moreas
General
Learning Contortion as an Adult in London
Learn more about training Contortion in London
Contortion Space
General
What Makes a Great Contortion Class?
Contortion is a unique form of art that requires a great deal of discipline, dedication, and practice. It is a challenging form of art that demands a lot from the human body. A great contortion class is essential for anyone looking to take their skills to the next level. In this blog post, we will discuss what makes a great contortion class.
Contortion Space
General
How do contortionists bend like they do?
A look into what it takes for contortionists to become as flexible as they are
Betsy Shuttleworth

January 2026: Contortion on Stage Around the World

General

January 2026: Contortion on Stage Around the World

A global roundup of live contortion performance - from festival tents to resident shows, variety theatres, private events, and cruise stages.

January is often treated as a “quiet” month in the arts calendar, but contortion doesn’t really follow that story. Across the first quarter of 2026, the performance landscape shows a clear split: major institutions and global touring giants continue to platform high-visibility, large-scale work - while a dense ecosystem of resident shows, variety houses, cabaret rooms, private events, and cruise contracts keeps flexible arts active night after night.

What follows is a global snapshot of where contortion is being performed live in January 2026, with named artists wherever we have confirmed performers.

The festival circuit: where careers shift in a single weekend

Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain (Paris) - 22-25 January 2026

Cirque de Demain remains one of the most important spaces to see where circus (and contortion within it) is heading next - not just technically, but in composition, dramaturgy, and how flexibility is paired with other disciplines.

Confirmed contortion artists in the 2026 programme:

  • Gildo Gomes (Straps + Contortion, Angola)
  • Show A: Thu 22 Jan (20:30) and Sat 24 Jan (20:30)
  • Yaya Diarrassouba (Contortion, Cote d’Ivoire)
  • Show B: Fri 23 Jan (20:30) and Sat 24 Jan (14:30)

These aren’t “contortion slots” pasted onto a lineup - they’re part of a competitive structure that often shapes bookings for years afterwards.

Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival (Monaco) - 16-25 January 2026

Monte-Carlo operates differently: it’s a prestige platform where classical excellence and high projection for a large big-top audience are central. Contortion reliably appears within that ecosystem, often framed through lineage and clean visibility - acts that read from the back row as well as the front.

Touring productions: contortion at arena and big-top scale

Cirque du Soleil - Europe and the US

A major indicator of the global contortion landscape this season is how consistently Cirque du Soleil features high-level flexibility work inside character-driven productions rather than isolated stunt moments.

  • OVO - Royal Albert Hall, London (9 Jan-1 Mar 2026)
  • This arena production places contortion inside a physical world inspired by insect movement and dynamic ensemble transitions. Featured performer: **Cooper Yarosloski**.
  • KURIOS - Seville, Spain (from 17 Jan 2026)
  • A big-top run where synchronized group flexibility is integrated into ensemble structures and scenic design. (Individual cast varies by tour stop.)
  • LUZIA - Atlanta, USA (through 25 Jan 2026)
  • Featured solo contortionist: Aleksei Goloborodko.

Cirque du Soleil - ECHO (San Francisco)

  • Eddie John Browne - performing in San Francisco through 18 January. Eddie will be opening for global movements projects after actively working with cirque for one year with a firm career shift.

Ringling (US arena tour)

  • Jordan McKnight - touring with Ringling Brothers (January dates within the wider tour)

Europe’s variety houses and theatre residencies: sustained, detailed work

A huge proportion of professional contortion employment still lives in varieté and cabaret infrastructure - shows that run for weeks, not days, and reward consistency, refinement, and audience connection.

  • Aleksandr Batuev - working at Moulin Rouge in Paris during January
  • Philipp Tigris - performing at GOP Bremen from 8 January through 22 March
  • K. Juma - currently performing in Flic Flac Duisburg (winter circus programme)

Two performers that should be explicitly on everyone’s January radar, based on confirmed runs in your Notion page:

  • Maxim Voronin - performing at Wintergarten Varieté (Berlin) through 15 February (active throughout January)
  • Tsetseglen Odgerel - trio contortion act at Alexander Kunz Theater (Saarbrucken) through 28 February (active throughout January)

Asia and regional circuits: institutional lineages and city-based performance economies

  • Chaoyang Acrobatics Theatre (Beijing, China) - ongoing January performances, where contortion is presented as a foundational discipline within repertory acrobatics
  • Aditya Malviya - confirmed January dates in India: Indore (6 Jan) and Bangalore (21 Jan, 24 Jan)

Cabaret, private events, and the working reality beyond public listings

A meaningful amount of contortion performance happens outside public ticketing systems - and still deserves to be named as part of the global ecology of the work.

  • Coralie - pole show on 10 January in the suburbs of Paris (with contortion-influenced work)
  • Klodi Dabkiewicz - performing private events (not open to the public)
  • Nestor Contorsion - performing private events (not open to the public)
  • Nikita Gergert - performing street shows in Fremont, Las Vegas, plus private events
  • Contortion Sisters - weekly at the Setai Hotel, Jaya Restaurant (Miami) plus other gigs (dates variable)(Contortion Sisters)

For London specifically, the “cabaret circuit” matters as a performance context of its own - short-form acts, changing line-ups, tight changeovers, and direct audience relationship:

  • Ryan Yeomans - performing across different cabarets in London through January (no single fixed listing)

Cruise stages: contortion at sea (fully live, just harder to access)

Cruise contracts are a major part of the global performance economy for flexible artists, especially through winter routing.

  • Arisa Meguro - performing aboard P&O Cruises Iona through May (active in January)
  • Yuka Hata - embarking 11 January for cruise performance work

What January 2026 tells us about contortion right now

January shows contortion operating across multiple professional worlds at once:

  • festival competition (Paris, Monaco): career-defining visibility and future bookings
  • touring giants (Cirque, arena tours): contortion as world-building and mass-audience storytelling
  • variety houses (Germany, Paris): sustained craft, repeatability, refinement
  • Las Vegas and nightlife circuits: frequency, intimacy, precision under pressure
  • regional circuits (India, Beijing repertory): lineage, local audiences, institutional continuity
  • private events and cruise stages: adaptability as a professional discipline, fully live and economically significant

That plurality is the point: contortion in 2026 is globally distributed, context-responsive, and professionally diverse - and January makes that visible.

Performer directory (featured in January 2026)

Do you have some performances in January? Let us know and we will add you to articles in the future.

‍

Contortion SpaceContortion Space

Related Posts

General
January 2026: Contortion on Stage Around the World
A global roundup of live contortion performance - from festival tents to resident shows, variety theatres, private events, and cruise stages.
Contortion Space
1/11/2026
General
Global Contortion Performances: October 2025
October 2025 brings a worldwide celebration of contortion, with performers twisting, balancing, and redefining flexibility across Cirque du Soleil big tops, international festivals, and contemporary circus stages from Calgary to Seoul.
Contortion Space
10/4/2025
General
From Bridges to Beaches: Four Days at EuCoCo 2025
We review the European Contortion Convention
Contortion Space
9/13/2025
General
A global look at contortion performances in September 2025
September is shaping up to be a rich and varied month for contortion performances around the world.
Contortion Space
9/13/2025
General
Contortion performances in August
August 2025: Our monthly look at performances that are happening around the world,
Contortion Space
8/2/2025
General
Contortion as a lifestyle
In this thoughtful article, a Andrei shares a perspective that redefines the art form as much more than just physical flexibility. They describe contortion as a holistic lifestyle that requires a deep connection between mind and body.
Andrei Moreas
7/27/2025
General
Learning Contortion as an Adult in London
Learn more about training Contortion in London
Contortion Space
9/9/2024
General
What Makes a Great Contortion Class?
Contortion is a unique form of art that requires a great deal of discipline, dedication, and practice. It is a challenging form of art that demands a lot from the human body. A great contortion class is essential for anyone looking to take their skills to the next level. In this blog post, we will discuss what makes a great contortion class.
Contortion Space
4/6/2023

Keep in the know

Get new contortion space articles and knowledge right to your email

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form

HomeCategoriesAboutPhoto creditsPrivacy policyCookie policyContortion posesContact
Copyright © 2025 Contortion Space. All rights reserved.