Elena Lev, born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

on December 1st 1981, began her training to become a rhythmic gymnast at an early age, assisted and coached by her mother, Elena Lev Sr. She developed a signature

hula hoop A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. It can also be wheeled along the ground like a wheel, with careful execution. They have been used by children and adults since at least 500 BC. The modern hula hoop ...

act incorporating

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

and

contortion Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, Circus (performing art), circus acts, street ...

. Her big breakthrough came when she was invited to join the '' Alegría'' touring troupe of

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

, of which she was a member from 1994 through 2000. She also performed briefly with the ''

Quidam ''Quidam'' ( ) was the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has been watched by millions of spectators around the world. ''Quidam'' originated as a big-top show in Montreal and was converted into an arena ...

'' troupe in 2002. Lev performed with Cirque du Soleil's ''

Wintuk ''Wintuk'' (pronounced ''win-took''; amalgamating the English word "winter" with Inupiaq phonetics) was a semi-permanent and seasonal residency show created by Cirque du Soleil. ''Wintuk'' played seasonally from 2007 to 2011 at the former WaMu T ...

'' at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.The New York Times
/ref> Lev is currently performing in Cirque Du Soleil's ''Zumanity'' in Las Vegas. She is also in management and about to graduate with a degree in Food and Beverage Management. Her daughter Varvara, who is almost 12, is in synchronised swimming and training to follow in her mother's footsteps but in a different field.

References

External links

Elena Lev - Hoopsact.com
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Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lev, Elena Cirque du Soleil performers Living people 1981 births