Olga Pikhienko

Olga Pikhienko
Born	February 11, 1980 (1980-02-11) (age 31)

Olga Pikhienko (born February 11, 1980 in Volgograd, RSFSR, Soviet Union). Pikhienko started in rhythmic gymnastics at the age of five. When she was eleven, she started performing with her father, Sasha Pikhienko,^[1] at the Nikulin Circus based in Moscow. Olga's act with her father won them a gold medal in 1992 at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris.^[1] In 1993, they won a silver medal in Beijing, China at the World Festival.

Pikhienko started working with Cirque du Soleil in 1994. In 1996, she went on tour with Cirque's production Quidam,^[1] and, for more than five years, performed her hand balancing and contortion with canes act throughout Europe and North America. In 2001, she worked on the creation of Varekai,^[2] while being filmed for the Bravo network's documentary series Fire Within, which won an Emmy Award in 2003. During filming, there were concerns regarding continued complaints of fatigue and back pain from Pikheinko.^[3]

She received another gold medal in Paris at the 2004 Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. After touring with Varekai for three years, Pikhienko decided to branch out artistically, developing new acts for special events, commercials, print and video. She returned to Quidam in 2006 and has been performing there since.

History

• 1985-1990: Rhythmic gymnastics (Russia).^[1]
• 1991-1992: Nikulin Circus (Moscow). Hand-to-hand contortion with Alexander Pikhienko.
• 1992-1994: Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Hand to Hand contortion with Alexander Pikhienko.^[4]
• 1994-2000: Cirque du Soleil — Quidam. North American Tour and European Tour. Hand balancing and contortion with canes.^[3]
• 2000-2003: Cirque du Soleil — Varekai. North American Tour. Hand balancing and contortion with canes. Principal character.^[3]
• 2003-2006: Independent artist — Special events, television, film, print. Hand balancing and contortion with canes.
• 2006–2011: Cirque Du Soleil Quidam North and South American tour.
• 2011-present: Cirque Du Soleil "IRIS" in Hollywood.

Film

• Cirque du Soleil — Quidam
• Cirque du Soleil — Varekai

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Cirque du Soleil biography. cirquedusoleil.com. Retrieved on April 7, 2009.
2. ^ "Christmas". Fire Within. 2001. No. 5, season 1.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Cirque du Soleil mini biography. cirquedusoleil.com. Retrieved on April 7, 2009.
4. ^ Anderson, Jack (April 3, 1993). "Review/Circus; Three Rings' Worth of Thrills, Spills, Frills", New York Times. Retrieved on April 7, 2009.

Persondata
Name	Pikhienko, Olga
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Date of birth	February 11, 1980
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