My guest today who was born into a family of dancers in the former Soviet Union. His career path seemed decided when he started his training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. But the world around him changed dramatically and so did his goals for his career path.

He won a full scholarship at The Juilliard School and joined the American Ballet Theatre in New York City shortly after. Today he has been working as a medical doctor for over 10 years. Let's discover together how he managed that. Please welcome our guest Andrei Dokukin!

Today, I have the pleasure to introduce a performer who was born into a family of circus artists.

She was born in Mongolia, and soon moved to Brazil together with her parents. Travelling up and down the country with a traditional circus, she started training and eventually performing alongside with her family.

When she graduated from high school, her parents settled down to allow her to go to university and become a lawyer.

Halfway through her studies Cirque de Soleil knocked on her door and offered her a job.

What should she do? Accept this offer or finish her degree that she had already put so much work into?

Well, there is only one way to find out. Listen to this new episode and welcome the handstand artist and contortionist Aruna Bataa!

From the busy streets of Tokio where she started her Ballet training, she moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School.

She went on to work for Twyla Tharp, Billy T Jones and French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj and always found time to pursue her own projects as well.

Today she lives in a small beach town in Brazil, where I had a chance to speak to her.

I do apologise for the weak sound quality in the first couple of minutes But these are live talks and it would have been weird to start over.

Let’s give a warm welcome to our guest Toshiko Oiwa!