View 2 Works: Contortionist with Sweety the puppy, Raj Kamal Circus, Upleta, India, 1989 Veeru and Usman with Moti, the performing vulture, Jumbo circus, Mangalore, India (1989) By Mary Ellen Mark; ...

Instead, the girls work in a circus, bending their legs in unbelievable ways, riding elephants, and wearing makeup like Bollywood actresses. Considering the alternative, wouldn't you be happy, too?

Ziare Harkless, left, and Elie Charles watch the X Bud Roses Contortion Act from Mongolia offer a preview of the Big Apple Circus in Columbus Park, Stamford, Conn., May 31, 2011. The Big Apple ...

Ahead of the India Shrine Circus' first show at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds, the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch stopped by to learn more from the performers about what to expect.

The Rambo Circus travels throughout India and hosts visiting circus artists from Ethiopia, Nepal and Russia, among other countries. A crackdown on the use of wild animals in the circus has led to ...

Guinness World Record holder for contortion archery Inka Siefker, 26, of San Francisco, works on her contortion archery technique the Royal Russian Kung-Fu Circus Training Academy of Heaven ...

In order to travel around the world, Jacki Ward had to bend over backward. The young contortionist won a $25,000 fellowship that will allow her to travel to Mongolia, China, India, Canada and ...

This year marks 250 years since the start of modern circus. It was in 1768 that Philip Astley began his circus entertainment in Waterloo in London. To celebrate, here's the latest in our new series of ...