The Wow Family Circus has captivated TikTok with death-defying stunts performed by parents Ilya and Regina Kotenyov and their three young children, amassing over 1 million followers and 400 million views on their top three posts alone.
At a Glance
- Kazakhstani family performs jaw-dropping aerial tricks including hair-hanging stunts
- 8-year-old daughter Zara executes complex choreography without crying despite the pain
- Parents aim to prove children have no limits regardless of age or background
- Why it matters: The family challenges perceptions of what kids can achieve in professional performance art
The Kazakhstani family’s repertoire includes an “iron jaw kiss” where Ilya hangs from bands while Regina poses midair below him, suspended only by their linked mouths. Their most shocking trick features Zara hanging by her hair, a feat she perfected at age five when her parents first noticed her extraordinary composure.
“When Zara tried [for the] first time in [the] first practice, she was already hanging. Her first time, and she didn’t cry,” Ilya tells News Of Losangeles. “She doesn’t cry at all because she can be patient.”
The family discovered Zara’s talent during a performance in Kazakhstan when she was five. After inviting her to join her mother for simple tricks, they witnessed something remarkable.
“When she [first] started to be on that stage, that was it. We saw that she was born to be in the circus,” Ilya explains. “She did everything perfectly. All the moves, all the choreography, all the positions. She knows everything.”
Ilya’s own journey began at age six with acrobatics, leading to an audition for Cirque du Soleil at 17. He moved to Montreal for training, learning various circus acts. Regina performed in an acrobatic trio before the couple perfected their viral tricks later in life.
The younger performers include 11-year-old Tagir, who focuses on sport acrobatics training, and 6-year-old Iliana, who joins Zara in aerial performances. The siblings have spent months refining routines together.
This past summer, Ilya and Regina toured Switzerland without their children due to legal restrictions. However, Zara plans to join their next tour, training for solo aerial strap tricks that mark her progression from child performer to professional act.
The family emphasizes that hair hanging remains extremely painful, even for experienced performers. Regina cried during every practice for a month while learning the technique.
“My wife, when she was trying to hang for the first time for one month, she was crying every practice,” Ilya acknowledges.
The Kotenyovs started sharing videos to demonstrate children’s unlimited potential in circus arts. Their message extends beyond performance to challenge assumptions about capability based on age or background.
“We just wanted to share for all the world that the kids don’t have a limit,” Ilya states. “Sometimes they’re [smarter] and more professional than the adults.”
He continues: “We just want to show that everyone can do everything – [it] doesn’t matter your size, your age, your skin, your nationality. It doesn’t matter.”
The family’s TikTok success reflects broader interest in family performance acts, though few achieve their level of technical difficulty. Their videos showcase not just physical feats but the emotional bond required for families to perform dangerous stunts together.
Between tours, the children train rigorously while maintaining normal childhood activities. The parents balance performance preparation with education, ensuring their kids develop skills beyond circus arts.
The Wow Family Circus represents a new generation of performers who combine traditional circus techniques with social media reach. Their audience spans continents, with fans following both their professional development and family dynamics.
As Zara prepares for her solo debut, the family continues pushing boundaries of what’s possible for young performers while maintaining safety protocols developed through generations of circus tradition.
