CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It was almost lunch time in a high rise apartment in Chicago's Loop as Viktor Kee and Ulzii Mergen were busy getting their two kids out of bed — a little later than your average morning, but that's the upside-down life of a circus family.
"We work late, so we don't get home until 10, 11 at night, so the babies don't get to bed until later, so they sleep later, too," said Mergen.
She and her husband work nights and weekends as part of the all-new Cabaret Zazou inside the Cambria Hotel.
"We're so happy to be here, but it hasn't been easy, especially for me," said Mergen.
Kee is a world class juggler. Mergen is a world renowned contortionist. Kee said he can’t recall a time when he wasn't juggling or performing as a boy in the former Soviet Union.
"I don't even remember, maybe I was 5 years old in the middle of the Soviet Union,” he said. “I happened to end up in a children's circus program."
By age 11, he had 1,000 shows under his belt. In the former Soviet Union, circus performing is a respected art form, a chance for young children to begin their career at an early age.
"Circus is not like gypsy in Western World,” said Kee. “In the Soviet Union, it's fine art and very respectful."
After circus school came competitions in some of the world's major circus festivals. Kee was asked to perform at the famed Moulin Rouge in Paris, which he described as a “milestone.”
Then Cirque du Soleil came calling. That's where he met Mergen, who at that point was a world famous performer in her own right. At the young age of 9, she was chosen to perform for Cirque, where she traveled the world for more than a decade.
"I'm a contortionist, and I'm from Mongolia,” Mergen said. “Contortion is a huge part of culture. It's the feminine career. My mom took me to contortion school, and I had a natural ability. When I was 9, Cirque du Soleil was looking for two young girls. I auditioned, and they picked us. At 11, I was on stage in Canada. I traveled with Cirque for a decade."
Now the couple travels the world together, they said they only accept contracts as a package deal. In 2016, “America's Got Talent” put Kee on the international map. A return trip in 2019 took him all the way to the finals.
Their home base was in Ukraine, where they had their own show and traveled the country during the pandemic.
In February of 2022, Kee was on a job in Miami when Russia invaded his homeland. Mergen was there with their two young kids, a harrowing experience which she said is difficult to relive.
"I had two babies — 7 months and 4 years — they don't know what's happening," she said. "We were going under the building every time we heard the sirens. It's 3 a.m., and we have to evacuate. I don't even know how I carried the two babies. I put one in the stroller, and I carried the other one in my arms. We had to find the tunnels each night. At one point, we just decided to sleep under the building and hopefully we won't be dead by the morning."
She and her children took a train to Zurich and lived with a friend for two months while her documents were being prepared.
Kee said he felt helpless thinking about his wife and two kids back home in Ukraine but was determined to get her in the U.S.
His family and friends fled to Switzerland, where they have been anxiously awaiting a time when they can return safely to Ukraine. Even though they remain thousands of miles away from loved ones, the war back home is always on their minds.
Kee was able to get his wife to Miami for a long awaited reunion. The couple moved to Chicago in August for their new contract with Cabaret Zazou.
Mergen gets choked up when she looks back on the last eight months and said she can't believe the journey that brought her here.
"I'm so happy I'm here now," she said. "At the end of the day, when the babies are sleeping, I take a deep breath, I enjoy my meal, and I think I'm the luckiest person on earth because I was just in the war with two kids. I fled the war. I'm at peace, and we are safe," she said, fighting back tears.
“It's wonderful,” Mergen said. “Someday I'll tell my kids about the war, and how we lived history. I just say to myself, ‘Life gave me a second chance.’”
Back in their Loop high rise, Kee juggled some oranges off a nearby table with a little lesson for his 5 year old.
With only a few hours until the next show, they had a little bonding time with their kids. The couple is grateful for their opportunity and, most of all, their journey.
"We hope families come to visit us. We are here to bring joy to people. Our public is like our friends. It's awesome to see people come back again. We love Chicago. It's a beautiful city. It deserves a lot of beautiful shows and it has a lot of beautiful shows and one of them is Cabaret Zazou,” he smiled.
Viktor and Ulzii perform Wednesdays through Sundays inside the Cambria Hotel until the end of April 2023. For tickets or more information, log onto cabaretzazou.com.
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