THE Limerick contortionist who flexed his way to winning this year’s Limerick Youth’s Got Talent dreams of one day joining Cirque du Soleil. Daragh Merritt, 17, from Corbally learned to perform several back-bending manoeuvres which have turned into a show that has stunned Limerick.
After winning the school talent show at St Munchin’s College last year, the teenager decided to audition for RTE’s All-Ireland’s Got Talent.
“They say they thought it was too scary and too extreme and they were afraid I might injure myself,” Daragh tells the Limerick Post.
Unfazed by this decision he is continuing to pursue his dream of joining the circus since travelling to Cork to train with Cork Circus, which he said were amazed by his flexibility.
“I went down to Cork to train with Cork Circus, it was brilliant, they couldn’t believe that I had learned to do this”.
When he is finished his Leaving Cert he plans to contact several travelling circuses in search of work.
“All I have to do is call them up, I’ve also joined an online Circus agency, used to recruit people”.
Daragh’s parents are very supportive of his plans.
“They’ve always known that I want to join a circus and that I’ve always wanted to become a contortionist, since the first time I saw it at Fossetts Circus when I was about five or six”.
With no background in gymnastics, Daragh started to teach himself different stretches when he was twelve.
“I saw the Alegría Cirque du Soleil DVD and I started off with small exercises. It took about six months to get used to and to stretch out my muscles but I was always careful not to push myself to far,” he said.
After Daragh had stretched out his muscles he soon learned how to do the “crab” and to sit on his head.
He explained the secret to his act:
“Before I started out I wasn’t incredibly flexible but I really wanted to do it and if you put your mind to something you can do it”.
Every evening after his homework he does an hour of serious training and watches Cirque du Soleil, which he has seen in Dublin and London and will see again when it returns to Dublin in July.
He points out that the circus industry is minute in Ireland, England and other European countries, compared to Russia, which has 15,000 circus performers, .
Daragh’s contortion skills are much admired by his friends.
“When I did P.E in school, I would practice and do stretches with a game of basketball going on to one side of me and a game of football on the other and they would all be looking at me”.
You can watch Daragh’s amazing contortion skills on Limerick Post TV by clicking here.
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