Leilani Franco facts for kids

Leilani "Lucky" Franco was born on April 9, 1986. She is a British contortionist who lives in London and Berlin. A contortionist is an amazing performer who can bend and twist their body into incredible shapes.

Leilani is famous for being a semi-finalist on shows like Britain's Got Talent and Das Supertalent in 2012. She was also a solo dancer for Turkey at the Eurovision contest in 2011. She even holds two Guinness World Records! One record is for traveling 20 meters (about 65 feet) while bent backward in just 10.05 seconds. Her other record is for the fastest "contortion roll" over 20 meters, which she did in 17.47 seconds.

She works as a freelance artist with many groups in London and Berlin. These include famous circuses like NoFit State Circus and Cirque du Soleil.

Early Life and Training

Leilani Franco started her journey in performance at a very young age, just six years old. When she was young, she studied many different arts in Manila, Philippines. She learned to play the piano, dance, and practice martial arts and gymnastics. She continued these studies until she was sixteen.

After that, she joined the Philippine Ballet Theatre. Later, in 2005, she went to the École nationale de cirque in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This is a special school for circus arts. She graduated in 2008 with a diploma in Contortion and Circus Arts. She also studied Chinese pole dancing there.

Amazing Performances

From 2008 to 2010, Leilani worked only as a contortionist with Cirque Éloize. In 2011, she moved to London. There, she started performing on her own in different clubs and shows. Some of these places included The Box Soho and Cafe de Paris. She also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Since 2013, Leilani has been part of a show called "Little Big World" in Germany. She also performed in the show "Dummy" at the Chameleon Theatre.

Awards and Achievements

Leilani Franco has received many awards and has had exciting moments in her career:

• 2013 Guinness World Records – She set 3 World records!
• 2013 UK Circus Meximus – She was a finalist in this competition.
• 2012 Das Supertalent – She reached the semi-finals.
• 2012 Britain's Got Talent – She was also a semi-finalist on this popular show.
• 2012 Stoli UK Original's – She won this award and was featured in a documentary film.
• 2011 SolyCirco Festival GOP – She won the "Star of Tomorrow Award."
• 2011 Eurovision – She was a solo dancer for Turkey with the rock band Yüksek Sadakat.
• 2010 Cirque du Demain Paris – She won the "Coup de Coeur Award" with her partner Sancho. They performed as a duo, combining bboy dancing with contortion.

Beyond the Stage

Leilani is always looking for new ways to express her art. She has studied Contemporary Media Practice at the University of Westminster. There, she explores how to mix contortion with other art forms. This includes filmmaking, new media, and art installations.

She also started her own company called Twisted Arthouse. Through this company, she is producing and starring in her own upcoming film project. This shows how she loves to combine her amazing physical skills with creative media arts.