Just A Quickie with... a gothic waiter called Egor and the Girl In The Bottle, from The Circus Of Horrors.

Egor, please introduce The Circus Of Horrors, purveyors of theatre, circus and rock'n'roll.

"The show is a tongue-in-cheek mix between circus and The Rocky Horror Show and anything really horrible.

"The story starts with a Victorian freak show, but then we move forward to a new age of cyber circus, where everyone is undead, wearing fishnet stockings, knee-high boots and feather boas.

"We've been travelling the world for ten years. We've played the Edinburgh Festival, the Fuji rock festival in Japan, everywhere: South America, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and now York for the first time, next week on our tenth anniversary tour."

Who is in the troupe, Egor?

"There are 25 of us, and we're based in Britain but because circus is circus, we have people from around the world, Mongolia, Kenya, Russia. Dr Haze is in charge: he's the Undead Ringmaster; we have a live rock'n'roll band called The X Factor; limbo-dancing cannibals; a vampire who swings around on her hair; and the world's shortest man - he's an ankle biter! - and the world's tallest woman, Danielle, from England. She's over 7ft tall.

"Then there's Gary Stretch, who has a rare genetic skin condition. His skin is too large for his body, so he can pull his neck over his head and carry a round of drinks on his stomach!"

What is your speciality act, Egor, and why?

"My speciality is grinding with an angle grinder: it's that thing you cut metal with and it causes sparks. So I have a metal plate on me, strapped to the front and then the grinder gets to work grinding against the plate, creating loads of sparks.

"Why do I do it? It's something different; it's not the sort of act you see every day if you go to the circus or the normal type of musical. It's daredevil stuff."

What drew you to joining The Circus Of Horrors?

"I come from a traditional circus family from London; they were doing all manner of circus skills, and I started training in juggling when I was four but everyone changes with the times, so I've been grinding away for eight years now."

Introduce yourself, Girl In The Bottle.

"I am Uyanga Batjargal, from Mongolia, and I've been with The Circus Of Horrors for a year. The thing with Circus Of Horrors is that it tours in the winter, from November to March, and that leaves you free to do other circuses at other times of the year. This summer and autumn I've been working in Blackpool."

What is your specialist act?

"I'm a contortionist and I've been doing this since I was six. I went straight into contortionist acts because my mother used to teach contortion at the Mongolia Circus School. To do the Girl in the Bottle routine, I have to slide into a Perspex display case with a door, and it's only two and a half foot high. I'm 5ft 9 and it's not how tall or short you are but how much you can bend."

Does it hurt, squeezing into that space, Uyanga?

"Sometimes. You have to practise every day; you have to stay supple, because if you don't do it every day, your joints can seize up.

"I can eat anything because I'm training seven days, but the act is getting harder to do because I'm getting bigger and I'll probably look to come up with another speciality act at some point."

How old are you, Uyanga?

"19."

And you, Egor?

"365."

Circus Of Horrors, Grand Opera House, York, Thursday, 7.30pm. Tickets: £10 to £20; ring 0870 606 3595. Please note, the show is PG rated and contains brief nudity, bad language and strobe lighting.

Updated: 16:00 Thursday, November 25, 2004