Marina Mazepa

Marina Mazepa (born May 7, 1997) is a Ukrainian actress, model, dancer, and contortionist. She is known for competing in the fourteenth season of America's Got Talent and reaching the quarterfinals. She has also competed in talent show competitions such as So You Think You Can Dance, France's Got Talent, and Ukraine's Everybody Dance! As an actress, she has appeared in films such as Malignant, The Unholy, and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Early life Mazepa was born on May 7, 1997, in Konotop, Ukraine. She has an older brother named Ruslan. She began taking folk dance lessons at the age of 5. Her ninth grade teacher urged her to join the Academy of Circus and Variety Arts in Kyiv, despite the objections of her parents, who wished for her to study law. She began attending the academy after her parents relented when she passed her school exams and received a scholarship. Career In 2015, Mazepa won The Challenge Ukrainian Dance Championship in the Contemporary Solo Varsity category. She also starred in a lead role in the dance circus show "Fairytale Show: Alice in Wonderland Countries". In the same year, she also competed in the televised Ukrainian dance competition Everybody Dance!, which is based on the format of America's So You Think You Can Dance. She made it into the competition's top 5. From 2016 to 2017, Mazepa performed as a contortionist at Europa-Park's "Cirque d'Europe" dinner show. In 2017, she also served as a pole-contortion performer in the park's "Night Beat Angels" show.