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Electric Boogie From Planet Kyrgyzstan


Atai Omurzakov appears in "Czech-Slovakia's Got Talent."
Atai Omurzakov appears in "Czech-Slovakia's Got Talent."
Appearing on the Czech/Slovak version of the popular talent show "Got Talent" on October 16, Atai Omurzakov said he had come "11,000 kilometers" to show off his talent in the "electric boogie" dance style:



Omurzakov was a hit, with the originality of his costume and performance winning raves. When one amazed moderator asked him what planet he came from, he replied, "Planet Kyrgyzstan."

He advanced to the next stage of the competition, where the winner receives 200,000 euros ($275,000) and gets to take their talents on stage in Las Vegas.

But this is not the first time the 21-year-old native of Karakol has appeared in a televised talent show. Earlier this year, he made it to the final of "Ukraine's Got Talent":



And a year before that, he was a hit on Russia's "Minute of Fame":



Omurzakov told the Czech tabloid "Aha!" that if he wins, he'll give the money to his mother, so "she'll stop crying." He says he never knew his father, and that he and his mother had to move often in search of a place to stay. He remembers her always crying because of their situation.

"I do it all for her, because she took care of me and gave me everything she could," he said.

-- Dan Wisniewski

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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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