Kira Diktyar

There's flexible, and then there is Kira Dikhytyar. This girl has the ability to move in ways that defy all logic. The gold medal gymnast-turned-model-turned-actress and soon-to-be-author was born in Moscow, Russia on March 17, 1989. Like most Russian mothers, her mother enrolled her in the country's national sport, rhythmic gymnastics, but not until the age of six. That is considered too late and a disadvantage by most gymnastic standards. But not for the astonishing Kira. In just five short years at the age of 11, she became part of the Moscow team, and by 13 she was a member of the Russian Junior National team -- the best gymnastic team in the world for the last 30 years running. Her exceptional ability earned her a Master of Sports degree, the highest sport degree in Russia, and she was soon traveling the world and winning gold medals in international competitions. Her mother and her coaching team had created a superstar. Her physical prowess had served her well, but it was her equally amazing intellect that earned her an academic gold medal and a diploma from Olympic Reserve School, which resulted in a scholarship to Moscow State University on a government scholarship program -- this was no small feat even for a natural champion like Kira. But Kira had dreams of Hollywood. So at the age of 16, she left her scholarship behind and took off for America to become a model and actress. Both her gymnastic ability and mind blowing flexibility didn't go unnoticed and immediately set her apart from all of the other aspiring starlets. Her first break was securing a role in a TV series for Fashion TV. But it was her modeling career that took off first with an Abercrombie and Fitch campaign shot by famed photographer Bruce Weber. This immediately landed her on the "modeling map" and as fate would have it, she got noticed by Patrick Demarcelier, Ellen Von Unwerth and a bevy of other world renowned photographers and soon began to grace the pages of Vogue, Elle and Cosmopolitan on a regular basis. Her status as a top model was official. Her modeling career took her around the world with work in Paris, Milan and London where she began shooting major international editorials, appearing regularly on billboards and in international ad campaigns. She eventually landed a commercial contract with a major electronics company. She was riding the wave of her modeling success, but she still wanted more. She wanted to be an actress. So with fierce tenacity and a little luck, she landed the lead role in a teenage comedy and three additional roles followed. In her typical unstoppable Kira fashion, she accomplished her goal. She was now a working actress. Not bad for a Hollywood rookie, as they say. Now that her movie career has taken off, you can expect to see Kira's star continue to rise. With the trademark determination and hard work she learned through her gymnastic experience, Kira has created a life for herself that most people only read or dream about; so she has decided to share her journey with the hopes of inspiring others to follow their dreams. So the next title this triple threat can add to her list of accomplishments is "author", as she is (November 15, 2010) currently working on an autobiography about her life as a world class gymnast and her experience traveling around the world as a top model. Kira resides in both New York and Los Angeles, continues to work as a top model and regularly visits her family in Moscow whenever possible.