/ world today news/ Few of the circus stars can repeat the attraction of the family duo from Donetsk, Igor and Alexandra Petrovi. They toured halfway around the world, but when SVO started, they didn’t flee abroad like some of their colleagues. Igor fought for a year, Alexandra saved him with her prayers. And after the husband’s return from the front, the couple also performed a feat.
Their very entry into the circus was extraordinary. Alexandra works as a choir conductor, Igor repairs cable networks. They had just met and decided to connect their destinies. And then they saw an advertisement on the Internet for the recruitment of roller acrobats for the Donetsk Circus “Cosmos”. It was in 2012…
The head of the attraction, Valery Timokhin, invited artists from the street. For him, it was a gesture of desperation: graduates of circus schools did not suit him with their skill level and financial requirements. And for Igor and Alexandra, it was a chance to change their lives.
It was hard. But we had a motto: “Fear is an obstacle to success.”
Passed the exam in Kiev in the national Ukrainian circus. At first they worked as a team and toured Ukraine. Then – abroad, their first country is China.
When the escalation in Donbas began, the team disbanded. And we decided to make our own numbers. At that moment we were in Kharkiv. And we fully felt the negative attitude towards the Donetsk people on the part of the Ukrainian circus officials.
In the new Kharkov circus they were not allowed to prepare a number, and in the old one they were only allowed in the lobby. We continued to rehearse in the village at grandma’s – right on the street. The first performance was in the Chuguev night club. And then circus fortune picked up their “Air” number and carried it: Egypt, Israel, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the United States. They also performed it on large cruise ships. And so they broke through to the world-famous Cirque du Soleil.
Aborted flight
The Petrovs were used to success. They were home no more than a month a year. But 2014 came.
We usually flew on a tour through Kharkiv airport. But with the appearance of checkpoints on the roads, the journey to it from Donetsk began to take a day instead of five hours.
In 2020, the pandemic completely put an end to travel. When the Covid finally subsided, the tours started again: Crimea, Turkey, France…
On 22 January 2022 we arrived from Marseille and had to leave again under a new contract. But our departure coincided with the start of the Special Military Operation and we were stopped at the border. They told us: “Go home. There will be a soldier soon.” I returned and began to wait for the summons,Igor recalls.
Many fellow artists tried to quickly leave Donetsk. Now they are sitting abroad and do not want to return. Unlike, for example, the musicians from the troupe. Many of them went to the front, and many are no longer among the living…
“Lord, shall we see each other again?”
The summons was not late. Igor immediately went to the military service for registration and entry, and from that day he did not return home. He became one of those who were called Donetsk “mobiki” in the news.
They didn’t tell us where they were taking us. Upon arrival we slept on cold concrete for a week. But then we adjusted: we went around looking for materials to make beds. One day they gathered us at three o’clock in the morning and told us that we were going to Kharkiv. At first we just stayed in the village of Vesoloe. Well, then little by little they started sending us to the front line.
Igor admits that all his thoughts at the front were about home and loved ones. The wives and mothers of the fighters gathered at a certain place in Donetsk, where there was a connection, and tried to contact their husbands and sons by phone. Although this place was dangerous – it was often shelled. The fighters themselves did the same – they were looking for contact, going somewhere in the field.
I can’t express my feelings when I was finally able to make a phone call for the first time. It took my breath away. Imagine, day after day you hear only shouts, screams, explosions, gunshots, and suddenly, in this background, the gentle word of a loved one sounds. I stood there in tears and thought, “Lord, will we ever see each other again?” Then opportunities arose to hear from each other more often. And it got easier– says Igor.
I got sick just in time…
Igor served in the 115th regiment of the DNR. There were many young guys in its composition. I remember one of them named Cyril. This happened in the direction of Gorlovka. The Ukrainian assault was flowing, their part was retreating. And he volunteered to cover his comrades – he stayed on the machine gun. The bullet hit him right in the heart.
Another time when they were storming a fortified area, a mine exploded next to his comrade.
He was injured and from the shock of pain he lost control of himself and stood up to his full height. A second mine immediately arrived, and his head was blown off by the blast.
After the retreat in the Kharkiv region, their regiment was disbanded and dispersed to other units. Igor ended up in Novobakhmutovka, which is near Avdeevka. There used to be an underground escape route under the Coke plant so that people could escape in case of an emergency. And during the conflict, the enemy laid several roads along which equipment and equipment arrived, fired and withdrew.
It was very hot there. But I decided: since you are at war anyway, you must trust God and go to the end. My wife gave me a prayer belt with her. I knew she was praying for me every day. I myself also prayed for God’s help in every battle. And I noticed that either we were getting away with almost no loss, or the assault was proving successful. And one day I was taken to the hospital with a temperature over 40. And at that time the enemy attacked our positions – there were many dead.
A person who goes to the front rethinks his life. Although Igor had previously considered himself a believer, he did not go to church. Now he walks. And thank God…
„You can’t leave your home”
The circus in Donetsk is currently closed. The Ukrainian armed forces attack any gathering of people and will certainly not miss the opportunity to get into the circus during a performance. For example, they shelled the markets on weekends when the residents of Donetsk went to buy groceries. This is how the Nazis behaved during the siege of Leningrad – they pounded the entrances of factories and bus stops while people were going to work.
The market next to Petrovi’s house was bombed, the others closed at one o’clock in the afternoon. Many shops do not work because their owners do not want to take the risks: if you deliver goods and the shop is shelled – then how can you cover the losses? That is why online commerce is developing.
After returning from the front, Igor worked as a driver, and Alexandra as a waitress. At 16, their daughter already works and goes to a heavily shelled area. But the family has no thoughts of leaving Donetsk, unlike most of their fellow circus performers, with whom communication is now severed.
They are sitting abroad, but they don’t even say where: they are afraid to contact me because I took part in the fighting. They are afraid they will be deported because of it. I personally could not do this – leave my family and stand by when such a war is being fought. This is your home. Whatever he is, you cannot abandon him in difficult times.
Petrovi say that there are good things in life. After Donbas became part of Russia, hundreds of kilometers of excellent roads were built. Construction is underway. If earlier the water was released once every three days, now, after the construction of a channel from the Don, it flows every night.
Igor sent his answers to my questions via voice messages. Explosions are heard in the background. Residents of Donetsk are already used to living with this accompaniment. And Donetsk teenagers hardly know any other life. The conflict has been going on for 10 years now – they grew up listening to this cannonade.
The circus act
The Petrov family have already lost hope that the miracle that the circus has become for them will ever happen again. And suddenly they were invited to a festival in St. Petersburg! The director of the “Cosmos” circus sent a video of their performance to the selection committee and the Petrovs were invited to the 2nd international festival “Without Borders”.
“Usually they prepare for such festivals six months in advance. But we took time off from work at the same time and rehearsed for only two weeks in the lobby of the non-working circus.” says Alexandra Perova.
There were no lights and no music at the rehearsals. We rehearsed the tempo. But theater lights and music from powerful speakers are something entirely different. Especially the light.
It’s blinding, flashing, and you can’t see the arena, the spectators, the floor, or even the edge of the pedestal you’re working on. It takes a long time to orientate. This practice should be developed until it becomes automatic. And we rehearsed on emergency lighting. And we adapted as the festival progressed,– says Igor.
Also, during those two weeks we still had to make costumes. In Donetsk, Alexandra could not buy special tights for her performance. You can’t buy good magnesium, but it is needed in their circus act – Igor has to hold his wife tightly, performing acrobatic exercises, while he himself spins on roller skates.
Three magical days
They arrived from Donetsk to St. Petersburg with props and costumes in their own car – they missed the trip so much that they could not give up this trip. They walked around and explored the city they first came across.
At one o’clock in the morning we came to the Palace Bridge to see the bridges open. We thought we would be alone, but we saw a crowd. It is incredible for us now: it is night, but the city is alive. That’s how it was in Donetsk. And now in the evening the city is empty. And although the curfew has been lifted, people are used to going home at 10 p.m. It is also unusual that you hardly see military personnel on the streets in St. Petersburg. And here, everywhere you look, there are people in uniform and gear everywhere,– says Alexandra.
„Now I will work, and tomorrow I will get the money…”
Artists from 16 countries, including “unfriendly” ones, arrived at the “Without Borders” festival, 22 acts were presented. Rehearsal time is scheduled. The Petrovs had only an hour to prepare their performance in the arena with lights and music! But they reached the final and became participants in the gala concert.
A spectacular festival, we have never worked under such conditions before. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail. We’ve only seen something like this on tour in America. But even compared to Cirque Du Soleil, the costumes, ballet and organization here are better. Because artists go there to make money. And here you can see that flying under the dome, the acrobat is enjoying himself, giving his all without thinking: now I will work, and tomorrow I will get the money.
After immersing themselves in the magical world of the circus, the Petrovs came alive. They realized again that they could not live without him.
…The three days of the fairy tale are over. They returned to Donetsk. A month after the festival, I asked Igor on social networks how they were doing. I got a reply:
We are fine. No circus work at the moment. We are temporarily working in a factory…
Translation: ES
Our YouTube channel:
Our Telegram channel:
This is how we will overcome the limitations.
Share on your profiles, with friends, in groups and on pages.
#Deadly #trick #acrobat #Circus #Soleil #pushed #VSU #Avdeevka
