The second on the first

The “Silver Clown” at the world's most prestigious circus festival in Monte Carlo was received by the Kanatomi family from Russia today, January 21, in the Principality of Monaco in the Monte Carlo region, the awarding of the winners of the world's largest festival of circus art. His second award, the “Silver Clown”, will receive the Kanatomi Chizhov family from the troupe of the Big Moscow Circus on Vernadsky Avenue for the number, which they poetically called “freedom of horses”. This year, the Russians were invited to the jury of the festival for the first time in 10 years. They became famous trainers Edgard and Askold Zapashny.

The festival in Monte Carlo is the largest festival of circus art in the world. The best numbers are selected for him, and Prince Monaco Albert and Princess Stefania personally oversee him. The program numbers are evaluated on a 20-point scale, 10 for an artistic perception of the number and its performance. The solemn closure of the festival will be held on January 25.

Two groups received the Golden Clowns at once: Korean air acrobats and Ukrainian gymnasts on belts Dmitry Grigoryev and Olesya Shulga. Canators Chizhov divided silver with gymnasts from Korea and China. Five “bronze clowns” were received by the trainer of elephants from Italy, the tiger tamer from France, acrobats and gymnasts from China and the clown from Ukraine. The jury announced the names of the winners of the annual festival late in the evening of January 18.

The Chizhov Kanatoprokhodov award is not the first, which is taken from Monaco Circus on Vernadsky Avenue. People's Artist of Russia and his artistic director Leonid Kostyuk already became the owner of the circus Oscar - “Golden Clown” - in 1979 for equilibrition.

In addition to Chizhov, Russia at the 33rd forum in Monte Carlo was represented by juggles under the leadership of Elena Drogogaleva, a gymnast in the Ring of Maria Efremkin from the Moscow Circus of Nikulin on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Acrobats Mayorov with two numbers from a large St. Petersburg circus on a fountain.

The competitions in which circus artists from Russia had to participate were one of the most difficult in the history of the festival in Monaco, are convinced in the circus on Vernadsky Avenue.

“All as one participants possessed the highest level of skill, it was extremely difficult to win the Silver Clown,” says Circus, Vadim Gurovich, spokeswoman for the circus. - For the reward, our circus had to fight the circus ships from North Korea, China, Great Britain, from Ukraine. They also competed with the Russians from the circus of Nikulin on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. It so happened that there were no representatives of our circus in the jury; It was a personal whim of Princess Stefania. But we won - contrary to everything. The number of the Chanatores of the Chizhovs “Freedom of horses” is very complex, large -scale and dangerous. But our circus advocates the preservation of true circus art. ”

When asked how long this number has been preparing, Gurovich answered: "All a conscious life."

In the Russian State Circus Company (ROSGOSCIRK), colleagues abstained from comments from the Victory of Victory, explaining this by the fact that the “Silver Clown” was “not our artists”. (Rosgoscirk oversees all the state circuses of the country, but neither the circus on Vernadsky, nor the circus of Nikulin relate to him: they are independent enterprises.) They could also explain there why there were no representatives of the Russian Federation at the International Festival.

Trainer Edgard Zapashny, jury member of the 33rd festival of circus art in Monte Carlo: “For me, the festival in Monaco is the top of the circus dream”

Choosing the best numbers, I felt all the responsibility. For me, the festival in Monaco is the top of the circus dream, the most prestigious competition in the world. Here, the lion's share of world circus show business is formed here annually. In Monte Carlo, the largest agents, influential and well-known impresario gather. All this is the circus market.

And the fact that the Chancerer Chizhov took silver, says that Russia can supply high -quality artists to the market. And the prize place showed that circus culture in our country is relevant. Yes, our artists have repeatedly occupied first places.

The victory of this year is not the most loud. Of course, I wanted our circus -to take the Golden Clown on the waves of the victory of Dima Bilan and hockey players. But only a few circuses went from Russia. Rosgoscirk simply ignored him without presenting a single number. If more numbers were declared, then a brilliant victory would be more likely.

01/20/2009 / Larisa Bakhmatskaya material published in the "newspaper" No. 8 dated 01.21.2009.