19-year-old Valeriya Davydenko from Kyiv has twice become a Guinness World Record holder in hand balancing and has also won numerous prestigious awards, including first place at the international festivals Cirque des Mureaux and Cirque de Saint-Paul les Dax. In an interview with Circus Life, the acrobat shared the backstage of her success.
Valeriya, we’re thrilled to have you here. Before we delve into your incredible journey, could you share a bit about yourself and how you found your passion for circus arts?
Well, my mom initially planned to send me and my sister to music school. We went there, but then we accidentally saw a circus hall and just popped in out of curiosity to try it out – and we liked it. So, we gradually started practising circus arts. I was three years old at that time. At first, it wasn’t professional. But then, when my mom saw that we were already achieving some results quickly, we started thinking about making it our profession.
I only remember my childhood in training. You know, some kids talk about how they didn’t play much and didn’t spend time with peers – that’s not me. I remember it as a really cool time. Can’t say it was easy, though – we had strict discipline at the circus studio. At first, we trained for four hours a day, then six. So, after school, we went straight to training. And we would come home around ten in the evening. We did our homework late into the night, and in the morning, we went back to school – that was our routine.
How did you balance training and studying in school? You’re 19 now, did you plan to enrol in the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts?
Well, in high school, we had to switch to homeschooling because my sister and I started touring. But there weren’t any problems; we did all our homework and tests, and sometimes we still went to school – we managed to study and practice circus arts.
I was planning to apply to KMAVCA, where my older sister is already in her fourth year. However, after talking to students and teachers, I realised I would apply to the academy for a master’s degree. Now, I’ve chosen a slightly different path – currently, I’m studying at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts to become a pop singer.
Interesting move. Perhaps we’ll see you on stage as a singer someday?
Maybe in the future. But I’ve certainly not changed my field. I’m a circus performer, and it’s my life. Singing is just a hobby for me.
In May 2023, you set your first Guinness record by balancing on your hands for 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 3 seconds. Could you tell us more about this year’s record?
It was a very spontaneous decision. After a festival in Spain, where I won the main prize, one of the agents called me and offered to participate in a show in Italy and set a record. However, there were less than two weeks to prepare. By the way, I had been preparing for the first record practically all my life.
This time, I started to get a little nervous, but I couldn’t miss such an opportunity. I set my first record alone – a colleague filmed the video and helped with organisational matters. And this was already a TV show where the new record was officially supposed to be documented. I couldn’t miss it, so I took the risk.
I consulted with my mother, and we decided that I would perform a unique element – spins. This element was almost nowhere to be found in the performances of other equilibrists worldwide. So, during the setting of the second record, I tried to do as many spins per minute as possible. I practised a lot and was nervous. The fact that I only had one attempt bothered me a bit. But everything went well. I made 14 spins out of a minimum of 10 planned.
I’d like to add that I renewed the first record – that is, there was a girl before me who stood on her hands for 59 minutes. And the second record was set by me for the first time.
Besides setting records, you also participated in at least five top festivals, including Cirque des Mureaux, Cirque de Saint-Paul les Dax, Albacete, Cirque de Demain, and festivals in Grenoble. Why did you focus primarily on festivals rather than, for example, working in circuses?
I had many offers for contracts and festivals, but then the coronavirus pandemic began. This period was difficult not only for me, many artists lost their jobs. So our old friend, employer, and mentor Alexander Pogrebnyak helped us move to France. For a whole year, I was without festivals – just working and studying at the local lyceum.
Participating in festivals opens up many opportunities. It doesn’t even matter if you win or not – the main thing is participation because top agents will definitely notice you.
With this in mind, after a break, I went to a festival in France. My mom and I decided to travel to as many festivals as possible so that as many agents as possible would see my act again. This eventually became good groundwork for contracts. But, of course, before that, I performed a lot in many well-known circuses around the world, gaining experience and growing professionally.
Young artists could note this approach as a kind of tactic to become more visible.
Yes, I advise all artists to attend festivals; that’s where agents look for young talents. It’s a great chance to build a career.
We understand that participating in festivals and contracts involves many organisational aspects – negotiations, preparation, etc. Who is currently managing the professional artist Valeria Davydenko?
My mom handles almost everything – she trains us, conducts negotiations, and signs contracts. Since childhood, our task has been simply to perform, and Mom organizes everything.
But recently, I’ve also started to delve into this topic because I understand that in the future I will have to negotiate independently, without my mom’s help. I wanted to lighten her workload a bit because it’s very difficult for her – she has three of us.
Do you currently have contracts signed?
Of course, I do, and I don’t refuse festivals. I’ve been to many places, and I want to go to more. As long as there are contracts, I’ll work – it’s a way to earn and relax. Because festivals are a big stress and preparation, work is always enjoyable.
In less than a month, I’ll be going to Switzerland, where I’ll be working at the Knie circus for a month and a half. Then, our whole family is going to Peru to work in the circus. I have two sisters who are also circus artists. They have their own solo acts, and we perform together as well. I really appreciate the opportunity to be with my sisters and mom because together, we can create, grow, and improve in our circus sphere.
Do you help each other with your sisters and share experiences? Is there a spirit of competition?
We don’t have competition at all. We always support each other, try to help and advise.
My family is my motivation and strength.
There was a moment when I was in one country, my sisters were in another, and my dad was in Canada, and it was very difficult without my relatives.
As for personal life, do you have time for that?
It’s very hard to balance. I had a relationship for a while, especially during the COVID period when there was a lot of free time. But after I started traveling again for various contracts and festivals, I realized that it’s simply impossible because I can’t currently allocate time from my schedule for someone else. Physically or mentally, I don’t have enough for it. So now I’ve decided for myself that I’ll focus on self-improvement, learning. I have a lot of goals and dreams. So I think everything has its time – everything will come. Right now, the main thing for me is my career.
How do you evaluate yourself today? Can Valeria Davydenko’s hand balancing aspire to the title of “the best in the world”?
I’m very self-critical – I always feel like I can do more, so it’s very hard for me to say if I’m the best handstander, but I really want it and I do everything possible, including training every day. But I can say that the world is very big, and I’ve been to many festivals, including in China – and I still need to grow to be called the best equilibrist. Maybe in European countries, I am one of the best equilibrists, but definitely not worldwide.
Valeriya, how do you see your future? Do you have dreams or goals for the future, perhaps a new record?
For now, I want to take a break from records. Maybe there will be another spontaneous decision. I’m all for it. Right now, my priorities are my circus career, self-development, and education.
I really dream of opening my own circus school somewhere in Europe in the future. Here, children are treated very carefully; for example, they shouldn’t be pushed too hard. The level of equilibrium in Europe is very low. In my opinion, the Ukrainian circus school is the strongest, so we can share our experiences with the world.
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