As a result of the protest, the Ukrainian artist was excluded from the festival participants, while the war propagandist remained on the jury. We spoke with Anna to find out more details about the event.
The international circus community has yet to establish a unified position on the participation of representatives from Russian circuses at festivals and competitions. Festival organizers who openly declare that they have Russian participants often speak of the cosmopolitan nature of circus art.
How did it happen that the director of a “cosmopolitan circus,” who participates in propaganda activities of the aggressor country, became a jury member at a festival in Italy? We hope to receive an answer to this question from the leadership of the International Salieri Circus Awards.
Anna, please tell us about yourself. What is your genre?
I am a circus artist. I perform in various genres—aerial gymnastics, silks, hoops, and spheres. I’m 23 years old and have been in the circus arts for 7 years. Before the war, I worked for two years at the National Circus of Ukraine. I performed in an acrobatic duo, and we were the show’s main characters.
At the Salieri Festival, I performed with a poi routine.
Why did you decide to perform at the Salieri Festival in Italy this year?
Last year, I attended the Cyrkulacje festival in Lublin. There, I met several Ukrainian acrobats who spoke very positively about the Salieri Festival. So, when the festival’s manager invited me, I replied positively. Although there was initially an issue with the music not being classical, we eventually found a compromise with the organizers.
Have you signed the contract with the festival?
Yes, I signed the contract. I read it carefully, but there was no information about the jury’s composition or the other festival participants. The presence of the director of the Moscow Circus on the jury came as a surprise to me.
When did you find out that Maksim Nikulin was part of the jury?
I found out about it only after my first performance. I heard them first introduce Kristian Kristof and then Maksim Nikulin. At first, I didn’t realize who he was. My friends messaged me, and later, when I got home and started googling, I figured everything out myself.
What did you find out about Maksim Nikulin?
I found several recent news reports where Nikulin openly talked about how he supports Russian aggression and the artists of his circus perform for Russian soldiers as a part of so-called propaganda brigades.
Interview of Maksim Nikulin to Russian media on Sep 22nd: https://www.kp.ru/daily/27637.5/4987945/
Maksim Nikulin (standing right in the center), his circus artists and Russian soldiers.
How did you decide to react?
I decided to respond directly during my performance. It was the last day of performances at the festival before the gala show. Instead of my routine, I went on stage with the Ukrainian flag. For the first minute, I just stood on stage holding the leaflets. But then the music was turned off, the lights were dimmed, and the organizers closed the curtains. I still went on stage, and although the festival director tried to take the leaflets away from me, I insisted that this was my performance and handed out the leaflets, which I had 15 of, to random people. Initially, I wanted to give them to the jury members, but they were all sitting in different places.
What happened next? Were you disqualified for this?
Yes, I was disqualified. After my performance, the festival director made an announcement in Italian, which I didn’t fully understand. Later, I saw in the news that I was allegedly disqualified for breaking the festival’s rules.
Have the festival organizers personally explained their decision to you?
No, they haven’t even spoken to me. When I arrived at the final show for the curtain call, a security guard came up to me and said I wasn’t allowed to be there.
Did you try to talk to the festival leadership before your performance about the unacceptable presence of a representative of the aggressor country on the jury?
This was a decision I made before my performance. I wasn’t aggressive in this situation. For example, during rehearsals for the final exit, I asked the directors not to place me in the same row with the Russian performers. They didn’t react much to this and still tried to line me up with them.
The concept of the festival involves one representative from each of 22 countries. But in the end, it turned out that there were three Russian participants for some reason.
How do you assess the reaction of other Ukrainian artists to this situation? Do you know of cases where artists expressed their position as actively as you did?
Many artists express their position, but not as actively as I did. For some reason, artists are afraid to share such information. Maybe this will change. I think that we, Ukrainian artists, need to communicate more with each other and share experiences in resolving such situations.
From a moral perspective, was it difficult for you to go ahead with this performance? You were alone in Italy, without support, in front of the circus elite.
Yes, I was very nervous. I always get a little nervous before a performance, but I enjoy it. But this time it was… You know, it’s like riding a motorcycle. When you enter a sharp turn, there’s a fine line that separates you from something terrible. But you just do it. It was the same for me. Later, when I tried to fall asleep, I couldn’t for a long time. It was like that.
What do you think Ukrainian artists can do to prevent such situations?
I think it’s important for festival contracts to clearly state the conditions regarding the jury composition. It’s also important for Ukrainian artists to be more united, share information, and support each other.
Anna, thank you for your honesty and bravery. We hope your example will inspire other artists to take decisive action in defending their honor and dignity. We will continue to cover this situation and support you if needed.
Thank you, I would appreciate the support. I’m returning to Berlin now, but I’ll soon go to Ukraine to work on a new act. I hope we can talk again.
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circuslife.com.ua/
