On August 17 at 16:00, the first Guinness World Records festival in Ukraine will take place at Lyceum No. 4 in the city of Podilsk, Odesa region. Fifty young artists from the “Gracia” School of Dance and Circus Arts will aim to set a world record for the largest number of children simultaneously performing a contortion triple fold. Together, they will perform the trick simultaneously for one minute.
Contortion triple fold is an element in gymnastics where, from a lying position on the stomach, the gymnast moves forward, bringing their legs forward over their head.
Maryna Tepla, the founder of the “Gracia” school, says that the idea to hold the festival was inspired by the students’ desire:
— Such events are a great motivation for children and a strong competitive advantage for their future careers. If they want to become circus performers, having a recorded Guinness record can affect their salary level.
In addition to setting a group record, the studio’s students will attempt to set individual records. A large screen will display previously recorded records, and participants will try to recreate them in real life. Six students from the studio are preparing to set personal records. Between records, festival guests will enjoy performances by young athlete and a ceremony to award the top performers of the annual exam.
Sofia Tepla at the DyvoCyrk 2024 festival
Representatives of the Ukrainian Book of Records will attend the festival. Maryna notes that she received a long list of rules from the Guinness World Records, so everything will be official and according to regulations.
Entry to the event is free, and press accreditation is open. To register, contact Maryna Tepla at +38 (050) 977-98-48 (Telegram).
Earlier, gymnast Sofia Tepla, Maryna’s daughter, set two world records and became the youngest circus performer and the first child of Ukraine to enter the Guinness Book of Records.
Sofia’s first world record was set in February 2022 in the nomination “Minimum time to cover a distance of 20 meters in a contortion roll.” The gymnast covered this distance in a triple gymnastic fold in 10.49 seconds, while the previous record was about 14 seconds. At that time, Sofia was 11 years old. The girl’s next achievement was 21 push-ups in 30 seconds in a triple gymnastic fold. The previous world record was 12 push-ups, according to UNIAN.
In March 2018, the artist set a national record for the most acrobatic elements: in less than 4 minutes, she performed 111 unique tricks.
If you want to learn more about Maryna Tepla and her school, you are welcome to listen our Bla Bla Circus podcast, episode #12 on YouTube.
Photo: Mykyta Deliukov
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