Viktoriia Dziuba is a circus performer specializing in equilibristics and contortion. By age 20, she became a silver medalist at the Monte Carlo festival. At 21, she has secured contracts with the world’s leading circuses, rising to the prominence of the most successful Ukrainian performers.
In our exclusive interview, Viktoriia openly shares her sense of achievement and discusses the long path to success, marked by perseverance and dedication. She has always strived to be unique in everything – from complicated tricks to audacious nude pictures at the circus ring. Discover more about Viktoriia Dziuba’s overnight success in her interview with Circus Life.
When asked about top Ukrainian performers, all of our circus industry guests – directors, circus managers, and your colleagues – mention Viktoriia Dziuba, a proud winner of the Silver Clown award at the International Monte Carlo Festival. How would Viktoriia Dziuba describe herself today?
Today, I am a world-renowned circus performer. I recently returned from China, where I was acclaimed as the best contortionist-equilibrist in my genre.
As of now, I am a silver medalist at the Monte Carlo festival, as well as the festival in China. I’ve participated in both youth and adult versions of the festival and received an invitation from Princess Stephanie of Monaco.
Another notable milestone is my appointment as the ambassador of the Monte Carlo International Festival in China.
Being recognized in both the East and the West is my greatest achievement. Representing Ukraine, my work, and my school at such a high level is both a challenge and a privilege.
You know, this festival usually marks the end of a performer’s career. Distinguished performers like Oleksii Hryhorov and Maryna Hlavatskykh spent over 15 years striving for their silver medals.
It’s somewhat easier for European artists to get into the festival as in most cases the organizers already know them. However, it’s much harder to get in for Ukrainians.
Ms. Dziuba, speaking of your genre – contortion and equilibrium – and your artistic expression as a performer, what are you trying to convey to the audience beyond the incredible beauty of the human body?
My genre is challenging because the body can perform at its peak for only a limited time. Some complex tricks might become impossible to execute after three or four years. It was crucial to give my absolute best in Monte Carlo, to show the world that such extraordinary tricks are even possible.
For many, contortion and equilibrium is a relatively novel genre. Only a handful of schools worldwide, specifically in Mongolia, Ukraine, Russia, and China, offer this type of training. Currently, the Ukrainian school is making tremendous progress, particularly under the guidance of Nataliia Pozdniakova. When people saw my video in Europe, they invited me to show this unique performance.
I created this act five years ago, aiming to introduce a new style influenced by the Prague school and the ‘Circus Phoenix’ festival. Their style leans more toward contemporary or modern. In my act, I wanted to incorporate this style while still maintaining our traditional approach to staging.
Initially, I performed at a modest height. I consulted esteemed circus professionals like Liudmyla Shevchenko, who was the head of the National Circus of Ukraine for many years. Her insights were invaluable in improving my performance. I also consulted Nataliia Pozdniakova and Yurii Pozdniakov on how to enhance the act’s appeal and novelty.
By the time of the festival, I had increased the height to 3.60 meters. This is quite high for European circuses. I perform on a single pole at this height, which, given the complexity of my routine, is quite challenging and even dangerous.
However, even this wasn’t innovative enough for me. I noticed that in Europe there is a tradition of performing in bright costumes with lots of rhinestones and bling.
So then I said, ‘If everyone is going to wear rhinestones, then I’ll perform nude.’
We spent lots of time choosing the fabric color to make it look like bare skin on stage. The audience was really excited, believing I was nude.
However, of course, the most important aspect of the circus lies in the performance itself. I developed a complex act that, to my belief, currently has no precedents in the world and likely won’t be replicated anytime soon because it’s very complicated and dangerous.
We are now talking about you as a world-class artist, but could you share how your career began?
I started training relatively late, at 9.5 years old. I began training in an amateur circus studio under the guidance of Liudmyla Sobolieva and Yurii Soboliev. They were excellent coaches. However, this period marked the beginning of intense competition for medals and awards at children’s festivals. This was a major driving force for the parents of performers. However, in my view, they took it a bit too far.
I can’t say it was terrible, but looking back, I don’t feel like that pace was right for me at the start of my career. As a child, you had to win a medal and bring it to the coach to be considered a good boy or girl. Younger children who were about 7–8 years old, were already actively participating in contests, so I immediately found myself in this race.
I later switched circus studios and joined Oleh Kurinskyi’s ‘Ale-ap’. We started building my first circus routine. By then, I had already achieved a high level and was very passionate about my work.
I always had a talent for handstands and knew I wanted to work in equilibristics. However, it required a lot of effort, and I already had minor injuries back then. But as a sports coach, Oleh Kurinskyi taught me how to properly prepare my body.
My first major circus festival was the ‘Golden Chestnut’, directed by Liudmyla Shevchenko. It was their premiere and there were a lot of young participants. We had just finalized the act a week before, but I was invited to the festival and won the gold medal.
I recently met Petro Dubynskyi in China, a representative of ‘Firebird Production’ from the USA, and he said he remembered me from that first ‘Golden Chestnut’.
Then there were festivals like ‘Golden Trick of Kobzov’ and ‘Future Stars’ at ‘Kobzov Circus’. These events always attracted interesting people, circus directors, and agents who closely followed performers’ progress. After performing at ‘Golden Trick of Kobzov’, I received my first invitations to two major European festivals. At one of them, I won a special prize of the Monte Carlo festival, as well as a special prize from Cirque du Soleil.
Based on your experience, are there any differences between how the circus industry works in Ukraine and abroad?
It’s important to understand that in Ukraine, circuses are run by the state. Although I have worked with ‘Kobzov Circus’, a private entity, the general system is state-run. On the contrary, in Europe, the circus is a commercial venture.
This raises a lot of questions for me. If the state supports and sustains the circus as an art form in Ukraine, why don’t we see the level of circus shows reaching their full potential?
In Europe, even small variety shows in a German village might surpass the quality of larger Ukrainian circuses in aspects like staging, preparation, and musical arrangement. They want to bring something better to their audience because they know they’ll make a good profit from it.
Also, it’s worth considering the attitude toward performers. In Ukraine, this attitude varies greatly, while in Europe, performers are almost revered, and this is also reflected financially. I’ve worked in circuses in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, where I received excellent treatment. However, my experiences in Kyiv were somewhat shocking.
Ukraine is my home, and I want to come back and work here. But looking back, I realize how diverse my Ukrainian circus experiences have been. Of course, there were some amazing people who were committed to enhancing the circus industry and conditions for performers in Ukraine. I talked to and made plans with some of them. Ukraine certainly had the potential to become a perfect place for new circus projects.
Ms. Dziuba, do you think higher education is essential for a circus performer? How would you rate its level in Ukraine?
I graduated from Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Film and Television University as a circus director and from the Academy of Variety and Circus Arts as a circus artist. I’m currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Stage Art. In February, I’ll be defending my thesis, by the way, the topic is ‘Circus Biomechanics.’
I believe education is very important for everyone. It’s about development, broadening horizons, and opening new future opportunities.
What can I say about the academy? We went through a lot. There was no online learning when I enrolled, and during my first year, I didn’t miss a single class. I was somebody you would call the student of the year: I attended the Central Sports Club and the academy, was a group monitor and a straight A student. However, things somewhat changed when we were all forced to go online.
You know, I applaud the efforts of Oleksandr Viktorovych Yakovliev, the current academy rector, to just make the system work and keep it from degrading. His entire team aspires to maintain discipline and uphold high educational standards amidst challenging conditions. It’s very rewarding; we join classes and complete all the tasks – personally, I can attest to the high level of education provided.
Regarding your engaging Instagram presence and how you present yourself publically, do you have someone managing your social networks, or do you handle it yourself, as everything looks very professional?
Thank you, but I don’t have anyone managing my Instagram. A long time ago, I dreamt of having a popular page. I started managing it myself, having a bit of taste and my own vision.
Moreover, during the quarantine, I had some time to figure out and understand the algorithms. I published posts daily and gained over 10,000 followers over the course of two or three months. Then I started focusing on the quality of the content. I collaborated with well-known photographers in Kyiv and received commercial offers, so managing my Instagram evolved into a serious hobby.
Adding a hint of eroticism to my content significantly boosted audience engagement. I noticed a marked increase in followers when I blended circus themes with erotic elements. Nude-style photos are actually a huge trend now, so why not use this art form when you have a fabulous body?
Moving on to questions from our followers. They’re curious about how you decompress after your intense work schedule, and how you recover and balance strenuous training with physical and emotional relaxation.
That’s a tough question because the last genuine break I took was after the Monte Carlo festival, which was nearly a year ago. My schedule is incredibly hectic. For instance, in China, I had an unpleasant experience when I injured both of my arms. I had to take painkillers, and it was really tough.
In general, I strongly advise physical performers to prioritize rest. Whenever possible, my boyfriend and I like to go somewhere for the weekend, have fun, and watch other shows. Right now, I’m dreaming of a week-long seaside getaway.
A question from academy students. How many hours a day does Viktoriia Dziuba train?
When I was studying at the academy, I trained for 5–6 hours every day, taking only Sundays off.
Currently, I’m always working to keep myself in good shape, but the workload usually increases before the festival – for instance, my schedule was very intense before Monte Carlo.
I was preparing for the festival and had a morning show at the circus. During lunch, I reviewed any mistakes from the morning show. I rehearsed, then had an evening dinner show with a slightly different act, followed by more intense training. I used to stand on my hands for over five hours. Now, I probably do it for an hour or two. Additionally, I enjoy experimenting with new tricks and coming up with something new.
The next question from our followers is related to the onset of the full-scale invasion. How do you currently support the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and what are your thoughts on many sports institutions and international bodies banning Russian performers from competitions? How do you view the competition with participants from the aggressor state?
That’s a complicated question. As someone working in the arts, I don’t think it’s appropriate to publicize information regarding donations. I generally don’t publish anything about any conflicts. Given that I am a person of art, I believe that my page should only display art.
Regarding the international participation of artists and athletes, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to say that they shouldn’t have the right to participate. First and foremost, we are all performers.
In China, I think there were three acts from Russia. Naturally, while jury members may not support the policies of a particular country, they still impartially evaluate the participants’ performance. However, it appears that currently, no one openly represents Russia in festivals; participants tend to compete under different flags.
And the final question, which probably interests everyone. When and where can the audience see Viktoriia Dziuba perform, either in Ukraine or on the international stage?
Currently, I have contracts signed in Europe scheduled until the end of this and the following year. I can’t say I have any invitations from Ukraine. But you can check my Instagram; I always announce where and when I’ll be performing.
Follow Viktoriia Dziuba’s Instagram for the latest updates: instagram.com/v.v.dziuba
Ms. Dziuba, thank you for this insightful and open conversation. Thank you for sharing your experiences and demonstrating through your journey that nothing is impossible! This serves as immense inspiration for emerging performers who are still discovering their path!
*All media used were provided by Victoria Dziuba’s personal archive.
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