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Above and beyond: Cirque du Soleil trapeze artist sets new standards

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By Chris Betros

Making death-defying spins, twirls and twists from a small rod swinging high across a circular stage is all in a day’s work for Yulia Korosteleva, a solo trapeze artist at the Cirque du Soleil, which is currently thrilling audiences in Kooza at the Harajuku Big Top.

In between shows, the Russian-born Korosteleva bounces into a makeshift office behind the big top for an interview, just as lively as can be. “This is my third show with Cirque,” she says in perfect English. “My character is a rebellious young woman, which suits me. I’m a very fiery, energetic person. I really love what I do and wish I could do it forever.”

Korosteleva was a gymnast from the age of five until she turned 20. “I studied sports journalism and PR and had no thought of going into the circus. I had never heard of Cirque du Soleil. Then one day, I went along with a friend of mine to an audition in Moscow. I hung out there all day and decided it might be fun to audition.” A few months later, she got a job as an acrobat, not for trapeze, even though she had never had any circus training and did tours with two Cirque shows (Alegria and Saltimbanco).

With performances almost every day, sometimes twice a day, Korosteleva says it can be a challenge to stay fresh. “Some artists have more freedom to make subtle changes to keep their act fresh. But on a trapeze, I don’t have that. I can’t play with my arms or anything. All I can do is an extra twist or wink at the musicians. There are days when I wonder how I’ll get through it, but as soon as I see the audience, I know I can’t let them down. My father, who is a judo instructor, instilled that spirit into me. That’s the way I was brought up in gymnastics. You give everything you have.”

Korosteleva says Japanese audiences, while different from audiences in the U.S. and Europe, for example, are starting to become more expressive. “They are still super polite and you don’t hear the whistling and yelling as in other countries. I think it must be hardest for the clowns because you never know what will make people laugh in different cultures.”

With a busy schedule of performances, Korosteleva doesn’t get much time off. When she does, she takes her e-reader and find a quiet corner and unwind in a bar or coffee shop (she loves maccha latte). “I also like wandering around, absorbing energy off the streets in places like Shibuya,” she says. To stay in shape, she does a lot of stretching and Pilates.

When she meets someone for the first time, Korosteleva tries not to say what she does for a living right away. “I’m like anyone else. I hope people will be interested in me for myself, not my job, which happens to be in the circus. Of course, they get excited and have a lot of questions, but once they have used up their knowledge of circus, the conversation peters out. When we go out in a group and there are one or two artists, they get all the attention, which isn’t fair. We are a big team – we have cooks, teachers and technicians and what they do is every bit as important as the performers. Still, I understand it can be cool to say you are with Cirque du Soleil. If I were a guy and wanted to hook up with a girl in a bar, I would wear a Cirque du Soleil jacket and sit down in a visible place.”

Korosteleva is starting to look at life beyond the trapeze. “I hope to have a career related to Cirque and I would love to have a place I can call home,” she says, adding she tries to visit Moscow once or twice a year.

And with that, she is up and ready to start preparing for the next show, cool as a cucumber. No nerves, no fear? “Of course, but there’s a Russian saying that even if your eyes or mind are scared, your hands keep working.”

Kooza will in Tokyo until July 18, then move to Osaka (Aug 4-Oct 10), Nagoya (Nov 23-Jan 22, 2012), followed by dates in Fukuoka and Sendai where it will wrap up its Japan tour on June 3, 2012. Tickets for the Tokyo performances range from 6,000 yen to 13,000 yen for adults and 4,000 yen to 9,000 yen for children. The two-hour show includes contortionists, acrobats, high wire, trapeze acts, the wheel of death, balancing on chairs, hoops manipulation, skeleton dance, teeterboard and, of course, clowns.

© Japan Today

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8 Comments
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Cirque du Soleil is well-known worldwide; it performs in different countries. I believe all members joining the international team house with both principles, practices, dedication, passion and collaboration. Everyone may learn here like he or she can at university.

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I have seen a few Cirque shows in Los Vegas and Boston. While they don't perform the most technically challenging tricks the overall production value is the highest. A few years ago I watched the Shanghai circus show in the Shanghai Ritz and remembering one group of performers (I think they spin these big yoyo things into the air) who later went to Cirque. In the Cirque performance, while the same techniques were presented it was so much more amazing because of the awesome costumes and music.

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I thought it was a picture of Slipknot at first...

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NetNinja checking in. Now this is timing. I just saw this in Harajuka this past week(I do have a life). She really was great. Kooza was awesome. It brought back all that we love about the circus. Anyway, I won't make this long. Kooza is a no-brainer, go see it. Tickets are hard to get though(By that I mean good seats). Good luck with that.

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Zed at the theatre next to Disneyland is also awesome- I agree with the above, it's not just the acrobatics, the costumes, music and sets make Cirque de Soleil an amazing experience. Definitely get to at least one of them if you can.

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We took the kids to the Cirque du Soleil last year. I don't know who enjoyed it more, me or them. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Taka

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I highly recommend it to anyone.

I strongly second that. Their performance of "Quidam" was so terrific and moving that I went back a second time and enjoyed it even more.

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Uh oh Yabits. An endorsement from both you AND me must mean there's something "lefty" to the Cirque, eh? ;-)

Taka

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