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Coach Svetlana Momot, who fled Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis, with an preliminary group of 12 of her college students final 12 months, watched and mirrored Monday as among the younger circus artists swung from suspended rings, dangled from aerial silks and rehearsed acrobatic stunts in one of many Budapest circus’ coaching halls.
Momot mentioned that previously 12 months, the performers needed to be taught to dwell, prepare dinner, clear and examine collectively in shut quarters. However her objective from the start was to make sure that, regardless of being uprooted from their properties, their intensive each day coaching wouldn’t be interrupted.
“Once they’re busy (with coaching), they don’t have time to consider the dangerous issues. It distracts them,” Momot mentioned. “What I see is that we dwell as one household and as a inventive staff. … I believe it hasn’t affected their coaching, and I attempt to maintain them within the type they had been in Ukraine.”
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the Budapest circus and a Hungarian college for acrobats prolonged their solidarity to the Ukrainian performers, providing them lodging, meals and the power to proceed their coaching, Capital Circus of Budapest director Peter Fekete mentioned.
“We’ve to appreciate that every one individuals want a objective in life. Even an 8-year-old baby can ask the questions, ‘Why am I alive, what’s my objective on the planet?’” Fekete mentioned.
“If we offer a possibility to coach, and if we set objectives that we need to obtain via alternatives to carry out, then of their on a regular basis lives they received’t be centered solely on the troublesome scenario they’re in, however creative efficiency can fill their lives to some extent,” he mentioned.
Anna Lysytska, a 14-year-old acrobat, mentioned it had been troublesome at first to adapt to life in Hungary after fleeing her dwelling in Kharkiv. However staying centered on her coaching, she mentioned, had helped ease the transition.
“At first it was exhausting, however then we acquired used to it just a little and began to go to our coaching periods,” she mentioned. “We arrange a routine after which began learning at a Hungarian college. We find it irresistible right here.”
Lysytska’s twin sister, Mariia, mentioned what she preferred most about Hungary at first was that “there have been no explosions,” however that she had since fashioned friendships that made it simpler to be removed from dwelling.
“Once we got here to this college, we turned pals (with the Hungarians) immediately and began speaking with them, so I’ve constructive emotions about it,” Mariia mentioned.
Whereas among the performers plan to ultimately be part of relations who’ve settled in international locations like Germany and Slovakia, nearly all of them need to return to Ukraine every time the conflict ends, Momot mentioned.
“We had been all in the identical scenario the place we had no different possibility however to go away individuals behind in Ukraine. Our households are damaged,” she mentioned.
Nonetheless, as Russia tries to ramp up an offensive in jap Ukraine and to bolster its maintain on different elements of the nation, it stays unclear when the performers can return safely to their properties. Till then, their futures, and the query of the place house is, stay up within the air.
The Ukrainian troupe not too long ago returned from a contest in Monte Carlo, Fekete mentioned, the place two of the performers introduced dwelling gold and silver medals.
“After I hugged one of many little women on the airport and I mentioned we had been going dwelling, I corrected myself and mentioned, ‘Effectively, dwelling to me.’ She stopped me and mentioned, ‘It’s dwelling for me, too,’” he mentioned.
Observe the AP’s protection of the conflict at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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