ECCENTRIC ACROBATIC COUPLE AS A PHENOMENON OF MODERN CIRCUS ART (ON THE EXAMPLE OF A DUET “DUO FLASH”)

Abstract

The modern circus art of Ukraine is historically associated with the activities of both acrobats, buffoons, and the first professional circus troupes. Acrobatic couples have а special place. We will especially highlight the eccentrics, comedians. An invaluable experience for the young generation of circus artists in the acrobatic genre are the achievements of the brothers Olexander and Vasyl’ Yalovi, the spouses Pastukhovs, the Marenkov brothers, the Dyakov brothers, etc. They stood at the origins of circus acrobatic art already in Soviet Ukraine. Sport and circus art have always complemented each other in the development of acrobatics both in the arena and on the sports grounds. A close connection is also observed in the creative activity of modern circus acrobatic artists, namely, among jumpers in group numbers, men's and mixed pairs, women's triplets or men's fours, in other types of acrobatic genre. Today there are many examples of acrobatic shows or performances in the world circus art.

Acrobatic circus performance is an up-to-date and contemporary form of spectacle. The main protagonist of the performance is an acrobat artist, who owns various varieties of this genre. A performance in its form can be a divertissement, show, revue, performance with a dramatic plot.

The most significant phenomena of modern Ukrainian circus art today include the acrobatic-eccentric pair “Duo Flash”, which has more than 20 years of history. The duet is not only an special phenomenon in the circus space of Ukraine, but is also of particular importance for the positioning of the modern Ukrainian circus outside the country, that is, it performs an important function of improving the image of Ukraine in the world cultural field, is a tool for building intercultural dialogue. Duet members – Yefrem Bitkine and Yevgen Dashkivs’ky, representatives of circus dynasties, graduates of the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Circus and Performing Arts. This article is dedicated to the main periods of their creative biography (Kyiv, German, Spanish), the formation as an acrobatic couple, the mutual enrichment of the traditions of different circus schools by their example.