Alexey Goloborodko
Encyclopedia
Alexey I. Goloborodko pronounced:- Al-ix-EY Ga-la-ba-RROJ-ka is a
contortion
ist, who has been described by many as the most flexible human on the planet. He was born in Tula, Russia
, in December 1994. As well as contortion and flexibility, he has trained in classical and modern dance, and Chinese martial arts. This helps to add fluency, grace and elegance to his contortion performances. He has performed in a variety of arts festivals and competitions, television programs, circuses and shows.
Rodin had 30 years previously trained his son - also named Alexey - in what he calls a synthesis of classical dance, gymnastics
, rhythmic gymnastics
, modern dance
, martial arts
and extreme flexibility of the body. Years later, after the son had moved abroad, he met a promising young boy in the Circus Circle. He offered to give free, intensive, one on one training to this boy - Vladimir Gagarin - who in his turn developed into an award-winning contortionist. However, for personal and family reasons, Gagarin left the scene in his teens. Rodin was saddened and disillusioned by this, and disinclined to take on additional boy trainees.
When he met Alexey, though, he was won over by the latter's enthusiasm and determination, and changed his mind. A close collaboration began, which continues to this day. A room in the Goloborodko family's flat was converted into a gymnasium for Alexey, and he trained for several hours each day, not only with Rodin, but also with specialist dance instructors. Natalia Perepelkina (leading teacher of the Tula branch of the Moscow Institute of Culture) - taught classical dance. The famous dancer Svetlana Shishkina taught modern dance, while Maria Nikolaeva taught "Jazz Style" dance. Wushu
graduate Shaolin Igor Kovalenko instructed him in various Chinese martial arts, "wushu" being another term for referring to these arts. This team trained him in seven distinct performances, which have these names:- "The Swan", "Tango," "Petrushka", "Rock," "Mowgli", "God of the Sun" and "Obsession."
Alexey has recently stated that his repertoire now stands at ten different acts.
, in 2003, when he was aged nine.
In late 2007 Alexey took part in the very popular and influential TV talent competition:- Минута Славы, or Minuta Slavy - "A Minute Of Fame". It's the Russian show from the "Got Talent" franchise. This was the event that made him a household name throughout his country, and brought him to the attention of many abroad as well.
In the first round he performed a ballet and contortion routine: The Swan. The musical accompaniment was Ave Maria
by Charles Gounod
, played on wine glasses, crystal xylophone and bass guitar by the St. Petersburg trio Crystal Harmony. There was a very enthusiastic response from the audience, and he won easily.
In the second round the act was: Sun God, based on a classical Indian dance. Alexey's elaborate costume was designed to look as though it was made from gold and jewels. The music was a recorded version of Recuerdos de la Alhambra
by Francisco Tárrega
. Again there was an ecstatic response from the audience, and again he won the round.
In the third round Alexey performed Obsession, his trademark contortion act using two folding chairs. The audience loved it, the judges apparently did not, and the eventual winner of the competition was Dmitry Bulkin, with his acrobatic performance on a vertical pole. There was a complaint by Rodin that Bulkin had misled the organizers of the competition, by claiming to be an amateur, and a car mechanic by trade, when he had actually performed in the Cirque du Soleil
, and other prestigious circuses.
In February 2010 he took part in the Channel TF1 French TV Talent Show Qui Sera le Meilleur ce Soir? He won the first round, a one on one competition with twelve year old Swiss contortionist Zoé Pauli-Bruttin. In the final, however, the judges opined that he came across as a professional intruding into a contest for amateurs, and he lost to Loan and Emeryck, two much younger children with a dance act. Thus he was the accuser last time, the accused this time.
, operating in South-East Asia, in June–August 2009.
From June 2010 to June 2011 he appeared - as "The Game Master... a friendly and mischievous sprite" - in "Voyage de la Vie" at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore
. This production, billed as a "circus theatre spectacular", tells the story of a boy's coming of age, through song and dance and circus arts.
contortion
Contortion
thumb|upright|Contortionist performingContortion is an unusual form of physical display which involves the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body. Contortion is often part of acrobatics and circus acts...
ist, who has been described by many as the most flexible human on the planet. He was born in Tula, Russia
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
, in December 1994. As well as contortion and flexibility, he has trained in classical and modern dance, and Chinese martial arts. This helps to add fluency, grace and elegance to his contortion performances. He has performed in a variety of arts festivals and competitions, television programs, circuses and shows.
Early life
Alexey's mother relates stories about how his natural flexibility was such that he would startle strangers on buses, or shop assistants fitting him with shoes, even when he was a very young child. He was then spotted by his coach-to-be, Vladislav Afanasievich Rodin, in the Circus Circle in Tula.Rodin had 30 years previously trained his son - also named Alexey - in what he calls a synthesis of classical dance, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
, modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
, martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and extreme flexibility of the body. Years later, after the son had moved abroad, he met a promising young boy in the Circus Circle. He offered to give free, intensive, one on one training to this boy - Vladimir Gagarin - who in his turn developed into an award-winning contortionist. However, for personal and family reasons, Gagarin left the scene in his teens. Rodin was saddened and disillusioned by this, and disinclined to take on additional boy trainees.
When he met Alexey, though, he was won over by the latter's enthusiasm and determination, and changed his mind. A close collaboration began, which continues to this day. A room in the Goloborodko family's flat was converted into a gymnasium for Alexey, and he trained for several hours each day, not only with Rodin, but also with specialist dance instructors. Natalia Perepelkina (leading teacher of the Tula branch of the Moscow Institute of Culture) - taught classical dance. The famous dancer Svetlana Shishkina taught modern dance, while Maria Nikolaeva taught "Jazz Style" dance. Wushu
Wushu (sport)
The sport of wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was created in the People's Republic of China after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts...
graduate Shaolin Igor Kovalenko instructed him in various Chinese martial arts, "wushu" being another term for referring to these arts. This team trained him in seven distinct performances, which have these names:- "The Swan", "Tango," "Petrushka", "Rock," "Mowgli", "God of the Sun" and "Obsession."
Alexey has recently stated that his repertoire now stands at ten different acts.
Festivals and awards
He has participated in many circus and arts festivals and competitions. Details of some of them are available, and these are listed below. Rodin has stated that Alexey won medals at ten such competitions in the period 2004 - 2007.- Winner of first prize for his contortion performance at a Circus Festival in Russia in 2003
- Bronze medalist at the international children's circus competition in Monte Carlo, Dec 2007
- Medal winner at the Moscow Youth Festival of Circus Arts
- Medal winner at the Circus Festival in the city of Ivanovo
- Winner at the Festival of arts and sports Golden Lily Kiev, 27 Oct 2007
- Special Jury Prize - "Dancing Rubber" Sixth Moscow International Youth Festival of Circus Arts 2007
- Winner of a gold medal at the VII Youth Delphic Games of Russia, Novosibirsk, May 2008. Absolute winner in the "Circus" category
- Third place - Second World Delphic Games Saratov, Russia. Circus - Age group 10-30, 19–25 September 2008
- Silver Medal at 8th China Wuhan International Acrobatics Art Festival, Hubei Province, China, 26 Oct 2008
- Youngest participant in the III Festival of Circus and Arts, Ishevsk, Russia, March 2010
Television appearances
A documentary program about him was made for a Russian television channel:- REN-TVRen-TV
REN TV is one of the largest private federal TV channels in Russia. Founded by Irena Lesnevskaya and her son, Dmitry Lesnevsky, who had been running REN TV as a production house for other national Russian television channels, it has broadcast since 1 January 1997. Its target audience is a young to...
, in 2003, when he was aged nine.
In late 2007 Alexey took part in the very popular and influential TV talent competition:- Минута Славы, or Minuta Slavy - "A Minute Of Fame". It's the Russian show from the "Got Talent" franchise. This was the event that made him a household name throughout his country, and brought him to the attention of many abroad as well.
In the first round he performed a ballet and contortion routine: The Swan. The musical accompaniment was Ave Maria
Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)
The Bach/Gounod Ave Maria is a popular and much-recorded setting of the Latin text Ave Maria.Written by French Romantic composer Charles Gounod in 1859, his Ave Maria consists of a melody superimposed over the Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846, from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier, written by...
by Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
, played on wine glasses, crystal xylophone and bass guitar by the St. Petersburg trio Crystal Harmony. There was a very enthusiastic response from the audience, and he won easily.
In the second round the act was: Sun God, based on a classical Indian dance. Alexey's elaborate costume was designed to look as though it was made from gold and jewels. The music was a recorded version of Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Recuerdos de la Alhambra is a classical guitar piece composed in 1896 by Spanish composer and guitarist Francisco Tárrega. He wrote it in Granada.A virtuoso on his instrument, Tárrega was known as the "Sarasate of the guitar"...
by Francisco Tárrega
Francisco Tárrega
Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea was an influential Spanish composer and guitarist of the Romantic period.-Biography:Tárrega was born on 21 November 1852, in Vila-real, Castelló, Spain...
. Again there was an ecstatic response from the audience, and again he won the round.
In the third round Alexey performed Obsession, his trademark contortion act using two folding chairs. The audience loved it, the judges apparently did not, and the eventual winner of the competition was Dmitry Bulkin, with his acrobatic performance on a vertical pole. There was a complaint by Rodin that Bulkin had misled the organizers of the competition, by claiming to be an amateur, and a car mechanic by trade, when he had actually performed in the Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
, and other prestigious circuses.
In February 2010 he took part in the Channel TF1 French TV Talent Show Qui Sera le Meilleur ce Soir? He won the first round, a one on one competition with twelve year old Swiss contortionist Zoé Pauli-Bruttin. In the final, however, the judges opined that he came across as a professional intruding into a contest for amateurs, and he lost to Loan and Emeryck, two much younger children with a dance act. Thus he was the accuser last time, the accused this time.
Live performances
Although Alexey is only sixteen now, he has become a regular performer at the circus, having worked at Circo Massimo, Rome, in July 2008, Circus Sarasota, Florida, in Feb/March 2009, and Circus Conelli, Zurich, in November 2009. He has also performed on board a cruise ship: SuperStar VirgoSuperStar Virgo
SuperStar Virgo is a Leo class cruise ship owned and operated by Star Cruises. She was built in 1999 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.-Concept and construction:...
, operating in South-East Asia, in June–August 2009.
From June 2010 to June 2011 he appeared - as "The Game Master... a friendly and mischievous sprite" - in "Voyage de la Vie" at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. This production, billed as a "circus theatre spectacular", tells the story of a boy's coming of age, through song and dance and circus arts.