Neshka Robeva: Capable people break through regardless of obstacles

“The lady of boundless capabilities” – this is how the numerous fans of rhythmic gymnastics in Bulgaria and abroad know her. With her devotion, discipline and perseverance Neshka Robeva made of Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics one of the strongest schools in world sports. In the 25 years she worked as senior coach of the national team Bulgaria’s girls have won 294 medals. They have been 7 times absolute world champions they have 10 European and 2 vice-Olympic titles. They are known as the “Golden Girls of Bulgaria”.

Neshka Robeva is born on May 26, 1946 in the town of Russe on the Danube. She graduated the school of choreography majoring in Bulgarian folklore and then the National Sports Academy. Between 1966 and 1973 she was on the list of the Bulgarian National team of rhythmic gymnastics before starting to coach the team. In the last 9 years Neshka Robeva has been once again very successful with her dancing troop called “National Art”. The formation is popularizing Bulgarian and Balkan folklore through modern ballet.

“When growing older one is ever more often looking back to one’s childhood, Neshka Robeva shares - perhaps because these are the most carefree years. I am a town child but I was lucky enough to have an aunt living in the countryside. Every year on May24, when school was over, I was taking the Russe-Lom steamboat to go to my aunt in the pretty little village of Kovachitsa near Lom. Kids’ games, the countryside, the animals, the plants are a kind of love I still cherish today. I was back in Russe for school at the end of summer and the time I was spending there was always connected to lessons, ballet classes and gymnastics training. I was enlisting in almost everything that could be practiced as extra classes. I have always liked dynamics. I entered the folk dance class at the choreography school, as there was no ballet class for my age. I had the intention to move to the classical ballet class the next year. However, when I started studying folk dancing in depth that grew to become the love of my life.”

The story repeats itself later, when Neska went to Sofia to study high choreography. At that time, however there was no such major and she entered the Sports Academy with the Rhythmic Gymnastics as her major.

“I started almost like in a joke, just to get in, but it turned out that I liked gymnastics, Neshka Robeva goes on to say. Meanwhile I wanted to study law but my coach succeeded in turning me away from that idea. And thank God! My life continued in sports.

As an athlete I have taken part in four world rhythmic gymnastics championships and I have won 5 silver and 4 bronze medals. My highest achievement was in 1969 when I became vice world champion at the tournament held in Varna. On the other hand with my girls during my 25 years as a coach I have about 300 medals. The philosophy of sports is very interesting – everyone tries to beat the adversary but when it happens we no longer have the strength to rejoice. Joy for me has lasted but a few minutes. I remember the Salzburg tournament of 1983. I was for the first time acting as coach at that time – both with the individual performances and with the ensemble. It so happened that in the course of 4 days I had some of my girls competing and had to stay in the hall from morning till night. At the moment we had to prepare for the medal giving ceremony I went to the dressing room to sit down for a while. And I fell asleep, missing the medals and the hymn – everything! So competition is a feast, but rather for the spectators. It is also a proof that one is capable of overcoming one’s body, of imposing one’s will over exhaustion, pain and fear. It is an enormous responsibility for the coach. We have been working 16 hours a day but the people who used to be the medal winners in those days were entirely devoted to sports. Money didn’t play such a key role as it does today.”

After a series of conflicts in the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation in June 2000 Neshka Robeva left and returned to folk dances. She founded her own group and set herself a new task – to present in a new way Bulgarian folklore. Her first shows “Two Worlds” and “Destiny” enjoyed great popularity. The shows have had more than 250 performances in the country and abroad including New York on Broadway, in Singapore, Moscow, Belgium, Israel and Italy.

Despite her busy professional life Neshka Robeva has never been impartial to social and political processes. She is greatly disgusted by envy, which hampers Bulgarians from achieving more. She also dislikes the fact that education worsens and kids become less learned.

“If we talk of Bulgaria of today, I would rather say it is adults that are irresponsible, Neshka Robeva further shares. We, adults, are the people who teach the young, we are setting the example. They grow up in our families, they work under our guidance. But in a country like ours, where value systems have been ruined to ashes we cannot judge young people for lacking discipline. This is a time when many guiding lights have been lost, one set of values is substituted for another and people seem to be lost in time. There could be no word of discipline any longer. I am trying to impose a certain kind of discipline on my dancers but I should admit that I face stubborn resistance. But I am still strong. Discipline is necessary but self-discipline is crucial. I don’t know where the world is heading but Bulgaria is following pace. But we made our transition through the wrong people – persons, who had never left their offices and scarcely knew anything about the mentality of their people. They didn’t even bother to look back to history and realize that in times of transition the moral grounds of the nation are usually shaken. But anyway, I firmly believe that a person who has the capabilities would make a break through despite of all obstacles.”

English version: Iva Letnikova

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Neshka Robeva: Capable people break through regardless of obstacles

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