Sirma Dobreva better known as “The contortionist” is among the top variety-show artists in the world. Audiences in Bulgaria know her from the shows The Hula Hoop, The Mermaid and The Safe. It is for the latter that she won the Icarus award for best variety show artist. Today she employs the contacts she has established around the world to help young and talented Bulgarian artists find bookings in Asia – Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, Hong Kong, Macao…

“With my solo performances I have traveled the world. But there came a point when I wanted to settle in Bulgaria to take care of my young child and do something worthwhile for my younger colleagues who are only just starting out by making use of my contacts and the name I have made for myself abroad. There are so many young talents in Bulgaria and they need a break.”

That is how Sirma Dobreva came to set up and become creative director of Kinetix, a unique aerial acrobatics project. She brought together young acrobats graduates of the National Sports Academy and gave them a chance to unfold their talent abroad. After training in the gym, the young acrobats took to the high-rise buildings, where strapped by ropes they perform their aerial dance. Some were unable to overcome their fear of heights and dropped out. This kind of aerial acrobatics had never before been performed in Bulgaria. The company created their own choreography, based on extremely complex elements. Sirma decided to send a video and photos of the young “flying acrobats” to Macao, to the world’s biggest casino and they received an invitation…

“For some of the young acrobats, this is their first serious booking abroad. And soon we got the compliment that our Bulgarian artists are so much better than anyone else…” Sirma says. On the façade of the Venetian Macao Casino they perform a vertical mix of unique acrobatic elements and to the audience below they seem to have defied gravity. The bodies of the young acrobats are strapped by ropes attached to belts around their waists in 3-4 points that help them keep their balance. The minimum height for the artists is five meters from the roof.

“Unlike indoors, where you can always find a reference point – walls, edges, windows, ceiling – out in the open you are surrounded by an open space, sky, clouds and that is really disorienting,” Sirma explains and adds that this is such a disturbing feeling that requires a great deal of courage. The performances of the Bulgarian acrobats are watched by thousands every day who pass by the place where Kinetix perform their aerial shows.

There are several dance formations in the world with similar choreography on high-rise buildings, yet the Bulgarian company is different:

“We are the first and only company in the world to perform acrobatics on the facades of high-rise buildings. The others do dances but there is a huge difference between dancing and acrobatics."

But Kinetix also has a message to convey. “We want to revive architectural spaces here in Bulgaria and why not, ancient fortresses like Baba Vida and Tsarevets for example! It would be a way to bring tourists from this country and abroad to see these landmarks,” says Sirma Dobreva.

English version: Milena Daynova