“From rags to riches” or a story of a street dancer.

Everybody has a dream and everybody has a talent, but not all of us try to combine  these things together.

Felix Katana was just a Nairobi boy who liked to dance in the streets, but now he is a great trapeze artist and acrobat. He has done a lot, but he’s still on the way to his dream.

-          Hello Felix! It’s a great job you’ve been doing! People like your team.

-          Thank you Lena, it's wonderful to hear it, really. I appreciate it!

-          So, why are you doing it?

-          It’s a talent. I understand that it’s a job after getting money (smiling). I enjoy it, I’m abscessed with it! People are surprised by us and it’s really awesome!

-          It sounds like it’s not a job for you, is it?

-          Yes, that’s right! It’s my life, really. I love gymnastics. It’s dangerous, but we always take care of our bodies and health. It’s not like animals or something like that, we’re  people and there can be some consequences, especially given a fact that we’re standing at a height of 15 meters.

-          Of course, you’re absolutely right. If you know that it’s dangerous, how did you become a trapeze artist? How did you make such a decision?

-          Oh. I have never dreamt to live the way I live now and to do these things. I had P.E. lessons at school, it was my favorite. At the beginning of my ‘career’ I was a break dancer, and then my friends and I started training ourselves. We danced everywhere!   We haven’t got a circus in Kenya, but we have a lot of parks and hotels, where we did our performances.

-          So, it was like fun for you?

-          We do it like fun but we didn’t know that it was a talent.

-          How long have you been doing acrobatics?

-          For 7 years up to this moment. Not very long. That’s why I said that it’s my talent. Some people studying all their life, but they can’t to do it.  And I thank God for my talent.

-          If you were just a break dancer, how did you come to Russia?

-          Oh, it’s easy! There was a casting in Kenya. It was conducted by producer Vladimir Doveiko, who was searching for new artists for his show “Millennium”. And I did it! I and 6 more people from Kenya were chosen by a Russian producer. It was amazing.

-          Oh, it was an abrupt turn of life!

-          Yeah, it was! We had nothing! We didn’t have passports and documents for travelling abroad, but our producer said: “Keep calm; we’ll do everything for you!” And we believed him. Still now, if we have any problems, he’ll help us. He and, of course, our coach. They take care of all of us!

-          What did you do in Russia when you came here?

-          I was to take an exam to enter Moscow Circus, so I was training. I have been here for 3 years. Two of them were the years of preparartion. Five months I spent in Moscow Circus and now we’re travelling the world.

-          Which countries have you already visited? And which country do you like most?

-          I’ve been to Taiwan, Germany and India, after Tula we’ll go to China. And I like all of them! I can’t choose one, because I’m an artist.

-          Do you like Russia? What do you like most?

-          I love it. I like how it is. But sometimes it’s really cold here (laughing).

-          Oh, yes, now it’s really cold here! You’ve lived here for two weeks, do you like Tula?

-          It’s beautiful. It’s quiet in comparison with huge Moscow, but I like it.

-          You live near the most famous places in Tula, have you seen them?

-          I saw them passing. I don’t like walking along, I think that you should feel the place, to know its history, finally ask to take photo of you near the place (laughing). So I’m searching for a guide here.

-          Do you have friends in Russia?

-          What do you call “friends”?

-          I mean real friends! Which you can call in any time and ask for help or just to talk.

-          No, unfortunately not. I always call them my friends, want to invite them for walking or something like that, but I don’t know what they have in their hearts.

-          Oh.

-          But I have people, who I can call and say: “Hey I’m here!” And they will invite me somewhere. They can call me and say: “Felix, come to us! We’ll take a taxi to visit you, we want to see you!” And if I’m not tired, of course, I’ll come!

-          Your coach is Russian. Is it hard to understand him?

-          I know the Russian language. A little bit (laughing). I know the most popular expressions like (speaking in Russian): «Привет! Как дела? Понятно.Посмотрим. Пока!». But it’s really hard to understand our coach. We have a translator, of course, but it’s not the same thing. Our translator just said: “Do this and this.” but he can’t explain HOW we should do it. Sometimes it’s hard, but we’re going through it.

-          I heard that you had some troubles in your team. I mean Caro Christopher Kazung, who fell during the performance in Moscow.

-          It’s awful, but now he is OK, thanks God, he can perform again. And we are all circus men and we have had a lot of broken arms, legs etc. but show must go on.

-          Show will go on always, I suppose.

-          Of course! I have mum and sister in Kenya, so I try to do my best for them! Because they are proud of me!

-          How long haven’t you seen them?

-          Oh, since summer. When you have your holidays here, I have them too; I have one free month in summer, so I go to Kenya. I miss my family.

-          And the last question, because you should go to the arena, what are you dreaming about?

-          I want to make a National Circus in Kenya, because there are a lot of men like me, who want to do their favorite occupation professionally. I want to help them.

-          It’s a good dream, really! I wish you good luck! Thank you very much, Felix! You are really interesting man! See you!

-          Bye! Увидимся! (laughing)

Lena Kuznetsova