Russian immigrants discover life after the circus
Of many elite athletes, circus performers who migrated to Las Vegas for a better life get chance with Cirque du SoleilKim Palchikoff, Special to the SunSunday, Jan. 16, 2011
They are trailblazers who helped launch a new dimension of entertainment on the Strip, even if today they are living mostly in obscurity.
There’s Vadim Bolotsky, his career derailed by injuries, who ended up pursuing construction jobs before retiring to Pahrump where today he tends to his chickens.
And Vladimir Mialovski, who went on to open a martial arts studio in Las Vegas.
And Nikolai Melnikov, who is performing in a second-tier Strip show.
They are three of the dozen Russian master trapeze artists — one-time stars in their homeland — who contributed to one of the turning points in the evolution of Las Vegas entertainment: the Christmas Eve 1993 debut of Cirque du Soleil’s flagship show “Mystere.” Their overhead derring-do would be the flying grand finale of the show.
These elite athletes and circus performers from the former Soviet Union banded together when their country fell apart, the ruble was devalued and employment prospects grew dim — at a time when Cirque du Soleil sought Russian talent. So they practiced for more than a year in Moscow for a new career, then quietly immigrated to America and made a new home for themselves in Las Vegas.
Over time all but one stopped performing — their contracts not renewed or their bodies too banged up and fatigued to continue. But they stayed in Las Vegas, part of a small, distinguished community that over the years, by some estimates, has grown to nearly 2,000 Russian entertainers and their families.
read more at:http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jan/16/russia-love/
There’s Vadim Bolotsky, his career derailed by injuries, who ended up pursuing construction jobs before retiring to Pahrump where today he tends to his chickens.
And Vladimir Mialovski, who went on to open a martial arts studio in Las Vegas.
And Nikolai Melnikov, who is performing in a second-tier Strip show.
They are three of the dozen Russian master trapeze artists — one-time stars in their homeland — who contributed to one of the turning points in the evolution of Las Vegas entertainment: the Christmas Eve 1993 debut of Cirque du Soleil’s flagship show “Mystere.” Their overhead derring-do would be the flying grand finale of the show.
These elite athletes and circus performers from the former Soviet Union banded together when their country fell apart, the ruble was devalued and employment prospects grew dim — at a time when Cirque du Soleil sought Russian talent. So they practiced for more than a year in Moscow for a new career, then quietly immigrated to America and made a new home for themselves in Las Vegas.
Over time all but one stopped performing — their contracts not renewed or their bodies too banged up and fatigued to continue. But they stayed in Las Vegas, part of a small, distinguished community that over the years, by some estimates, has grown to nearly 2,000 Russian entertainers and their families.
read more at:http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jan/16/russia-love/
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