Anatoly Zalievsky

Hand Balancer

Ukrainian hand-balancer Anatoly Zalievsky (his name is variously spelled Zalievskyi, Zaliewskyi, Zalievski, etc., according to the various adaptation of its Cyrillic spelling) is an iconic figure in the world of hand-balancers, and in circus history. Trained at the Circus School of Kiev, in Ukraine, he presented his ground-breaking act in 1998 at the [[Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris, where he was an immediate sensation and won the Gold Medal. The following year, Anatoly won the Gold Clown at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo.

Anatoly became an instant circus star, and was featured in some of Europe's best variety shows, his venue of choice, before creating his own physical theater company, Theatre Rizoma, based in Ukraine. He has also trained numerous hand balancers, most notably his wife, Natalia Vasiluk. A few hand balancing acts closely "inspired" by Zaliewsky's soon appeared in the wake of his extraordinary success, but didn't last long: What made Zalievsky's act special, beside its remarkable technique and originality, was the performer himself—his unique sensibility and his charisma; luckily, these attributes cannot be duplicated.

See Also

• Video: Anatoly Zalievsky, Hand Balancer, at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, Paris (1998)