(ENG) Interview Kateryna Korneva | An unique aerialist: “I don’t want to spend time on something everyone else is already doing.”

Kateryna Korneva. She is 36 years old and belongs to the most remarkable aerial artists of the moment. In October, Circusweb spoke to her in the Netherlands, at the end of a tour and on the eve of her performance at the renowned Italian Circus Festival of Latina. She returned home with a gold award.

Kateryna Korneva has, in her now roughly 25-year-long career, left behind an impressive trail of highlights and travels: from the State Circus of Belarus to contracts in Taiwan, from youth circus festivals to a season with Circus Knie in Switzerland. In 2025, she made her first appearance in the Netherlands in the show Hans Klok & Friends. She was—“May I say that? Yes, I may!”—the absolute highlight of the performance. An appearance that made a deep impression and immediately raised curiosity about the creation of her act.

Kateryna begins her act from the pole, which spins on the stage. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

Growing up and the first years: from village to ring

Kateryna was born in Russia and grew up with her mother in Ukraine after her parents separated. Circus life was not a family inheritance:
“I wasn’t born into the circus. No one in my family worked in the circus or in sports. I always joke that I felt like I was adopted.

I grew up in a small village. A colleague of my mother worked at the circus school, and he said, ‘Why doesn’t your daughter come to train at the circus school?’ My mother took me there. From the very first moment, it was love at first sight. I had just turned seven.

I also went to a regular school, but my focus quickly shifted to the circus. I was very disciplined and did well in regular school, but as soon as classes ended, I rushed to the circus school.

My family didn’t take it seriously at first. They thought it was just a hobby. That was difficult for me, because I really wanted to show that it would become my work, not just a hobby. One child plays football, another plays tennis, and I loved the circus.”

When her teacher left for a circus school in Donetsk after three years, her own school closed. Kateryna refused to give up: during the day she attended regular school and afterward traveled one hundred kilometers to Donetsk to train. In the evenings, she did her homework. She maintained that pattern day after day. At eleven, she received her first professional contract: with the State Circus of Belarus, performing a solo aerial hoop act. A year later, her first foreign contract followed in Taiwan. She was only twelve.

Then the pole “launches” from the ground, and the spectacle continues high above the stage. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

A turning point: Circus Knie in Switzerland

An important catalyst for change came with Circus Knie in Switzerland.

In 2016, Kateryna met a Ukrainian artist in Spain who worked with a pole on the ground. “We trained together and got along well. Today, the pole is a popular circus discipline, but back then I mostly associated it with nightclub performances. Still, I found it interesting and decided to try. We started with a ground pole act, but I didn’t find it challenging enough. Soon we began to lift the pole into the air,” she says with a smile.

That became the beginning of what would later become her signature: an aerial pole act combined with the aerial hoop she already used. The result was a theatrical, elegant, and technically stunning solo act.

In 2022, the duo worked with Circus Knie. Artistic director Géraldine Knie saw her performance and encouraged her further development. Kateryna trained at night on her new solo act, and by the end of the season, it was ready.

During her time at Knie, she met her partner Christopher Christiani, a descendant of the famous Italian circus family Christiani (eighth generation). He had worked in his family circus as a tiger trainer and juggler, but when difficult times struck the Italian circus scene, the family business closed. About ten years ago, Christopher joined Circus Knie as a staff member. There, the two began developing the artistic concept that would form the foundation of Kateryna’s current act.

Kateryna: “I created my act together with my husband. He told me what worked and what didn’t. A dancer from Circus Knie helped me with choreography tips. We found the music together with Géraldine Knie. She later gave me all the recordings. The tape (the piece The Road by Havasi) that I used in the Hans Klok show is the recorded version by the Circus Knie orchestra, featuring the wonderful violin parts of Evgeniya Aknazarova. Géraldine even gave me the sheet music, so when I perform somewhere with a live orchestra, I can be accompanied live.”

In 2023, Kateryna performed her new act for three months with Circus Knie. Then another chapter began: she became pregnant, and in November 2023, her daughter Erika was born. Not long after, she received another invitation from Knie to return in 2024—and she did, for the entire season.

“Circus Knie will always be special to me. Not necessarily because it’s Circus Knie, but because my life changed there. I created my new act (I’m grateful to the Knie family for allowing me to do so), I met my husband, and my daughter was born there.”

Next, another element is attached to the end of the pole: the hoop. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

The act: a silent pole that still dances

She performs in an elegant dress: “The image must remain feminine and graceful. My goal is not only physical virtuosity but also an aesthetic illusion.”

What distinguishes Kateryna is the combination of a static apparatus with flowing aerial motion:

“My apparatus is static and barely moves. That makes sense—it’s a pole. Normal aerial pole acts go up and down, and that’s often it. But by adding flight work and making the pole ‘dance’ in the air, an interesting contrast emerges. I want to show the audience something they haven’t seen before. I don’t want to spend time on something everyone already does; I want to create something different, not copy.”

That sentence sums up her artistic philosophy: no imitation, but creation.

“Nowadays, young circus artists can find a lot of inspiration through social media. Some even copy my work. And honestly, I see that as a big compliment. But I learned by doing, not by watching. My teachers weren’t professional circus artists, but they taught me techniques that helped me immensely.

I try to create something difficult that cannot be copied. There’s now a new generation of extremely strong talents doing extraordinary things. But not everyone can perform at height, without a safety line. And honestly, I understand—it’s safer. Safety is important. But if I worked with a safety line, the audience would think: ‘It’s difficult, but… not dangerous.’ And then you perceive the act differently. That creates a mental barrier.”

Breathtaking. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

Training and preparation

In the past, she trained many hours per day; now, as a mother, her routine looks different—but she’s no less driven. On non-show days, she usually trains for about an hour and a half to stay in shape and to discover new elements. She combines aerial work, handstands, and other physical disciplines to better understand her body.

Korneva: “I see myself as primarily responsible for my body. And since the birth of my daughter, I am also responsible for another body—Erika’s.”

Before every show, she checks her apparatus multiple times and lets no one touch it who isn’t authorized. She has no superstitious rituals, only deep respect for preparation and technique.

Danger, technique, and the moment of freedom

“My body is less flexible than ten years ago. I now need to focus more on warming up. I’ve trained so much in my life that I know I’m safe. There are always factors that can interfere—technical malfunctions or sudden power outages. Or performing in a tent in summer: I can tell you, up in a circus tent it feels like a sauna. The conditions are different every day. But I find that in those moments I perform better. Stress sharpens me.”

She is pragmatic about risk: she maintains and protects her body physically, but mentally everything changed when she became a mother. The five minutes of her act she describes as a temporary detachment from the world below:

“In the middle of my act, I hang by my feet from a hoop attached to the aerial pole. I swing my body and float just above the audience. Then I briefly see the faces of people watching me, full of wonder. Even if it’s only for a few seconds—that feeling is indescribable.”

The “flashing” moment Kateryna describes: performing a spectacular swing and, in a split second, seeing the faces of the audience. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

Audience, reactions, and memories

Her first Dutch tour with Hans Klok & Friends left a deep impression:

“Hans is a wonderful man. He’s famous, but despite that, such a kind person. And honestly, I love the Dutch audience. I thought the Dutch were a bit like the Germans, but they’re different. Warm, enthusiastic, and helpful. The Netherlands truly surprised me—it’s a beautiful country, a bit like a mix between Europe and Scandinavia.”

After performances, she often receives compliments, but she hears them with a different mindset:

“It’s always nice to hear kind words. But maybe because of my childhood, I always think with every compliment: there’s still room to improve. I never think: ‘Wow, I’m the best!’ I want to keep going and add something lasting to what I do.”

Kateryna with the magical maestro Hans Klok behind her. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

Future and dreams

Kateryna is both realistic and ambitious. In the short term, she’s scheduled for various festivals: after Hans Klok at the Circus Festival Latina, and in January 2026 at the Circus Festival of Budapest.

“I’m looking forward to Monte Carlo,” she says with a laugh. “I performed there in 2007 and won a bronze prize in the ‘New Generation’ category. I’d love to return—not because it’s my dream, but to show what I’ve worked so hard for.

I prefer to work in circuses with high tents; that’s where my act shines best. Honestly, I need the height: the danger and the adrenaline. At Circus Knie, that was perfect. The tent of Hans Klok & Friends was already almost too low for me.

This winter, I’ll work for circus producer Sandor Donnert in Hannover. At first, I was supposed to perform in one of his smaller Christmas circuses, but when I heard I’d go to Hannover—with a higher tent—I was thrilled!

I’ve been offered contracts by big circuses, but sometimes the tent was just too low. A two-year contract in a low tent wouldn’t make me happy.

I love the circus. Of course, it’s my work and I make my living from it. But if the fire disappears, I’ll stop. I don’t know how long I’ll continue. Anything can happen—a single accident, and it’s over. Or my body might fail after a few years. It’s hard to imagine doing anything else. This is what I love to do.

Besides my work in the circus, I’d like to open an aerial studio—for training and creation. Where? I don’t know yet. It could be in Switzerland (where we currently live) or in Italy (where my husband is from).”

Kateryna. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)

Message and personal life

Moments of rest are rare; she prefers to spend her free time with her family, in places where her daughter can also have fun. Her mother worries and sometimes asks her to stop. Kateryna says:
“Because she saw some of my injuries. But at the same time, she knows how much I love the circus. I answer such things with my life motto:

Keep moving. Standing still is not an option.

Everyone who visits a circus performance has something going on in their life that occupies their mind. Every spectator experiences my act in their own way. During the Hans Klok show in Zwolle, we performed in a park. I met a man there who greeted me enthusiastically. He had seen the show and recognized me. He told me he had cried during my act and that my performance deeply moved him. He said, ‘It’s really dangerous what you do!’

His father had passed away not long before, and that evening, everything came together for him during my performance. That’s the beauty of what I can achieve with my work: taking the audience away from the everyday for a while.

If I can give readers or the audience one message, it’s this: enjoy. You are never too old to discover your body—it’s also about mental health.

And if you don’t feel healthy? Keep moving. Stop moving, and you die. It’s that simple. Everyone can find something that suits them. Don’t like the gym? Go for a walk!

My husband is my greatest support. We keep believing in each other, and that’s special. With my performance, I want to give people a feeling of being alive again. Everyone is busy, trapped in routines and obligations. But keep discovering, because there is so much beauty to be found. Enjoy every moment.”

And after more than an hour of talking, that’s the perfect conclusion. Together with her husband—and their now-sleeping daughter Erika—Kateryna walks back toward the circus, their home.

I slip my hand into my coat pocket, take out my bike key, and smile: in my hand, the keychain from Circus Knie. For Kateryna Korneva, it’s the key to her life. For me: just the key to home.

Kateryna Korneva. (Photo by: Frens te Kiefte)