Page 21 Fall 1986
I
came back the next day, prepared to meet them all. I kept thinking to
myself, "But what about the language barrier?" There was no
time to be shy, so in the afternoon I slipped into the building,
stealthily snuck backstage, (relishing every moment as super-spy) and
introduced myself to them in pigeon Russian. They proceeded to take me
in like a long-lost defective, uh...I mean defected daughter. Oamir
and Natasha Gibadullin's 8-year old boy, Roma, quickly befriended me
and helped translate with his broken school English. I trained with
them in the practice ring and met the other members (Boris and the
gang). With pride, they all gave me an incredible tour of the whole
facility, as curious eyes followed us around.
Later
as we sat upstairs in their dressing room, we asked each other many
questions about each others' lives and work. They all yearn to perform
in a Western country, and dream of going to the US, but those
aspirations are out of their control.
Their
lives are comfortable in the Soviet Union, because the paycheck of a
circus performer comes from the government and after 20 years of
working, every performer will receive a monthly pension for life. All
medical care is, of course, free. And to top it off, all artists,
performers, and dancers have the career respect that doctors and
lawyers have in this country
When
I told him that artists in my country have no support from the
Artistic
freedom isn't an issue for the Gibadullins - their material isn't
political or avant-garde. But seeing it all, close up, left me
claustrophobic. The fact that I have unlimited choices in my life kept
slapping me in the face.
The
troupe was very generous. They escorted me to the best seat in the
house to see the show again, and I took several rolls of film. It was
my birthday and they presented me with a set of Moscow Circus juggling
clubs.
There
was a comradeship between us that spoke for itself, a common language.
After spending 5 days in Leningrad, I flew to Helsinki and waited for
a connecting flight to Frankfurt.
We had exchanged information and I invited them to come visit me in the United States. Suddenly, we all started to laugh at the absurdity of the invitation. Oamir said, "I think it best, you come here, yes?" And I probably will. |