Askold Zapashny: I'm delighted with Baku

Askold Zapashny, famous circus performer who visited Azerbaijan with his circus, told Vestnik Kavkaza about his impression of Baku and program that residents of the city will be able to see soon. First of all, he noted that as a child he had been to Baku many times, but he never had a chance to perform in the capital of Azerbaijan. "I'm delighted with Baku! Local people are very hospitable," he said.

"We never had a show in Azerbaijan, and it's a great honor for us. We did our best to make our program memorable. Later we will come to Turkey and Georgia, and in winter we will return to Moscow. In Baku, we will show a world-class show with more than 70 performers - gymnasts, acrobats, jugglers, who will show an incredible show. Unlike other performances, we will have a theatrical performance with a storyline and main characters," he noted.

As he said, members of his troupe would like to show this circus in all countries of the world. "And not for commercial reasons, but to spread our art and because of desire to show that Russian circus is beautiful and, like any other art, shows out true nature. Many issues are being politicized, people are annoyed, and in an era when confrontation between religions and countries is deliberately fueled, art is the catalyst of everything. That's why we have a sincere desire to share what we have achieved by dedicating our life to this great and beautiful art," Zapashny stressed.

"We don't separate ourselves from the world and want to prove that Russia is a fullfledged partner in international relations, that we do not try to boast that we are the best, we want to be friendly and show that we are competitive superprofessionals. I think that if everything goes according to our plan, it will not only be a renaissance of circus art - there will be a powerful progress both for the circus and for the international relations, for the country as a whole," he said.

Askold Zapashny has good expectations about performing in Baku. "First of all, I respect residents of Baku, secondly, the first performance in a new city is always a challenge for me. I sincerely hope that Baku public will be open and I'm confident that the audience will come to our show with curiosity, but will leave charged with insane energy, because we will have a really cool show," he concluded.