“I thought it would work for them”: Stéphanie of Monaco shines with a nice gesture
Princess Stephanie of Monaco has invited circus students from Ukraine to take part in the Monte-Carlo Circus Festival which takes place on April 15 and 16.
Refugees in Hungary, the students of the circus schools of kyiv and Kharkiv were invited to perform at the Monte-Carlo Circus Festival by Princess Stephanie of Monaco. At the start of the war in Ukraine, the students managed to flee. They were welcomed into the teams of the Circus of Budapest. “When we learned that the Ukrainian students were refugees with their teachers, I remembered having attended the final evening last year after the exams of the kyiv circus school and the quality of this show”, explains Urs Pilz, artistic director of the Monegasque festival at beautiful morningbefore adding: I thought of these students, that it gave them pleasure to be able to do this show in Monaco and to make it a charity. » For the organizer their place, monaco did it right : the Marriott hotel has made rooms available, sponsors have helped with logistics, but also to bring the troop by bus.
Aid set up for Ukraine
April 16 is also the twelfth World Circus Day around the world. “With the World Circus Federation, whose Princess Stéphanie is Honorary Presidentwe have also set up aid for animals in traveling zoos and circuses in Ukraine, to send them funds which are used to buy food and medicine for the animals”, Ur explains Pilz. The funds that will be during the three shows of the festival will also be used to support circus schools in Ukraine.
Artists affected by the initiative
” This show opportunity in Monaco, we are very grateful “says Gulnara Savenko, professor who supervises the artists present all week in the principality. While the entire faculty is delighted with the opportunity, this stay is not just focused on the circus: ” Some children had never seen the sea before in their lives, they were dazzled, and thewelcome to the principality was very comforting “, adds Gulnara, even if, as she specifies, the reality remains” very hard “.
Article written in collaboration with 6Médias
Photo credits: POOL MONACO/SIPA