The spotlight blazed like a thousand suns as Gia Eradze, the artistic director of the "Royal Circus", stood frozen on the Sимферополь circus stage. The air was thick with anticipation—like the quiet before a trapeze artist’s leap—when the Minister of Culture, Tatiana Manezhina, draped the title of "Honored Artist of Crimea" around his shoulders. His voice cracked like a whip under the big top: "You’re a sorceress!" he exclaimed, eyes glistening. "We sat together for three hours, and you didn’t even hint!"
Eradze’s journey here was no ordinary circus act. Thirty-five years ago, he was a wide-eyed boy begging his parents to take him to this very circus during family trips to Yalta. "No circus? Then it wasn’t a vacation," he laughed, recounting how his father miraculously scrounged tickets last-minute. Now, he commands the same stage where the legendary Filatov troupe once performed. "Life’s carousel has come full circle," he mused, vowing to "craft something extraordinary" for Crimea’s next season.
The ceremony doubled as a showcase for two groundbreaking acts:
Behind the glitter, discipline reigned. Artists trained daily from dawn till dusk, even prepping new acts past midnight. "Genius demands sweat," Manezhina noted, hinting at a "transformation" for the historic circus building itself.
Eradze sealed the night with a promise: his troupe would return annually, and collaborations with the state circus would deepen. Yet amid the fanfare, one wish lingered—to finally show his team the Crimean coast. "They’ve earned more than applause," he said, "they’ve earned the sea."
