China, like the Ukraine, is known for bringing out incredible handbalancers and circus acrobats, some of them very young. Ellen Grow, who I met at the Bali Handstand Retreat spent 18 months training there at the Beijing International Art School. So I asked her if she would be willing to share her experience. Even though she was there about ten years ago, I thought it was worth sharing with you guys. Today Ellen performs with her group One Fell Swoop Circus. Actually they are currently doing shows at the fringe festival! So go watch them if you have a chance! Also go and check out Ellen’s Instagram: @ellen_jayne Feel free to leave any comments in the section down below. Of course everybody’s training experience is unique and it’s great to hear other people’s stories! P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Handstand Diary

Ellen Grow - Training at a Circus School in China

Guys, I’ve been dying to show you this one. I think I don’t need to explain who Yulya Mihailova is, as she is probably the most famous female handbalancer and contortionist in the circus world and the world of social media. After meeting her husband, Andrii Bondarenko, I was determined to get to meet her too and share our conversation with all of you. She is a shining star and has been on stage with the Cirque du Soleil show Amaluna for over 8 years. At the time we met (in June 2019) she had just left the show and was generous enough to spend some time with us and share some of her story and why she decided to leave. In this interview she tells us about how she got started in handbalance and how her mother was against her going down this kind of carreer path at first. She also tells us about her relationship with her husband Andrii, her two daughters and how difficult it is to have the family in one place, given the nature of their jobs. When I met her I was struck by her amazing charm and kindness. Yulya is such a sweet person, a strong woman and has so much to give. She has so many interesting stories to tell, she could easily write a book about her life as a performer, coach, mother and wife. I hope she finds the time someday to execute on that! I was lucky, because I got to meet with her during an interesting time for her, where she was at the beginning of a new stage in her life, moving on to new projects. She and Andrii are not only stars on the stage, but are starting to teach more and more across the globe (#couplegoals). I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! I’m sure you already follow Yulya on Instagram, but if you don’t, go do it right now! IG: @djilieta P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Yulya Mihailova - Life of a Handbalance & Contortion Star

In this interview Alexander Hart shares his path to becoming a high-level handbalancer with us and insights he had along the way. After our interview Alex shared a quote with me that I think describes his motives in a perfect way: “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable” – Socrates Unfortunately we were very limited in time – Alex is a busy man. So we had to keep the interview short. Nevertheless I really hope you enjoy watching it and it inspires you to work towards your own full potential! Let your handstand practice be fueled by him, just like he was fueled by others he saw youtube videos of. If you want to see more of Alex, go and follow him on Instagram: @alexanderxart P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Alexander Hart - The Beauty and Strength of a Handbalancer

Here's to all of you overthinkers out there. This message is one I needed to hear for sure: Think less and do more Pieti was one of the amazing students we met during our visit at the Kyiv Academy for Circus and Variety Arts. I could talk to him for hours and hours, as he has quite a lot of thoughts on anything regarding handbalance and its practice. You can definitely tell that he likes to analyze things and has the mind of a scientist.    I really hope you enjoy this interview as the main key takeaways are so valuable: - Focus on the actual balance action in your hands/arms - Stick with one technique and grind it out Check out Pieti's Instagram and follow him: @pietikirkkopelto P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Pieti Kirkkopelto - Think Less and Do More

Kaisa’s story is one of the most amazing I’ve ever heard. It shows that sometimes less is more and that a sudden breakthrough is possible in handbalance, too. She basically went from a wobbly straddle one arm to all the one arm shapes in a matter of a few months. She just finished her first year in Kyiv and has big plans for her future. When I saw her flags for the first time, I fell in love. I’m so glad I can share this interview with you, since she was hesitant at the beginning, because of her language skills. So I hope you enjoy and appreciate that she went out of her comfort zone to share her story with us!  Follow Kaisa on Instagram: @kaisaaurora P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Kaisa Koivuluoma - Her Breakthrough in Handbalance

Here's to all of you injured people. Don't take it to serious. It will pass! It's been quite a while since we last posted. Ivo and I had some big life changes going on and were quite overwhelmed. But we are back. And we are having a blast. Stay tuned for more interviews with epic handbalancers and new tutorials! P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Song - Ouchies in my Wrist

I have rarely seen any person being as driven as Mihaela. She knows exactly what she wants and you can feel her laser sharp focus when you watch her practice. But I was actually really surprised when she told me her life goals during our interview. So I hope you enjoy this interview. It's an immensely valuable one in my opinion. Especially for all the aspiring female handbalancers, who are looking for some sense of direction. Follow Mihaela on Instagram! @mihaelaaureliakarkia P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Mihaela Karkia - Reaching Top-Level and Finding Your Own Style

Today I'll talk to Luis Landa, my mexican friend who decided to teak a leap and move to another continent to persue his dream. His progress eversince he came to Kiev has been amazing and his dedication and passion are very inspiring. But it's not always just flowers and rainbows when you train in Kiev. Most of the time, the handbalance life is hard and frustrating. So I was very greatful for Luis to be so honest and open up about the hardships and how he overcomes them and keeps going. If you wanna know more about Luis and check out more of his handstands or get in touch with him, follow him on instagram: @luisvlanda P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Luis Landa - Intense Training and Staying Inspired

This episode is about a little hero I met here in Kiev. Kim just finished her first year at the Circus School and tells us about what she's experiencing, being in one of the best schools (or probably even THE best school) for handbalance. I knew her a little from Instagram, but when I met her in real life, I was fascinated by her spirit and persona. She is like a little ball of energy with big ambitions and a lot of courage. What struck me the most was that she was so brave to choose her own path, even though there is no circus or sports background in her family. Coming to a foreign country with a different culture and a language you don't understand isn't easy for sure. But she knows what she wants and she is willing to work for it. Check out her Instagram and her Youtube channel for her tutorials! IG: @xkimaliciax Youtube: xkimaliciax P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Kim Alicia Gerlach - Circus School Life and becoming Pro

Since we are spending some time in Kiev all around handbalancers, we decided to do a fun little Q&A. P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

HANDSTAND Q&A - Kiev

How exciting to meet Ulrik again after such a long time. It's been about a year since our first interview. He came to Vienna to perform at the "Bodyweight Day", a big bodyweight training convention, where different sports an disciplines meet. And afterwards he gave a workshop and I got the pleasure to learn from him and hang out togehter. Enjoy our second interview in which he offers us his fresh view on things and tells us about his first experiences in performing! P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Ulrik Ask Fossum - Taking the Next Steps in his Handbalance Carreer

This was a pleasant, but unexpected experience! When we were in Amsterdam to visit some family over New Years, we wanted to connect with Max, a fellow handstand nerd, who I've been connecting with over Instagram for a while. Little did I know that he and Ivo had planned to do an interview with me! I guess this time I'll promote my own website then ;). If you are a handstand nerd too, head over to www.handstanddiary.com and subscribe to all sorts of videos, revolving around the subject of handstands! P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Sonja Smith-Novak - The Story around Handstand Diary

This time I got the pleasure to meet master Yuval Ayalon, who has been around for years and influenced a great number of people in the handstand community. In this interview he tells us about his journey, how he got into performing and handbalancing. We also get to talk about his thoughts on a handstand practice and the journey to a one arm handstand. P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Yuval Ayalon - Finding Ease and Effortlessness in Handbalance

In this interview Neven Gerenčir, student at INAC in Portugal, tells us all about how handbalance changed his life and himself as a person. For me, he is a perfect example of how handbalance can be so much more than just an activity or a skill. For many of us (me included, obviously) it can be a means to connect with people, who appreciate you the way you are and understand you. It can be a means to get in touch with yourself and literally help you stay mentally and physically sane through it's meditative and focused, body and mind connecting characteristics. P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Neven Gerenčir - A new and better Life through Handbalancing

First time I saw a post of Mau Jara on Instagram (@maujara) just a few months back, I was amazed. This guy was staying on his hands forever, was jumping onto his hands on tables and playing around. And it looked as if all the strength moves were just another random thing for him. At that point I thought: where has this guy been all this time I've been connecting with people about handbalance?? We went to Porto, where he teaches at the circus school INAC to visit him and learn from him. And as always we made an effort to capture some of the insights in the form of an interview :). P.S.: Consider supporting us so we can keep producing content! It's never too late to do what you love, Soundschi --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

Mau Jara - His Journey and Finding Balance

Hi! I'm Soundschi and I'm simply fascinated with the art of handbalancing. Although the journey to learning and perfecting it is a rough one with many, many struggles, I decided to do whatever it takes to stick with it, become better and learn everything I can about it. And since Ivo (my husband) and I decided to leave our homes to travel the world, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to meet as many handbalancers as I can and to share everything I learn about handbalancing during our journey with you. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/handstand-diary/support

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Handstand Diary

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