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Alex grew up in Washington state as the youngest of five siblings. Being the first in his family to be born in the United States, he struggled to find where he belonged. “…I didn’t quite fit in. I wasn’t quite American enough for the American kids, and I wasn’t quite Russian or Slavic enough for the Russian or Slavic kids. It was kind of lonely,” he said. His parents, Tatiana and Vadim, are from Ukraine and fled the former Soviet Union as refugees. “They sacrificed everything they had just so we could have a better life. For that, I’m endlessly grateful,” reflected Alex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by his older brother, Alex picked up skateboarding, which was the real beginning of his journey to becoming a circus performer. He said, “It was a chance to constantly challenge myself and try new things \u2014 it sparked that sense of adventure in me and got me moving physically. It started with skateboarding, and then became, well, what else can I learn?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The call of the circus <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After moving to Los Angeles for film school, Alex and his brother were sitting in a coffee shop when a woman approached them, telling them they’d be perfect for the circus. “And we’re like, thanks, lady,” laughed Alex. “She goes: ‘No, seriously, I’m a director of a circus school. Here’s my card. Give me a call’,” he said. They decided not to call her, but this wasn’t the last sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“My brother, Demetrius, was approached by two girls at the park in Santa Monica who saw him doing splits and handstands. They handed him a card,” he said. It was the same card from the coffee shop! “He called me immediately: ‘Alex, that lady…she wasn’t crazy.'” So, they accepted the signs and started circus school. They trained six to nine hours every single day for about three years. “Over time, we went from one gig every four months to 29 gigs this month,” he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex attributes his opportunity to pursue a career as a performer to his parents. His mother was a skilled seamstress, and his father was a collegiate basketball player. “By leaving the former Soviet Union, they had to give up on opportunities they’d hoped to pursue,” he said. “My circus career is really a mixture of both of their dreams, and it’s my responsibility to carry that forward. I feel like I owe it to them.” For Alex, success is simple: “As long as I’ve given my honest-to-God best \u2014 that’s success. That’s all you can ask for.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n