Karakulin Circus School, Odessa Oblast Ukraine
How it began
We got to know Maksim Karakulin in 2007 when we did a circus project with 8 young artists from the Ukraine – it was called Variety, Maks was the juggler on the slack rope. The contact and friendship has lasted to this day. Especially intensified after a tragic accident that threw Maks out of a moving car as a passenger. He then had to fight his way back with great difficulty. Walking, speaking and moving at all were initially no longer possible after the massive injuries, then only to a very limited extent. He can now juggle, tightrope walk and speak almost normally again – but of course he was denied a promising career as a top artist.
The project
Maks has therefore opened a circus school. In Bilhorod-Dnistrowskyj – in the farthest, lowest corner of Ukraine – he teaches a total of 30 children in two classes.
Support from Plume
2019 Gian and Kurt visited Maks’ circus school, recorded material requests and sent them by post: approx. 15 kg of props such as trapeze, lunge, juggling clubs and, of course, a little bit of chocolate.
2021 Fall – Lucas visits Maks and his circus school, now teaching in two locations. He would like more circus material from us. We are launching a collection campaign in winter 2021/2022, with the material to be delivered in February 2022…
2022 – Unfortunately, the collected material could not be delivered to Ukraine. In January we couldn’t find a forwarding agent – fortunately – so the material stayed with us. Maks and his girlfriend Yuliya fled to Switzerland at the beginning of March and were able to stay with us. We read in a newspaper article that a children’s home from the Ukraine had been taken in at Fischingen Monastery. Maks was allowed to teach these children with the circus material until the beginning of August. How the 1st Ukrainian circus school in Switzerland came about.
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