Kateryna Smertina
Antipod / Ukraine /
The second time she wanted to see a circus show, she had to borrow money for the ticket. Luckily, she managed to get it! That very day, she saw for the first time an artist juggling cigar boxes — and her heart skipped a beat. Not long after, she found herself in a training space. When her coach asked her to try a foot balance, she knew that her life journey with circus had just begun.
At the circus school in Odesa, she had the chance to try different disciplines, and she fell in love with equilibristics and aerial acrobatics.
“(…) I knew that antipod was where my heart belonged — and it has stayed with me ever since.”
She continued her education at the Circus School in Luhansk and later at university in Montreal. She became an artist. Her style is a fusion of precision and playfulness, where technique meets emotion — creating a unique stage language of movement.
What she values most in contemporary circus are freedom of expression, creativity, and intimacy.
“What excites me the most are the fresh ideas and the dramaturgy that bring depth and new perspectives to the art form.”
In her act, she invites the audience into a world where imagination meets the search for balance.
Outside of circus, she is fascinated by the world of scents. She creates perfumes and candles. She also travels, always bringing with her a piece of home — Ukraine.