‘’The brightest, most colorful, large-scale event’’. Participants of the Alina festival of past years - about their experience

The 12th Alina festival will take place at the Sky Grace Academy on 8th of April. Ahead of the celebration of beauty and grace, we asked past participants to share their memories.

Marina Shpekht, participant of the first Alina festival in 2009:

The most vivid memory of the festival is that it was such a mix of performers: small children, world gymnastics stars, pop singers. The kids that admired our performance wanted to get our autographs, and then we turned around, and after performing with famous singers asked them for autographs and to have a picture taken together. It was amazing and unusual. 

Yulia Bravikova, Alina festival participant 2010, 2017:

— I performed at the festival twice, at a young age and the last year of my career. The impressions always lasted for a long time. First, from meeting Alina, which is something  every child in gymnastics dreams of. Second, meeting the best athletes of the country on the same mat. 

I remember the outfits that the director chose for us, costumes, guest artists, whom I had previously only seen only on TV . In 2017, the theme of the festival was Russian fairy tales. Sasha Soldatova and I performed to the Swan Lake music.

Olga Kapranova, participant of past Alina festivals (including the very first one in 2009):

- The Alina Festival is perhaps the brightest, most colorful, large-scale event in the world of sports. This festival always brings together the best professionals, the best choreographers, and the best children. This is a very good, patriotic movement. I took part in this festival as a member of the jury, and the children and I performed there when I started coaching. My children were selected for performances, now they are all 18-20 years old. But they still remember taking part in this festival, they still have the most positive memories of this  wonderful event. They remember everything in detail.

Anastasia Bliznyuk, participant of past Alina festivals (2017 and 2018): 

I still watch the recording of the performance. Sometimes I go to Ekaterina Sirotina's page, and watch the performances and  think about how amazing the light design is at the festival - it’s  something incredible. You really fall into this outer space. It’s great that Alina Kabaeva invites children not only from all over Russia, but in general from all over the world. I would like to wish all the participants to get the most enjoyment out of the festival. I will definitely be watching the broadcast.  I can learn something at each festival, both as an athlete and as a coach.