TIMELINE

1996                Sport Acrobatics World Championship/European Championship, Rise Germany. Women Pairs: 3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze

1997                Sport Acrobatics World Championship, Manchester England. Women pairs: 2 golds

 

1998                Working in collaboration with her coach/director, Gyulnara develops a new genre of underwater contortion in the water bowl

 

2000                Waterbowl contortion act tours Europe
Appearances for Russian network TV
Royal Command Performance, Belgian Royal Circus
Munich gala for Bill Gates/Microsoft

 

2001                Patrick Sebastien TV show, Paris France

 

2002                Cirque de Demain Festival, Paris France, winner Moulin Rouge special prize
Cirkusprinsessan Festival, Stockholm Sweden, diploma
2-month appearance at Roncalli Apollo Variete, Düsseldorf Germany

 

2003                Invited to perform her Waterbowl act for ZUMANITY – ANOTHER SIDE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL at the New York New York Hotel Casino

 

2004                The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, performance of the Waterbowl from ZUMANITY

 

2005                Photoshoot for US Playboy Magazine, August issue

 

 

Gyulnara Karaeva is a World Champion acrobat, a world-class artist and a first class individual.  In just 22 years, Gyula has already garnered a lifetime of the accomplishments that include earning the Master of Sport, International Class title in Sports Acrobatics; becoming a decorated gold-medalist at World Championship and Europe Championship competitions; performing with the top circus companies and festivals in the world and being the youngest cast member invited to join Cirque du Soleil's ZUMANITY - ANOTHER SIDE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL on the Las Vegas Strip.   

Best known as the innocent young nymph featured in ZUMANITY's 'Water Bowl' act, Gyula glides lithely through 600 gallons of water to create a spectacular montage of sensual poses. An electrifying blend of contortion, hand-balancing and acrobatics, Gyula's aquatic beauty has captured the acclaim of audiences and press worldwide including Time magazine, Playboy magazine, ZINK magazine and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Patrick Sebastien (the top variety show in Paris, France)

Gyula joined ZUMANITY from Moscow Russia, where her athletic career began at age 7. She dedicated herself to Sports Acrobatics, practicing everyday and working above and beyond the regular practices scheduled by her coaches to hone the courage, strength, stamina, co-ordination, flexibility, and agility the sport demands. By age 13, Gyula's dedication to her training paid off in momentous proportions as she became an outstanding competitor in Russia, Europe and World Championships for Sports Acrobatics, Women Pairs.  

Her first big win came in 1996, when she placed 2nd in the Championship of Moscow.   This win precipitated two back-to-back gold-medal victories at the Championship of Russia (the first in April 1996 and then again in August of the same year). These victories earned Gyula the prestigious title of Master of Sport, International Class, an honor bestowed on athletes who have exhibited a striving for the highest results and who perform at the level of top ten best in the world.

Her wins in the Championships of Russia also catapulted Gyula to the upper echelons of international acrobatic competition.   In 1996, she wrapped up the competitive season with a series of Gold Medal wins under her belt at the World and Europe Championships.   Gyula's momentum continued to build in 1997. Once again, she won the two Championships of Russia and went on to compete in World Championship, where she emerged the 1st place victor in the “Balance” and “Tempo” categories for Sports Acrobatics, Women Pairs.

Soon thereafter, Gyula parlayed her athletic career into a career in the circus arts. She joined a Russian circus company, where she was immediately recognized for her unparalleled strength, flexibility and acrobatic precision. By virtue of these skills, Gyula was the perfect artist to work on a brand new apparatus, the “Waterbowl.” Working in collaboration with her coach/director, Gyula invented a new genre of contortion in the Water Bowl, underwater contortion. She toured Europe with her new act as a headliner in numerous festivals, galas and prestigious circus events including CirkusPrinsessan in Stockholm and Roncalli's Apollo Variete in Germany.

In one of her most competitive festival experiences, the 2002 “Cirque du Domain” Festival in Paris, Gyula beat out a mélange of aerial acts, contortionists, jugglers, clowns and other circus artists to take home the highly coveted Moulin Rouge special prize. Her performance also landed Gyula an invitation to work with the esteemed Moulin Rouge Cabaret Theatre.

When she is not perfecting acrobatics or creating new acts, Gyula enjoys swimming, basking on the beaches of Southern California and discovering new palates of wine. Though a world-traveler at heart, she currently calls Las Vegas home.

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Press Contact:

Callie de Quevedo

213-804-4514